Unbecoming

You cannot grow because you have decided you have stopped growing. You haven’t grown in ages and you’ve lost the knack. ‘Twas a time you used to believe six impossible things before breakfast if I’m not mistaken. ~ The Hatter, Unbirthday 

What do Instagram, operas, tattoos, and Taylor Swift all have in common? The art of storytelling. I just finished reading a book called The Storytelling Animal. With topics like why the idea of story shapes our lives, how fictional stories promote pro-social behavior, and what our night time dreams are made of, I was captivated from spark to finish…

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Bears in the Night

The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows. ~ Brené Brown

“WHOOOOOOO!!!” The vivid hoot of the night owl awoke me from my slumber, and I cried out in fright. Except…it wasn’t a real owl; I opened my eyes to the darkness of the room and slowly came to my senses. It seemed as dark as the midnight, but it couldn’t have been much past nine o’clock. Maybe if I keep squinting, I’ll be able to see what the little red numbers say on that clock sitting on the dresser in this now distant memory of my childhood bedroom. The light in the hall cast looming shadows onto the walls. Hearing the cry, my mom rushed into my room to see what was wrong. Three-year-old me with blonde hair at the time, wearing my favorite blue pajamas, was crying my big brown eyes out while sitting on my bed. My mom in her navy blue robe adorned with tiny pink and white flowers, held me close and listened to me describe the scary owl who had felt so real. Like a night-light in the darkness, she came to the rescue and assured me…it had just been a bad dream…

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Wild Dreaming

Some say it’s the darkest before the dawn…the stormiest before the calm…

Domicile disarray abounds around, but I’m feeling introspective and only slightly sentimental on this rainy afternoon. The organizational demands are just going to have to be patient a little while longer, for alas, the writing mode strikes whenever it fancies. Follow me away into…

…a maze of greenery. And a tangled up enchanted opal apple orchard. It’s a wonder one could ever find one’s way out. A last dance in the moonlight with that dashingly handsome man. There’s something about the way he looked that evening. Wild daydream blue eyes. His voice and smile were so familiar, like I’d known him half my life. Enraptured distant memories came to the forefront of my mind, as the large clock on the castle wall sounded an alarmingly loud alarm. Midnight! And it was just getting good. My heart beat swiftly as he kissed my red lips, brushed my hair back from my rosy cheek, and whispered in my ear, “I’ll see you again.” I made it to the door a fraction before the twelfth stroke. Continue reading “Wild Dreaming”

Let’s Make Neverland a Possibility, Part 2

My previous blog referring to Neverland has been on my mind as I recently celebrated my 30th birthday.  I have been dreading leaving my twenties.  I love birthdays, but detest aging.  Most people have been telling me, “You still look so young.  What’s the big deal?”  Hello, TIME is a big deal!  Thirty years sounds like quite a long time, but it went by way too quickly.  I can only imagine that thirty more years will seem to slip away even faster.  “I suppose it’s like the ticking crocodile, isn’t it?  Time is chasing after all of us.”  Many days I wish I could be Wendy…with just a little golden pixie dust from Peter Pan, I could fly away to Neverland and make the choice to not grow up. Continue reading “Let’s Make Neverland a Possibility, Part 2”