W. Curt Vincent
Editor
“A bee sting between two toes.”
That was the answer recently when someone was asked to describe their summer. It wasn’t what was expected.
The summer of 2021 surely seems to be a better one than the summer of 2020. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic began to ease up a few months ago and things began to reopen after more than a year under the virus tarp. Still, some folks just aren’t seeing the improvement of this summer over last.
So that got me thinking … why not ask you creative readers to describe what this summer has been like for you? Except I am going to invoke a little twist: do it in just six words.
Yes, we’ve done these six-word responses before and had great success. but it’s been a while. The whole thing is really pretty easy — just think about the question and come up with a six-word answer that fits the topic.
You know, perhaps something like “A bit better than last summer.”
Sorry if I stole your answer.
Or how about “Busted loose for a road trip.”
Maybe something like “Didn’t trust people, stayed masked up.”
It could be “Used common sense, got the shot.”
OK, I’ll stop.
It’s not been verified whether the individual was actually stung by a bee between two toes, but it certainly does create an image of pain and agony. I can empathize … I was once stung on the tongue after drinking a Mt. Dew that a bee had beaten me to the can and crawled inside.
Hopefully that’s not how most folks think of their current summertime. But let’s find out, because, as The National Inquirer used to claim, “inquiring minds want to know.”
On top of asking the question and requesting your six-word answer, I’m going to make this a contest. That’s right, your creative answer could win you … something. I will have that figured out by the end of this.
So here’s the official question: What has your summer of 2021 been like?
Now all you need to do is come up with an answer — in only six words — that best describes your summer, then get it to me by Friday, Sept. 10, at noon. You can drop it off at our office (915 S. Main St. in Laurinburg), email it to me ([email protected]) or mail it to me. Your entry MUST include your name, hometown, email address and telephone number. And please, only one entry per person.
The winning entry, as chosen by a specially trained panel, will be the subject of an upcoming column AND invited as the honored guest to The Laurinburg Exchange’s monthly staff lunch on Friday, Sept. 24, at our office. That’s your prize.
And just a heads up: Our staff lunches are epic. We sit around our conference table and share stories and jokes and just about anything that comes to mind — within reason, of course. You will return to work or home with a myriad of gossip after an inside look at the inner sanctum of your local newspaper operatives. Be prepared to be sworn to secrecy.
So get creative and get your six-word response in now.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or cvincen [email protected].