Sometimes I want to write but I have no plan whatsoever. I just kind of plow through until I find something.
Plow through...what an odd saying, it makes me think of Little House on the Prarie. Odd jump there I know, but I loved those books growing up. I checked them out from the library constantly, eventually my parents got me the full set of all the books and I ate it up. I was determined to cook a thanksgiving dinner like Ma and Laura did (Which was just a wee bit over my head at the time). I wanted to find an Almanzo of my very own, and we would live on a farm and raise kids and animals.
Now in defense of what sounds like a moderate obsession, I still want to live on a farm, I married a hardworking man, and we have a baby (on the way) and a dog. So not too different from what child me wanted.
My sister and I were both voracious readers, and we read far above our "reading level". However, the content of young adult literature was much less volatile in the 80's, or at least it seemed that way.
It is really disturbing to walk through a bookstore's young adult section now and see things like Twilight, Hunger Games and the Divergent series. Books that are about ancient vampires hanging out in high schools, kids killing kids (not to far from Lord of the Flies, I know, but the political undertones and the loss of childhood make it sinister in a different way), and post apocalyptic life! We had Sweet Valley High, and the Lioness series, and fantasy series like Narnia and the Belgariad! Books about the process of growing up, not kids that were already adults.
I feel like we are doing a disservice to our kids letting them read books (though the same could be said for movies too) about adult topics with the main characters being, essentially, children! What happened to kids enjoying the process of growing up? Why is it that kids, especially girls, jump from 8 to 28 in about 4 years?!
Now I'm not saying that some kids aren't prepared to be exposed to content like this. I have two nieces who are smart as whips and completely understand the concepts presented in some of these series. They know that it doesn't apply to them and to what is appropriate for their actions. But I also have kids around me all day that are 8 and 9 and think that they are old enough to make their own life choices.
It seems that the focus of children's books has become more about entertainment and less about teaching, which I think is sad.
Wether we like it or not, life is a process, a path to be traveled to the end. There is no skipping milestones or a smooth path around a bumpy section, and books that romanticize monsters and trials and traumatic events make it seem that the path will be magical and surreal. That intent is more than action and the ends justify the means.
Plowing through life is what gives it meaning, not meeting a monster and falling in love, or winning a contest and starting a bloody revolution. Try building a life from scratch, going on an epic hero quest, or fighting for what you know you were meant to be. That is what everyone needs to read!
...Nature girl
Friday, March 28, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Restless
Restless
I love words, and I feel "restless" today. For whatever the reason I find relaxing beyond my ability. I felt drawn to look up restless in the bible to find out what was there, and this was what I got:
Deuteronomy 28:65-67
"Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. "So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. "In the morning you shall say, `Would that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, `Would that it were morning!' because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see.
Genesis 41:8
Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
(if you are curious, you can check out more, here.)
These are odd bible passage for me to be identifying with but there it is. I don't feel that I am being punished/cursed for not holding to God's commandments (Deut. 28), but I feel like there is something that I am missing. Something I'm not doing in order to feel the rest and calm that I normally do.
My dreams are intense, vivid, and stick with me for days sometimes. Whenever I dream like this I can FEEL that there is something I'm trying to figure out. Or something I'm supposed to be doing, or saying. I need an imprisoned Joseph (Gen. 41) to help me out. For a long time the hubbs was the one with the death dreams, now it seems we have switched roles.
I feel itchy, cranky...restless.
I am trying to be quiet, to listen for the things that I need to do or say to alleviate this feeling. To solve a problem that I can feel, but not find.
...Nature girl
I love words, and I feel "restless" today. For whatever the reason I find relaxing beyond my ability. I felt drawn to look up restless in the bible to find out what was there, and this was what I got:
Deuteronomy 28:65-67
"Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. "So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. "In the morning you shall say, `Would that it were evening!' And at evening you shall say, `Would that it were morning!' because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see.
Genesis 41:8
Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
(if you are curious, you can check out more, here.)
These are odd bible passage for me to be identifying with but there it is. I don't feel that I am being punished/cursed for not holding to God's commandments (Deut. 28), but I feel like there is something that I am missing. Something I'm not doing in order to feel the rest and calm that I normally do.
My dreams are intense, vivid, and stick with me for days sometimes. Whenever I dream like this I can FEEL that there is something I'm trying to figure out. Or something I'm supposed to be doing, or saying. I need an imprisoned Joseph (Gen. 41) to help me out. For a long time the hubbs was the one with the death dreams, now it seems we have switched roles.
I feel itchy, cranky...restless.
I am trying to be quiet, to listen for the things that I need to do or say to alleviate this feeling. To solve a problem that I can feel, but not find.
...Nature girl
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Nature girl...searching for balance
The "Ban Bossy" campaign is really starting to get under my skin.
I'm not entirely sure what made me pick this particular topic to get all upset about, but I find myself not able to let it go. Why do girls have to be exempted from "bossy"?
