Patricia L. Atchison

YA Fiction & Non Fiction Author

Patricia Atchison

You Can’t Go Back – a French Fry Story

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Sometimes you just want to go back… whether it is for an experience, to remember an awesome outing or for great food. If you are from Calgary, you will remember that ‘The Bay’ downtown (The Hudson’s Bay Company) had a great little cafeteria on the top floor, and even better, a Malt Stop shop on the second floor.

The Bay cafeteria had THE best french fries and gravy ever. As a teenager back in the seventies, my girlfriend and I would often stop in for french fries and gravy on the way home from a movie downtown. They didn’t cost much and you received a big plate of fries drowning in homemade gravy.

The Malt Stop served good old fashioned chocolate malts in tall glass dessert cups with a long straw and an even longer spoon. I used to stop there all the time when I worked downtown. I remember one day that I absolutely had to have a malt after visiting the dentist. Unfortunately, my mouth was still quite frozen. Yikes – what a mess I made as the frozen treat dribble down my mouth and onto my shirt – unbeknownst to me. But it tasted so great!

Hubby and I talked recently about these two places. The ‘original’ Malt Stop disappeared years ago. They created a new hotdog shop on another floor, but it wasn’t the same. I am not sure if it’s still there. We knew the cafeteria – now a restaurant still existed on the top floor, so we thought, why don’t we give it a try – go for some french fries and gravy.

We made a date Maltof it, and saw the cafeteria had changed their menu along with the décor. It was updated (of course, why wouldn’t it be). We tried the french fries only to discover that with the change in oils over the years – the fries just didn’t taste the same. They were crunchy now with the new oil. The gravy was nowhere near the original – most likely a package mix combination with way too much salt.

We realized you can’t go back. It’s just not the same, and never can be, no matter how much you wish it to be. You have to hold onto the memories as they exist and make new ones, maybe find a new french fry place.

Sadly, my Malt days are over as I’m unable to eat frozen desserts anymore due to tummy problems. Heavy sigh, I’ll just have to close my eyes and strive to remember the taste of what it was like.

We can’t go back, but we can move forward… the burgers and fries are pretty fantastic at the Inglewood Drive-In. The place has been there forever too, but the menu remains the same, and really they do offer a good burger and crinkle cut fries. Haven’t tried their gravy – but who knows maybe one day I will.

Launching in Four, Three, Two, One

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As I launch my new website, I realize my journey over the last few years (and much longer) has been one of deep, dark, surfacing, light and places in between. More ups than downs, downs than ups and generally all around(s).

Like any journey, you figure you are on the right path, you are taking great strides and then an incident occurs. In a split second all that was well is no longer. I know most people experience something along their life’s path which changes them. It could be anything… individual to each.

Imagine an egg on the surface of the counter. Spin it and it stays in control, although still spinning. Put it on an uneven surface though and the spinning can create something which spirals out of control. It may crack, or worse, tumble off the edge and break. All that is left is a shell.

Unlike the egg, humans have a way of piecing themselves back together in many different ways. Evolving, never the same, becoming whole, breaking apart… and so the life cycle continues over and over.

I was lost for a bit – not sure who I was, what I was meant to be doing. I took down my old website – one about my writing, publishing and children’s books. I wasn’t sure I could call myself a writer anymore, as that’s not what I did on a regular basis. I’ve pieced myself back together again. I found bits of my old self who I loved dearly. Those bits that love creativity and making dolls and teddy bears. I’ve allowed my spirit to come out and play again with my hands sculpting whatever they choose.

Though I couldn’t write great length pieces I started writing daily affirmations for myself. For lack of a better word, I called them my oneism 8-29-2016‘one-isms’. These quotes given to me as gifts from the universe, helped to guide my day into a more positive spin.

As time went on, I started downloading different templates for a new website. I must have blasted through over ten of them. I worked on them for days, sometimes weeks, and I didn’t feel anything, except robot-like, so I’d download another one, hoping that was the answer. I discovered that it wasn’t the shell that was the problem. It was the content I was looking for. I lost the purpose of why I wanted or even needed a website?

Over time, I sat down and did some serious reflecting. I discovered a “Beautiful’ template (yes that’s really the name of it), downloaded it and carried on with ease, where everything flowed as intended. Piecing together what makes up the essence of me – for now. I came up with the following:

“I am not just a writer, or a Nia Dance Teacher, or someone who is creative. I embody all that is in light, love and joy, trying to climb out of conformity of what people perceive me to be or ‘should be’. I wish to share my passion, zest and gift of life with others. A shift from ego to helpfulness. It is not who Patricia L. Atchison is, but what I can do for you by sharing my voice, my creativity, and my dancing through Life.”

My blog… a time for fun, for joy, for light – sharing all that is close to my heart.
My website… a place to visit.
Please, won’t you sit down and join me for a cup of tea?

About Art

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I love this quote; “Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences.” (Brian End), as I believe that all art has merit no matter who created it. To someone a piece of art may be just an object, but to another it may “speak to them”, for whatever reason. Hence we end up with collectors seeking those pieces which say the most to their hearts and triggering the best experience in their minds.

