“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, pave another one.” -Dolly Parton I did what I had to do. My daughter says I have a habit of making short-term decisions; that I lack the ability to see the long view. Perhaps. Throughout my life I have put one foot in front of the other, …
Author: Regina Allen
Upon retiring from education, I now spend my days writing, running and playing with my dogs. Much of my writing is inspired by my birthplace, the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I presently live with my husband and two dogs on the Guadalupe River in Central Texas. Through my writing, I seek to understand my past choices in order to live more fully. I hope my writing will encourage others to do the same.
WINTER STORM
Since Sunday, we have experienced the coldest weather in South Central Texas since 1960. Single digit temperatures were nearly unheard of until now. We are experiencing more snow than I have ever seen here. It is truly beautiful. GOOD FORTUNE We are fortunate. Our pantry is full. My husband and I have each other and …
Memories of My Commute
For eight years I commuted daily from my home in Canyon Lake to Johnson City where I worked. In the beginning my commute was 40-45 minutes one way. By the time I quit my job several months ago, the commute was sometimes as much as an hour. Many people have such a commute or much …
Opportunity from Hardship: Making Positive Change During COVID
2020 2020 was difficult; everyone says so. A year ago, we were just beginning to hear about a strange virus in China. Only those of us who are avid news junkies had any awareness of it at all. A virus on the other side of the world in a country that is foreign in every …
Continue reading Opportunity from Hardship: Making Positive Change During COVID
The Writer Defined
Who is Regina the Writer? LIFE ROLES Throughout life I have worn many hats. I am daughter/sister/mom/aunt/teacher/wife/friend. I am librarian/ paralegal/manager/student/caregiver/provider. Until now, I have not thought to distinguish my writer self from the others. Until now, I have not allowed myself to take myself seriously as a writer. So, I ask myself, what does …
The Unexpected Runner
Not quite a mile into my first 5K in over twenty years, I began to doubt myself. My muscles felt strong, but breathing was beginning to be a struggle. I looked around at my fellow runners and determination overcame uncertainty. There was the woman around my age running barefooted, another woman was a good 8 …
Workout Queen
My most athletic moment until now happened during the first week of junior high. Much to the frustration of the gym teacher and my teammates, I was the scrawny girl who ducked when the volleyball came my way. I was the last to be picked for a team and also the last to care. So, …
Origin Story
She came up out of the mud where the Mississippi River washes the continent’s silt into the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi Sound was her place of birth, her embryo, her mama’s womb. She knew the familiar cadence of languages mixed as in a boiling pot. There was the French providing spice, the savory meats …
Chasing Squirrels
Sometimes I think writing this historical book is a trick I am playing on myself, a sleight of hand that isn’t working. It’s a distraction from what I am really supposed to be writing—something close and personal and oh so painful, a raw story that reaches to the very bone of my existence. In …
AirB&B
Recently, I learned an astonishing thing. My grandmother’s house where I spent my childhood summers has been made into an AirB&B. Who’d a thunk it! Helen’s house is a simple yellow brick ranch home. To the passer by it is nothing special. The house is a small three-bedroom, two bath that sits atop a …
Regina M. Allen 