Regret (A Very Short Story by ChatGPT with Commentary After)

The sun was setting over the small town of Millfield, casting a warm glow over the streets and houses. As Mary sat on her porch, staring out at the scene before her, she couldn't help but feel a sense of regret wash over her.

She had lived in Millfield her entire life, never venturing more than a few miles from her childhood home. She'd always dreamed of seeing the world, of experiencing new cultures and making a name for herself. But as the years passed, she found herself too scared to take the plunge, too comfortable in the familiar surroundings of her small town.

Now, as she approached her 50th birthday, Mary realized that it was too late for her to chase her dreams. She had missed her chance at adventure, at living a life that was truly her own.

Tears welled up in Mary's eyes as she thought about all the opportunities she had let slip through her fingers. She had always played it safe, following the expectations of others instead of following her own heart.

But as the sun set on another day, Mary made a decision. She wasn't going to let her regrets consume her. She was going to start living for herself, even if it meant leaving the safety and comfort of her small town behind.

And so, the next day, Mary packed her bags and set off on a journey of self-discovery. She traveled to far-off lands, experiencing new cultures and making a life for herself that was full of purpose and meaning.

Years passed, and Mary never looked back. She had finally found the courage to chase her dreams, and she had no regrets about the life she had built for herself. She knew that it was never too late to start living for yourself, and she was grateful for the second chance she had been given.

* * * * 

OK, so I asked ChatGPT, the AI writing program that has gone over-the-top viral, to write a 300-word story about Regret. The preceding story is the product of our gifted thinking machine, unedited. 

As I read it, I had a problem when Mary made a decision to "set off on a journey of self-discovery" and was heading off the next day in pursuit of her dreams. 

Why was this a problem? Well, there are too many unanswered questions. First, how many people do you know who can pack their bags and leave overnight? It just didn't seem plausible. If she owns the house, who will sell it for her? If she's just renting, who will empty the place and put her things in storage? 

Was she a widow? Divorced? I'd like to know more, but then again... I asked for a 300 word story, not a novel.

Does she live alone? One would assume that is the case, but the story doesn't really say this. If she's able to leave the next day, perhaps her parents are still alive and living there. On the hand, it's possible her father died a few years earlier and Mary was taking care of her mother until she died two weeks ago, thereby freeing her of the responsibility she felt was her to bear. With the funeral now behind she stares at a whole new future landscape for her life.

Actually, I've seen this small town phenomenon. People can feel safe in the small towns they grew up in. A number of years ago I met a woman who grew up in a small Wisconsin town. When she went off to college in Madison she was intimidated by the scale of the school and dropped out to return home. I'm curious if she had any regrets like Mary. 

I also remember a young woman who gave me a haircut here in Duluth and said she had never been out of the state. "Not even Wisconsin? It's five minutes away?" (You can actually see Superior from half the houses on Duluth's 30 mile hillside.)

"Not even Wisconsin," she said.

With regards to Mary, I was curious where her fears came from that kept her in Millfield. What do you think she found when she set off to find herself?

Illustration created by DreamAI

Upcoming Twin Ports Arts Happenings of Note for Your Calendars

Tonight at the DAI

Plenty to see and do this weekend.

Tonight
The Duluth Art Institute is hosting a multimedia performance of George Morrison images accompanied by original jazz guitar compositions by Briand Morrison. It's a free event that will begin at 6:00 p.m. Karen Sunderman of the Playlist states, "Briand Morrison is a brilliant jazz guitarist. The Playlist caught up with him in Grand Portage as he prepared this show. Take a peek and stop by the performance at the Duluth Art Institute. Thank you for bringing him to town!" Sounds like you'll want to doublecheck your plans and see if you fit this in.



Friday

Two events recommended. Journey with Linda Powless at the Gimaajii-Mino-Bimaadizimin Gallery in Trepanier Hall (the former Y at 202 West 2nd Street.) Linda describes her show with these words:
"Come view a collection of pots, clay sculpture and other pieces of work that have defined a journey of self discovery." Kathy McTavish will provide musical accompaniment with Sheila Packa reciting some poetry as well. Event runs from 5 - 7:30 p.m.

And earlier this week I already mentioned The Homegrown Illustration Show at the Prove, which you will not want to miss.

Saturday

The Art for Earth Day Gallery Hop is an annual event that has traditionally taken place on the Saturday that coincides most closely with Earth Day. Since Earth Day was yesterday (if you didn't notice, Google gave us clues all day) so the event is Saturday, this year featuring nine Twin Ports galleries and art spaces. You can read brief overviews of each in today's DNT or go directly to their web space here.  A shuttle will be conveying folks around from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. but if you can't make it, each and all of these art spaces will welcome you back any time for the rest of your life. Nevertheless, this is a good tradition and usually their puttin' on the dog as they say, so it is an extra special time to see what the local gallery scene is about.

One of the highlights of the Gallery Hop takes place at UMD where the Department of Art & Design is opening its doors to the public for its Annual Student Exhibition at the Tweed Museum.

Art & Design's Annual Student Exhibition runs April 7 - April 30, 2015 at the Tweed Museum of Art but on Saturday there's an Open Studio event that includes classroom tours, demonstrations, hands-on activities, live music, and an affordable art sale of student work. The studios are located in Anderson Hall, Montague Hall, and the Humanities Building at 1201 Ordean Court on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus.

Visiting the Open Studio last year brought back all kinds of fond memories from my experiences as an art student at Ohio University. You don't have to have been an art major, however, to have your heart stirred.

