♥ing Fiction & Imagination from a young age

When Josh was a little boy, he was too restless to watch a movie... except for Jungle Book.

Grandma D. bought us a VHS video of Jungle Book because we were broke and couldn't afford it - it was a lot more expensive than the other Disney movies back in '92 that were $12 or $14 bucks - it was $18. Thank heavens for Grandma D.! That video gave me some time to take care of things without having a 3 years old running around the house undoing my work as soon as I got it done.

One day, Josh told me that he needed a screwdriver. When I asked why, he said, "Because I need to go inside the tv and play with Baloo!" I think Baloo was his first fictional friend. And, I for one, totally understand the importance of fictional friends -

I don't know what life would be without Anne of Green Gables; Aslan the lion; Atticus, Scout, or Jem; Gilligan, Skipper, and MaryAnn; Belle, Maurice, and Beast; Mercedes Thompson and the werewolves; Alex Craft, Death, and the Faerie world; Odd Thomas, Stormy, and Little Ozzie; Meredith, Cristina, Derek, Alex, Bailey, and Chief Webber; Liv Moore or Ravi.

Fictional life is as important as real life; it takes us on travels to new places - many that wouldn't exist without imagination; we meet new people; we see things from another perspective; we gain empathy.

The importance of it is something so simple that even a three year old understands.
♥ Melody

The Wind, by Aesop, and my brief thoughts afterward

Æsop. (Sixth century B.C.) Fables.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

The Wind and the Sun

THE WIND and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun said: “I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger You begin.” So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair. Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.
“KINDNESS EFFECTS MORE THAN SEVERITY.”
(from Bartleby.com)

I behave as the wind far more often than the sun. The wind thinks it can control; the sun knows it can only influence.
♥ Melody

On Conflict

"Indeed, strong reactivity in harsh circumstances is normal. It is not pain translated into reactive positions that is the ultimate danger. Rather, if what is intended to be immediate becomes longstanding, a pattern develops, stubborn in its resistance to change. Strong anxiety will override good sense, commitment to beliefs, clarity, direction, creativity, and response. The system locks itself into its own automatic and defensive processes. In essence, the system chooses immediate security over learning, harmony over transformation, passivity and helplessness over stewardship, disease over change, the elimination of symptoms over altering the reactive processes. It does not trust what is difficult." Peter L. Steinke, "How Your Church Family Works - Understanding Congregations as Emotional Systems"

This is a great, enlightening thought.

I am one who will jump into a discussion, and may even do so passionately and with a high emotional response. I have been taught by how some react that is is "bad" and, honestly, on an emotional level, with people unable to talk through it, it feels bad.

This idea that when you see something is wrong, you recognize it, you name it, you say it and then you work through being "good" is a new idea. It it is typically what I do. Sometimes, it *feels* bad, though. Right now, I'm in the middle of that "badness." It feel so super shitty.

But as I look back at the "moment" and as I look at where I am right now - I think I'm exactly where I need to be. In a deep, dark pile of shit, and, though I hope that I come out smelling like a rose, it will be what it will be.

I, however all of this turns out, will never be the same again.
♥ Melody