Reflections

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The child is why

Inexplicably, I thought about Milly-Molly-Mandy this morning. I was a distracted kid and didn’t like reading much, but I loved Milly-Molly-Mandy.

That thought led me to revisit her life. She was busy, independent and interested in lots of things. My life at her age was similar—I lived in a seaside suburb of Newcastle that may well have been an English village; I had a loving, relatively uncomplicated family; I liked making things; I had enormous freedom and loved exploring outside; I was always finding and scoffing mulberries, loquats, mushrooms, honey suckles and even wild onion grass; I tolerated fishing and adored swimming; I collaborated with friends to make up games and songs; I had to do ‘chores’; I learnt to cook; I looked after and loved my pets; I valued and saved my pennies. I was also bratty but that doesn’t fit into M-M-M’s story.

I’ve been going on for some time about how much I love my simple domestic life; musing about how different it is for me since I retired. Today I realised that this life isn’t new, and the child is why. That M-M-M child is just a sentimental version of my more constructive current self. That M-M-M child is also why I’m doing and making—doing and making up for lost time.

I remember when I was 5 I practiced writing my name in my books. Not just in my books, but also in as many books from the family bookshelf as I could, before getting caught and stopped (bratty kid!). Here’s an example:

It’s a pretty strong statement—a signature of considerable size. Practice made perfect!

Mmm…using my fingers to count that it is Day 984/17 📔😳

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Let them talk to each other

This quote was posted a while ago by Austin Kleon. The quote comes from Steven Tomlinson talking about advice from his professor Will Spong when he asked him how to choose a life path from his three passions of business, the theatre and the seminary.

Spong answered:

This is the stupidest question anyone has asked me. You’re telling me that there are three things you love and you want me to tell you which two to cut off…so you can limp along on the other one? This is not how things work. The advice I have for you is:don’t discard. Find a way to keep all three of these things in the mix. We’ll find out [what you should do for a living]. Right now, what you do is spend 2 hours a week whole-heartedly engaged in each of those 3 things. Let them them talk to each other. Something will begin to happen in your life that is unique and powerful.

The idea prompted me to start posting on Instagram. I’m not very good at this, but when I’m reminded to do it I see new relationships between colours and patterns and forms and textures and symbols and ideas and meaning and materials and designs and things that I grok.

Let them talk to each other on Day 988/13 🌸➕🌀➕🌊➕☁➕🍃➕🎈➕🔮➕🎨➕🇯🇵➕👘➕💎