I could tell you a version of my life
that would be intriguing, but would it be
true? In just under seven decades,
memories are viewed through
a prismatic lens of dazzling colors
or in black and white depending,
and I think it has perhaps always
been thus;
To retrieve fodder from far back requires
I plumb the mind of a child, dazzled
by a world of human behavior she never
understood, coming in, as she did,
with a certain clueless high mindedness
and expectations of how things
ought to be;
And I was not perfect, not by a hearty
stretch, I recall both mistreatment
from others but also a secret meanness
in myself, cavalier with my mother in ways
I would never be now, safe to make fun of her
then, taking for granted that unconditional
love and acceptance; I could do little wrong,
and I know now how fortunate I was;
So easy to find fault with those we know
love us without reservation, so facile to treat
our beloveds with praise or scorn, parsing
out kindness like breadcrumbs for hungry birds,
not realizing, until perhaps too late, the nature
of our own blunders, products of an overinflated
sense of self importance in a world starved
for kind words and deeds given simply now
from a heart filled with the sublime grace
and benevolent perceptions of others.
With my brothers in Yosemite, 1959
With a few little adjustments, your wonderful poem could also apply to so many of us. Was the photograph a trigger?
No, just reflecting. I do think many can relate. Thanks for your comment, Ashley! Happy new year! 🎊❤️
Always love your work and its subject matter.
Tubularsock’s mind never advanced from “. . .
clueless high mindedness and expectations of how things
ought to be . . .”
That being said Tubularsock follows God’s direction to Lot in the leaving
of Sodom and Gomorrah ………… “Don’t Look Back”!
Happy New Year to you and your husband and have a Merry Christmas in 2023.
Ahhh, and shop early. It’s the American Way.
You always make me chuckle, if not laugh out loud. Clueless high mindedness surely has matured into high mindedness with somewhat of a clue or two, no doubt! 😉 And I agree, ‘don’t look back’ any more than is necessary. It’s really a fabrication, all in all, as I learned from many (large) family gatherings over the years. ‘Remember when …’ (he said/did, she said/did) truly was different, from sibling to sibling, and doubtless our parents, should they have been consulted. Sigh. We were growing up then, as were they. Just kids, really, raising kids! So looking back can only be through the lens of the child and his/her memories. Now we are adults with rich, if not stellar histories behind us.
Happy New Year to you as well, TS! And shopping early for 2023 holidays!? Yes, it’s the American way. Perhaps why I’m such a rebel at heart. Still. Hugs and Hershey’s kisses. 😜😍
Interesting introspection.
Thanks, Shell! Glad you found it so. 🙏🏽❤️ Happy New Year.
Truth! ❤️
Haha, spoken like a true Wise Woman. As I have long suspected. 💞
😁
We are always learning (hopefully). (K)
Gosh, I hope so. The world is changing so fast, and we (collectively) have so many fairly important issues to address in our lifetimes. It’s great when we can work together instead of at cross-purposes! Happy New Year, Kerfe! 🌈☮️💗
Happy New Year!
Thanks, Kerfe!
Reflections are powerful … yet they always are oriented towards ourselves and the experiences we had. That sweet child is always looking for understanding and the love she didn’t receive or at least felt. Being accepted for who we are is the greatest gift .. that many parents can’t find their way to offer.
The reality is more than our single point of view, especially when it comes from memory and a young vulnerable and yearning heart.
Keep going. There is treasure here 💖🙏🥰
Thanks so much for your thoughtful remarks, Val! Being accepted for who we are is the jewel in several long-term friendships – we talk about it still among us.
And as a mother, it’s difficult to know who our children really are. We have our version of them, but they are only discovering the layers of who they, themselves are. The stages one goes through from birth to adulthood, the dynamic between parent and child, may (greatly) differ from one to the other, as the child discovers more about themselves. I recall my mother telling me to have children for the very reason that I would grow and understand so much more about her. And she was so right! For me, it was less about expectations for my girls than that they were safe and could choose their passion as profession. My own mother had her desires and visions of who I might turn out to be, though roles in her generation were more firmly defined. And so it goes. My only hope is that it gets easier to shake off expectations of one another and orient more toward discovery, though I suspect this is easier for some than others.
Anyhow, blessings on the new year! Hope you had a lovely trip back home. 💞
Many of us would be able to relate this. Often times, we are the meanest to those who are closest to us because we take their love for granted, isn’t it? Have a happy year ahead 🙂 Much love.
Yes, I think you are right. Love is such a gift, and perhaps we only realize its value when we experience enough of its opposite expression.
Ah, life!
Happy year ahead to you as well! Thanks for your comment! And blessings.
💕