Tag / children

by Janet

Naivety

When I think about the “N” word, Naivety, I get a little pissed off. In my young adulthood (which lasted well into my ‘old’ adulthood), I would always get embarrassed when I thought about the times that I’d been naïve.

I’m pretty sure there have been MANY of those times, because my naivety existed longer than a lot of people my age – even though I did a pretty fair job at pretending (or actually believing) that I knew it all.

My illustration depicts – spot on – what naivety looks and feels like to me. Maybe another word for it is blind faith. Sitting in the middle of the lion’s mouth (or whatever beast that is) and believing that it’s a safe place. Believing that people are… “good.” When I say it like that, I actually sound kind of cynical, but then again – doesn’t that make sense? Because isn’t naivety sort of the opposite of cynical?

The definitions I found of naivety were: “lack of experience, wisdom, or judgement,” and “innocence or unsophistication.” So… when you’re naïve, you lack discernment. You walk right into trouble, or danger, because you lack experience and wisdom, and you have this naïve belief that everyone (or everything) is… “good.”

Cynical, on the other hand, is “believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest” and “distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.” Couldn’t you say that people become cynical because too many assholes took advantage of their naivety!?

That’s why I get mad. Naivety gets a bad rap. But when you think about it… it’s actually no different than the innocence of a child. Something that many people strive for, because with that comes real joy and creativity.

So… I think the lesson I’ve found in my thoughts tonight is that naivety is not something to be embarrassed about. If anyone should be embarrassed, it is the lions (or the beasts) who took it away.

That’s my two cents anyway.

Thank you for reading!

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts, or my illustration, and I’ll see you again soon for the letter “O.”

Peace & Love!

by Janet

Trouble in Paradise

Stories We Tell

A Fictional Series

It’s not necessarily a good thing when the people you love think too highly of you. Dizzy always did, but that kind of changed the night of the spin the bottle game – when I broke down and told her that I had just as many fears as she did.

Maybe my fears looked differently than hers, but they were fears nonetheless. Even after that, Dizzy still kept me up on this unstable pedestal. And if that unstable pedestal is where a person wants you to be, you have to work twice as hard than you normally would – just to keep from falling off.

Once Martin and I started seeing each other, he did the same thing. I was either the coolest chick ever, the bravest woman he knew, or the prettiest girl in the room. At first I loved it, of course. What girl doesn’t want to hear those things from the man that she loves?

Before I go on, I should tell you that Martin and I never married. We talked about it, but neither one of us was in a rush. We were so young! We wanted to be together, however, so I moved in with him – into his tiny studio near the college.

While he studied engineering, I pursued my dream and ended up with one of the coolest jobs ever – working as an assistant to a somewhat famous fashion designer. I got pregnant not long after, and Martin really wanted to get married – but I needed time to think.

Our relationship was… well… the best relationship ever, but we agreed to wait until Delilah was born before talking about the big “M” again. It wasn’t until Martin told me that I’d be ‘the best mother in the world’ that I began to feel the pressure.

“What if I’m not??”

That was the question that I faced, and that was when fears that I’d never even known existed came rushing in to threaten my sense of security – and most certainly my position on the rickety old pedestal.

It felt like one of those giant boa constrictors had wrapped itself around my entire body – and every day it would squeeze me just a little bit tighter. And as much as I love my daughter, which is beyond words, Delilah was not an easy child.

Martin and I stopped talking about tying the knot after she was born. Honestly, I think that we were just too tired. But Martin still believed I could do no wrong.

When Delilah was about three or four, Martin took her to the grocery store. He came home all sweaty and freaked out. Apparently, Delilah had gotten out of the cart when he had his back turned. Then he couldn’t find her.

Once he settled down, he told me about how he’d heard a voice over the loudspeaker saying that they needed assistance in the produce section for a child without a parent. When he rounded the corner, there was Delilah – balancing on the orange display.

“She could have fallen!” He exclaimed. “That rickety old thing was so unstable it could barely hold her up!”

“I know just what you mean.” I said.

A Note From Me

I wanted to post this tonight, especially since I was able to use the Word of the Day Challenge: Display, but I’ve really had trouble with the end.

That being said, I posted it anyway – haha! I know what Levi was getting at, but I’m not sure I found the best way for her to make her point in that last sentence of dialogue. Anyway, it’s out there now… and soon we’ll learn more about the couple and this ‘pedestal issue’.

The illustration was a blast; I really enjoyed making a child. And her quirky behavior reminds me of one of my grandsons – the one who climbed a ladder to my son’s roof when nobody was looking -who was about the same age at the time. Scary! He survived though!

Anyway, I think that’s about all for now. I’m going to do a little more with this series, but I’m also looking forward to a new set of characters in another realm. I think I veered from my ‘different perspectives’ goal a little because the story is expanding so rapidly – so I want to get back to focusing on that.

Thank you for reading… I hope you enjoyed tonight’s addition and the image of sweet Delilah.

Until later,
-Janet

by Janet

Child’s Play

Three seconds of bliss,

Colors my soul with laughter,

Innocent child’s play.

Written for Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge: Color and Three

I’m traveling back in time again. The featured image is a photo that I shared about five years ago. That’s my youngest grandson, playing with the same sprinkler that I played with when I was young. Since I’m rewriting my life’s story, I thought it would be interesting to revisit and revise some of my old images as well.

I added a slight oil paint effect with the BeCasso app on my iPhone, and then added a few other touches with Nik Collection in Photoshop—using Analog Efex and Silver Efex. I was going to go completely black and white, but I kept just a touch of color. I know that might sound like Greek to some of you, but I decided that if I’m going to repurpose and reshare some of my old images and photographs, the least I could do was tell you what I did, and/or how I did it. In case you’re interested.

I thought Ronovan’s challenge was going to be a breeze with the exception of the word THREE. That was a tough one! But… I’m really focusing on slowing down these days, or at least being more focused and mindful (and balanced), so the idea of “three seconds” seemed really pertinent.

I think it sums up why it’s so important to pay attention to what’s around you, and to be “present” rather than somewhere in your head. Some of our most memorable moments might last but three seconds, and if our minds or eyes are closed… we just might miss them.

That’s about all for now. School is winding down to the last week and soon I’ll be on winter break—so I hope to see more of all of you!

Until later,
Peace & Love!