of wonders and marvels

she whispers
I said "whispers"!! that was shouting. . .
there. . . that's a lot better, isn't it

so, you've probably guessed that I spoil my children rotten I have my reasons; I have thought about it long and hard, as long and hard as one can think; in the see-sawing of life, I rebel against how I was treated as a minor; in the balancing act that is parenthood I know that I'm the only parent of their two that does this; part of me figures it will all even out in the wash. . .
.

. . .part of me shudders at the damage I might be doing (but I try not to think about that)

instead, from time to time, I think about lovely things - like my favourite books, of which this the Merchant of Marvels and the Peddler of Dreams, is one:
I'm sure I've shared some of it with you before, dear reader. . .

certain pages
remind me
of my poem
"stitching messages
to your heart"


(which was inspired
by a blog I used to read
way way back
in the eons of time past)

(and which was the reason
I took up bookbinding
way way back
in the eons of time past)



certain pages remind me of my childhood love of f a i r y t a l e s







certain pages
R E M I N D M E








OF NATURE,
of magpies, sea shells, crows and
hedgerows,



certain pages
remind me
of things I'm only just
discovering -
for example
the birdseed shirt of

Oskar Schell









and then, sometimes, when I'm thinking of these things, marvels and wonders do actually happen, here, and now, in my own life!
.
one of my teens* tidies their room, spontaneously, of their own accord; opens the window for some fresh air and sunshine; takes a bin-bag up and brings it down later, full of accumulated junk and rubbish - then takes a second bag up because there's still more stuff that needs throwing out; hoovers even (and then even even replaces the hoover where it should be!); and - most amazingly and - listens to the CD of Holst's The Planets I gave as an inspiring musical gift a while back now, when I gently posit the suggestion that the heavy metal blaring out of an open window on a sunny day might not be what the neighbourhood populace desires as their background "music"...

(*any resemblance to Kevin, living or dead, is purely coincidental)

9 comments:

Dave said...

Hurrah!!

Zig said...

blimey, have you slipped into another dimension?! This is a boy too isn't it?!

You must be doing something really right!

xx

I, Like The View said...

ZiggZ he says it's because he'll do anything to avoid revision. . .

I think it's because I had him at his own word and didn't go in there for about a month - so the accumulated rubbish, dirty laundry and general debris was too much for even him to stand

ho ho ho

(but, you see, in my madness there was method!)

Dave when he asked what his "reward" would be, we had a conversation about the instrinsic value of the nature of his efforts

and when that didn't work, I said "the cake", to which the other boy teen said "but the cake is a lie!" to which I replied "a promised reward is only a fictious motivator" HUZZAH!!!!

Christopher said...

Well done, Jax. Will you adopt me, please?

mig said...

That's just....
it's.....
Well it made me smile anyway : )

Spadoman said...

Just stands to reason, you've spoilt all of us reader types with your wit and suggestions, (probably your beauty too to those two guys that are always here snifin' around). Why wouldn't a male gendered species behave well?
Good for the boy. It's called cultural phenomenon and happens once or twice in those formative troublesome years, ages birth through 37.

Peace anyway, put the smile here====>__________!

Mel said...

O
M
G

Certainly not........

As in 'cleaned his room'?!

Excuse me while I go look for the smelling salts......

Mel said...

Oh--and just for the record, I remember the poem. I remember the book, I remember the bindings and prints.
I really really liked the eye of the needle--just sayin'.....

Mel said...

And I really, really like you!

AND the method to the madness to GET the room cleaning in the first place!

(I used "DO NOT CROSS" tape on the girl's door....stayed out for a month or better......OMG..... LOL Rest assured I did NOT get the results you did.....LOLOL)