We’ve all had close calls, those “Whew!” moments. Maybe you narrowly avoided or survived an accident, an armed robbery, a fire, cancer, a heart attack. Perhaps you had a near death experience, or saved someone else’s life. Or maybe it was a seemingly simple matter of making, or not making, a certain flight or, as Bonnie Raitt sang, “finding love in the nick of time.” Some people describe these types of events as life changing and even feel a deeper sense of purpose in being alive. Think back … to a close call you or someone you know experienced. What happened, and if it changed you, how so? Share your close calls stories forward.

Nicknames can be a shortened form of your formal name, or have nothing to do with it. They can describe your personality or a physical characteristic, or – ironically – exactly the opposite (an “antiphrasis”). Think back … Whether a term of affection or something else, did you have a childhood nickname that stuck even when you’d outgrown it? If you still have a nickname, or have acquired a more recent one, do you embrace it or wish it would just go away? Share your nicknames stories forward.

Bad trip, or coping with COVID? This impromptu prompt gives Retrospecters the option of writing about a traumatic past vacation or the current COVID-19 pandemic. Your story might be one of a travel disaster or an up-to-the minute account of how your community and activities are being shut down. Think back … to past bad vacations or to past epidemics such as polio, AIDS, SARS. Or just talk about how you are dealing with the current crisis and its mandated staycation. Share your hellacious vacation or staycation stories forward. 

There’s nothing quite like that feeling of belonging. Perhaps you joined a club, a troupe, or an organization, or embraced a faith, or maybe you discovered a hobby or interest. Think back . . . to a time when you found yourself part of a “we,” when you connected with a group that made you feel like your best self. Share your finding your tribe stories forward.