So I'm working on catching up on things since our move finished (FInally!) and following a brief cold going around in my family (of course), I'm now catching up on your writing and started, naturally, at the beginning.
It's moving stuff, man, to be sure. My experience growing up has been very different (youngest of five boys, an emotionally stable and nurturing mom and responsible dad) but not without some shades of similarity (such as my dad being somewhat distant and not emotionally present). In any case, you paint a vivid picture and applaud your writing so truthfully (Why not!).
I'd begun work on a series of articles called Stupidioms about common expressions that are flawed if not completely idiotic; “Children should be seen and not heard” is one of them. As a parent and educator, it is one idiom that I find truly abhorrent. Considering my relationship with my own father (not a bad one, really, I should add), I've made it a special point in my life to not only talk to but listen to what my son has to say as much as possible. (I also have to remind him when to listen, of course!)
Anyway, good work and I'm looking forward to reading more, Lee! Cheers!
Thank you so much, Brent, and how brave of you to go back to the beginning. :)) I have made a conscious effort to document everything 'warts and all.' My habit in real life has always been to create a Facebook version of my life, so this time around, I put it all in there. Despite everything, there are people who had far worse upbringings, and it certainly gave me a strong independent streak.
When you use a word like “deeper” in this context, that’s when things get a bit … squiffy—ha! Suffice to say, I know what you mean. There is the surface level of consciousness at which the ego is manifested and we experience the world around us, while it’s also the contact point, if you will, through which we experience the subconscious within ourselves and that deeper sense of who we are. I also think of it as where we are connected to the universal or primordial and it’s actually the same for all living beings.
You see, this is the kind of stuff I tend to think about—apologies if it’s a bit weird. 🙃
Well, I’m looking forward to reading more. I’ve written a little about free will and the question of how individuals are shaped by their circumstances and their biological or genetic makeup, so I am fascinated by how early you understood that you were different and how you dealt with the sense of disconnect between what you felt yourself to be in your heart/mind versus how your body had manifested itself. My apologies if that comes across as overly analytical; I’m really interested in the more-difficult-to-pin-down spiritual sense.
It’s that question of how any of us find ourselves on a particular path in life—how much we chose it, it chose us, or whether it was laid out for us in some predestined way. Though I feel myself to be on my own path, I still have no clear sense of where it will lead me—if anywhere in a truly definable sense.
Anyway, surprise surprise! My path has led me here for the moment. I hope I’m not oversharing now, Lee, but again I appreciate your work. Cheers!
You are not oversharing. I am the King of oversharing, lol. Yes, I really did feel something was 'not right' very early on in my life. I just was not interested in any traditional 'girl's stuff' (not to trivialize). It was more than being the tomboy I was considered at that time; it went much deeper.
Thanks for sharing these early memories. I'm a misfit too. How nice it would have been to have had our own island of misfits, like in Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer! I feel for the child and adolescent you were and I'm glad you survived to write about it all. I'm tempted to share a song or two but that isn't really what matters. Oh hell, I'll give you one! "How to Fight Loneliness" by Jeff Tweedy/Wilco. Keep writing because it helps other misfits! Thanks again! 🙂✌️🙏
It will be worth all of the work when you publish it. I’m currently formatting The Case of the Misplaced Priority Envelope for a print book and that’s a lot of work, everything from copy editing to design, so I sympathize!
Hi Lee!
So I'm working on catching up on things since our move finished (FInally!) and following a brief cold going around in my family (of course), I'm now catching up on your writing and started, naturally, at the beginning.
It's moving stuff, man, to be sure. My experience growing up has been very different (youngest of five boys, an emotionally stable and nurturing mom and responsible dad) but not without some shades of similarity (such as my dad being somewhat distant and not emotionally present). In any case, you paint a vivid picture and applaud your writing so truthfully (Why not!).
I'd begun work on a series of articles called Stupidioms about common expressions that are flawed if not completely idiotic; “Children should be seen and not heard” is one of them. As a parent and educator, it is one idiom that I find truly abhorrent. Considering my relationship with my own father (not a bad one, really, I should add), I've made it a special point in my life to not only talk to but listen to what my son has to say as much as possible. (I also have to remind him when to listen, of course!)
Anyway, good work and I'm looking forward to reading more, Lee! Cheers!
Thank you so much, Brent, and how brave of you to go back to the beginning. :)) I have made a conscious effort to document everything 'warts and all.' My habit in real life has always been to create a Facebook version of my life, so this time around, I put it all in there. Despite everything, there are people who had far worse upbringings, and it certainly gave me a strong independent streak.
When you use a word like “deeper” in this context, that’s when things get a bit … squiffy—ha! Suffice to say, I know what you mean. There is the surface level of consciousness at which the ego is manifested and we experience the world around us, while it’s also the contact point, if you will, through which we experience the subconscious within ourselves and that deeper sense of who we are. I also think of it as where we are connected to the universal or primordial and it’s actually the same for all living beings.
You see, this is the kind of stuff I tend to think about—apologies if it’s a bit weird. 🙃
Not weird, eloquent:)
Well, I’m looking forward to reading more. I’ve written a little about free will and the question of how individuals are shaped by their circumstances and their biological or genetic makeup, so I am fascinated by how early you understood that you were different and how you dealt with the sense of disconnect between what you felt yourself to be in your heart/mind versus how your body had manifested itself. My apologies if that comes across as overly analytical; I’m really interested in the more-difficult-to-pin-down spiritual sense.
It’s that question of how any of us find ourselves on a particular path in life—how much we chose it, it chose us, or whether it was laid out for us in some predestined way. Though I feel myself to be on my own path, I still have no clear sense of where it will lead me—if anywhere in a truly definable sense.
Anyway, surprise surprise! My path has led me here for the moment. I hope I’m not oversharing now, Lee, but again I appreciate your work. Cheers!
You are not oversharing. I am the King of oversharing, lol. Yes, I really did feel something was 'not right' very early on in my life. I just was not interested in any traditional 'girl's stuff' (not to trivialize). It was more than being the tomboy I was considered at that time; it went much deeper.
Thanks for sharing these early memories. I'm a misfit too. How nice it would have been to have had our own island of misfits, like in Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer! I feel for the child and adolescent you were and I'm glad you survived to write about it all. I'm tempted to share a song or two but that isn't really what matters. Oh hell, I'll give you one! "How to Fight Loneliness" by Jeff Tweedy/Wilco. Keep writing because it helps other misfits! Thanks again! 🙂✌️🙏
Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, us misfits have to stick together:))
I am looking forward to reading your book Lee.
You must have been born with extraordinary potential to survive and come out the other end with such compassion for others.
I suppose working through the chapters also must help you to understand the complexity of your parent’s lives.
Thank you for that Jayne and for the reminder of my ability to survive (a needed boost in the times we find ourselves in)
👐🏼
Congrats, Lee, I’m looking forward to reading your memoir when you publish it!
Thank you so much Heidi. Working through the chapters editing and adding:)
It will be worth all of the work when you publish it. I’m currently formatting The Case of the Misplaced Priority Envelope for a print book and that’s a lot of work, everything from copy editing to design, so I sympathize!