I feel like someone should point out the middle ground here. Some girls are bossy (so are some boys), and some boys are undermined (so are some girls)... But not all, not by a long shot!
I was labeled as bossy back in grade school, I'm naturally nosey and like to get my way. But as a kid I used temper tantrums, and manipulation, and workarounds to acheive my goals - I was "bossy" in all senses of the word, I deserved that label! The trick is for us as a society to acknowledge the truth of things and move toward change.
As I got older I learned and internalized the old adage of "you get more flies with honey, than vinegar". I refined how I talked to people, and how I identified with them, I learned more, saw more, and realized that I wasn't the center of the world, something that many of my generation have not been able to do.
We are failing women, and men as a culture, not because we call girls bossy, or boys bullies, but because we aren't teaching them how to GROW from bossy, and bullies, into leaders (if they choose) and more importantly, self-confident adults!
Boys and girls have a similar set of problems. Instead of being encouraged to be what they are biologically designed to be, they are torn down, re-hashed, and criticized, until they are molded into what society thinks they should be! While the damage to girls is psychological, the damage to boys is of their identities.
Throughout my life I have met incredible men and women, as varied as leaves on trees but all of them have had to overcome things that they were labeled with. ADHD, "weak", "emotional", "geek", "nerd", bossy", and even "creative"! Who would think that creative could be used as a detrimental descriptor!
My point is that we do no more damage to our girls that to our boys. Our society has twisted the perception of women into hyper sexualized power hungry creatures. Boys have been twisted to support staff or "Bad boys" (aggressive, uncaring, hyper-competitive). And the disservice to both is extreme, like the two ends of a pendulum.
In an age where defending a woman's ability to be any man's equal has become the standard, I feel as though we have forgotten the beauty of being different. The physicality of men, the softness and flexibility of women. The competitive drive of men and the grace and patience to succeed of women. The deep soul strength of women and the support of men. The way that each and every one of us was created with a foil for our personalities. We are missing out on the search for balance.
As humans we are blessed with an incredible range of personality possibilities. I know powerhouse women, passionate, and driven and committed - And I know women who are quiet, gracious, and intuitive. There are men who are protective, staunch providers, and competitive to a fault - but I have also met men who are calm, artistic, and the very last people to get in a fight!
We have lost our way in finding balance. Trying to force everyone to be able to do everything, or shaming them because they can't achieve societies ideal of a "whole" person is a sad reflection of our current state.
Every"one" does not have to be every"thing".
I'm not entirely sure what made me pick this particular topic to get all upset about, but I find myself not able to let it go. Why do girls have to be exempted from "bossy"?
I feel like someone should point out the middle ground here. Some girls are bossy (so are some boys), and some boys are undermined (so are some girls)... But not all, not by a long shot!
I was labeled as bossy back in grade school, I'm naturally nosey and like to get my way. But as a kid I used temper tantrums, and manipulation, and workarounds to acheive my goals - I was "bossy" in all senses of the word, I deserved that label! The trick is for us as a society to acknowledge the truth of things and move toward change.
As I got older I learned and internalized the old adage of "you get more flies with honey, than vinegar". I refined how I talked to people, and how I identified with them, I learned more, saw more, and realized that I wasn't the center of the world, something that many of my generation have not been able to do.
We are failing women, and men as a culture, not because we call girls bossy, or boys bullies, but because we aren't teaching them how to GROW from bossy, and bullies, into leaders (if they choose) and more importantly, self-confident adults!
Boys and girls have a similar set of problems. Instead of being encouraged to be what they are biologically designed to be, they are torn down, re-hashed, and criticized, until they are molded into what society thinks they should be! While the damage to girls is psychological, the damage to boys is of their identities.
Throughout my life I have met incredible men and women, as varied as leaves on trees but all of them have had to overcome things that they were labeled with. ADHD, "weak", "emotional", "geek", "nerd", bossy", and even "creative"! Who would think that creative could be used as a detrimental descriptor!
My point is that we do no more damage to our girls that to our boys. Our society has twisted the perception of women into hyper sexualized power hungry creatures. Boys have been twisted to support staff or "Bad boys" (aggressive, uncaring, hyper-competitive). And the disservice to both is extreme, like the two ends of a pendulum.
In an age where defending a woman's ability to be any man's equal has become the standard, I feel as though we have forgotten the beauty of being different. The physicality of men, the softness and flexibility of women. The competitive drive of men and the grace and patience to succeed of women. The deep soul strength of women and the support of men. The way that each and every one of us was created with a foil for our personalities. We are missing out on the search for balance.
As humans we are blessed with an incredible range of personality possibilities. I know powerhouse women, passionate, and driven and committed - And I know women who are quiet, gracious, and intuitive. There are men who are protective, staunch providers, and competitive to a fault - but I have also met men who are calm, artistic, and the very last people to get in a fight!
We have lost our way in finding balance. Trying to force everyone to be able to do everything, or shaming them because they can't achieve societies ideal of a "whole" person is a sad reflection of our current state.
...Nature girl
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