Linda Powless piece from Journey

The Open Studio event is a joint effort created by UMD student groups, including the Art Guild, Photo Alliance, Media Arts Club, Mud Guild, Impressive Collective, Art Education Club, Art History Symposium, and the Student Design Organization. Students will display creative work and demo various art processes such as stone lithography printmaking and screen-printing, ceramics wheel throwing, welding, and digital art techniques including video game creation. The public is invited to take part in a photo booth, art education activities, video game tournaments, interactive painting, piñatas and more. Student work from all art and design areas will be on display, including the senior portfolios of the UMD Graphic Design majors. Affordable art, ceramics, posters, cards, and food will be available for purchase, in addition to Open Studio T-shirts. The Open Studio event promises to be a fun and interactive day, perfect for all ages and families!

After touring the Art & Design studios, the public is welcome to attend the Annual Student Exhibition Reception, which will be held at the Tweed Museum from 4 - 6 p.m. The exhibition reception will feature live music, refreshments, and an awards ceremony at 5 p.m. to announce the exhibition prizes and honor UMD Art & Design scholarship students.

As if this isn't enough,there will be a rooftop barn dance in Bohannon Plaza, featuring local musicians and dance callers, Four Mile Portage, from 6 – 8 p.m. The invitation concludes, "Bring a creative spirit, wear your dancing shoes, and join us on April 25 at the UMD Department of Art & Design, where we have fun down to a fine art!"

Six Minutes with Maria Sutton, Author of The Night Sky

I took an interest in Maria Sutton’s The Night Sky because it is a compelling story about a quest. Young Maria had learned that her father was not her birth father and she set about to find him, to learn his story, and ultimately to re-connect with a portion of herself which had been lost in that great upheaval called World War II. The second reason I felt compelled to read the book was that it once again answers questions many people have about what really happened to so many people who were wounded by that terrible war. Sutton’s candid tale of persistence, hope, fear, confusion and pain makes for more than a good read.

The book's full title is The Night Sky: A Journey from Dachau to Denver and Back. There are many lessons here that we can all benefit from because she took the time to record and share them.

EN: Why did you write this book?

Maria Sutton: Millions of people are searching for something -- whether it be a new job, significant other, or something they think is missing in their lives. I wanted people to know that if they never give up, despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, they will find that thing for which they searched. In the end, it may not turn out to be what they thought or hoped it would be, but it may be even something better. Many people have told me my story inspired them to continue reach for those stars – and that’s why I wrote the book, so that readers would know they can find their dreams.

EN: How many trips to Europe did you make in order to find your father and the rest of your family’s history?

MS: Europe is a fascinating, intriguing place to be solving a mystery. The history, architecture, culture, and friendly, helpful people, made me feel I was on a vacation instead of on a hunt. I sleuthed around Europe for fourteen years, covering four countries and six trips. The Internet helped me zero in on the places I needed to visit, but had I not been able to review documents in those foreign countries, the mystery would not have unraveled.

EN: What was the first clue that the image of your father was overly romanticized?

MS: There were so many clues along the way, but I dismissed all the ones that didn’t fit the image of what I wanted my father to be. A little voice inside my head kept telling me I was setting myself up for disappointment, but I didn’t listen to it – just like I didn’t listen to my mother’s comments that I should stop searching for Jozef. In the end, I knew no one could live up to the image I had conjured up in my mind, but that didn’t stop me from romanticizing about him. The picture of him that Angelica sent me still haunts me because it revealed his inner soul, and was the first of a series of shocking revelations.

EN: It seems that so many Americans are clueless about what Europe went through during the two World Wars. Your story helps bring understanding. What are the most painful truths you learned besides what you learned about your father?

MS: Man’s inhumanity to man was the most painful truth I learned when researching the tumultuous WWII era. The senseless killings, mass murders, and torturing of innocent people made me painfully aware of the evil that is within ordinary people, but the resilience of the human spirit is how I want my story to be remembered.

EN: What is the meaning of your title, The Night Sky?

MS: I love this question and get asked it a lot. From the time I first started writing the book, I knew I wanted to name it The Night Sky because all my life I have been looking at the stars of the night sky, knowing that somewhere beyond the stars of the night sky there was another world where my family was drinking coffee, eating bread, talking, laughing, and planting flowers and vegetables – and I wanted to reach out and touch them.

EN: How did the experiences that you share here change you?

MS: Finding my father was an epiphany for me. I had to come to terms with what I found during my search, and it could have shattered any illusions I had about myself. Instead, it made me a stronger person. It was a hard way to find out that only I have the power to define myself.

EN: How did writing this story change you?

MS: I am amazed at how many people have contacted me after reading my book. I get emails, letters, and phone calls from all over the world, people wanting to meet me, so I am humbled and honored that people feel my story has helped them with their life struggles in some way. If my story has made a difference in someone’s life, then I’m glad I shared my personal tragedies and triumphs. Many of the things I wrote about were embarrassing to me and I didn’t want to disclose them – just gloss over them, but I realized it would not have been an honest book if I had done so. I have also learned that truth, in all its ugliness, is a beautiful thing that sets you free.

EN: Where can people find out more about this book and purchase it?

MS: Thank you for asking! The Night Sky can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in most libraries. Readers can just Google “Maria Sutton The Night Sky” and about 14 million websites should pop-up.

Night sky photo courtesy Andrew Perfetti Photography