(The photograph below was taken by me at the Holyrood Palace Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland May 2016)
Art Works Quote

Traveling Your Bucket List – Step by Step

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I had the pleasure of writing the following article for the newsletter, Heart and Mind Matters, by Best U Can B.

I recently came back from an overseas vacation to England and Scotland, where my family attended a cousins wedding. Traveling to the United Kingdom (UK) had been on my bucket list for a number of years.

The question became one of ‘could we ever afford it’? I think because of the distance, the idea of traveling there seemed impossible. Have you ever put constraints on a bucket list item?  Why do we put obstacles in the way of some of the wish lists we have?

Usually, the first thing we do is associate an activity with a monetary value. Then we put a timing issue on it. Life gets in the way and we never find the time to bring our wish to realization. Ah the excuses go on and on and on…

My dream vacation was to visit London, Scotland and parts in between. First Hubby said, “It’s so expensive!”, then came the, “Well, you know you need at least six weeks to visit. There’s so much to see in only a couple of weeks”, then “How can I take that much time off work.” It seems the negatives never ended. I tried to be hopeful though. I really, eventually wanted to go over ‘there’.

To read the rest of the article, (issue date Tue 28/06/2016), please visit: Heart and Mind Matters – Traveling Your Bucket List by Patricia L. Atchison

An Hour in the Morning in the Day of the Life of a Multitasking Wife…

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I admit I take multitasking to many levels – it’s great, but can be quite time consuming. I achieve a lot, but I also lose track of time in my day when I find multitasking moments coming on.

An example is this morning. While I packed up a couple of clothing items for our upcoming camping trip,  I grabbed a pair of old shorts for my husband and saw that another new pair he had bought had not been washed yet. I figured he might want to wear them this weekend. Checking the laundry bin, I knew I had enough dirty clothes for a small load. I decided I should also throw in the clothes I was wearing too, so I changed top and capris and grabbed hubby’s new shorts and threw everything into the washing machine and started it.

I needed to put some facial cotton pads into my bag, and went looking in the bathroom cupboard for a pack I knew I had stored there. I discovered a new refill bottle of hand washing foam (which I forgot about). It’s funny, as just the other day I thought about going to pick up another one to refill all of our bathroom hand wash dispensers (we have them in 4 bathrooms and one at the kitchen sink). I figured while I had a moment I should fill up at least the upstairs dispensers – seeing as I found it (and didn’t want to forget about it again). I filled them up, but made a mess and spilt a bunch, so grabbed a cleaning rag and mopped up. I didn’t want to waste the soap on the rag, so why not clean the toilet. I reached for the bathroom cleaner and proceeded to do just that. We have another washroom upstairs, so I cleaned that toilet too.

I now have two full foaming hand wash containers and clean toilets. I gathered some used towels, the rag, and put them into the laundry room for another load, but not before I washed my hands in both washrooms (just have to test out the dispensers) and used another rag to dry the sinks and counters, making everything sparkly and fresh.

Our bag is packed for camping (just waiting on the new shorts), including the cotton pads I originally went in search of. My toilets and a couple of sinks are nice and clean. I have a change of clothes on, a load of laundry on the spin cycle, one in the basket waiting, and this story almost finished.

Unfortunately, I have a cup of tea (that I’ve reheated twice this morning) gone cold once again, but it still tastes good!

Not bad for an hour in the morning in the day of the life of a multitasking nut!

Defined by: ‘What do you DO?’

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It doesn’t matter where you go or who you meet, in a group setting or individually, it seems once a person states their name in an introduction, they are then asked, “What do you do?”.

It is easy for some. They can simply state they are a: doctor, teacher, nurse, salesperson, stay-at-home-Mom, lawyer, cashier, dentist, librarian, electrician, plumber, CEO, etc. You get the idea.

The other option is: I work for/at, I work part-time/full-time, I am a student, I am retired, I am an artist, or I work out of the home.
When first meeting others, a person is defined by, ‘What do you DO?’. Seldom, unless a person is in an interview setting are they asked, “Who are you?”.

For me the ‘Do’ question makes me shudder. I ‘DO’ lots. I am not in any single career or ‘work-related space’ that defines me. I write, I sculpt (doll & teddy bears), I teach Nia Dance Movement/Fitness, I design websites, and I am a bookkeeper for our home based business, not to mention some other things I may explore as time goes on.

How can I say all that in a two or three word reply that people come to expect? Except to say basically, I am a multitask-er who loves to delve into many passions. I guess in a good way, this would open up dialogue I could expand on during a meet and greet.

Many entrepreneurs suggest that unless a person has a single passion, they can’t be successful because they end up scattered in too many directions. This is true. A person can’t divide their time equally among all interests. For me though, I don’t like to fit into a bubble defined by society. It is boring always being stuck in one frame of activity. It seems when I am doing one thing, my mind is conjuring up something else – an interest, something new to learn – something always comes along to veer me in a different direction. It always has, and I presume, always will. Unless I eventually end up finding that single thing that I’d like to “DO” that would define me in other’s eyes? Until then, I DO many things, all of which define me as the person I am today.

Unfortunately when you ask me what I ‘do’, you may have to sit down and have a cup of tea, as my answer may take a while.