Tag Archives: childhood

Dec20

memories gather and dance.

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Toy Department during Christmas season in the J.L. Hudson store, Detroit – 1957

 loved this view of the toy department at the store during the Christmas season.

toys were displayed on shelves, tables, and display cases,

with decorations featuring elves, a sleigh, and reindeer in background.

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this is where i went every year

all dressed up fancy

to buy little gifts (with help from the elves) for my family

to see santa

to have a special lunch

 always, always amazed

by the glamour and magic of it all.

—

“like snowflakes, my christmas memories gather and dance –

each, beautiful, unique, and gone too soon.

-deborah whipp

 

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credits: detroit memories, linda yates rudnicki, j.l. hudson’s

Dec15

unicorn license.

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These images released by the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control and posted via Instagram, shows a created a unicorn license tag, right, and a plush toy unicorn, after a young girl requested permission to have a unicorn in her backyard, if she could find one. Animal Care and Control Department officials said this week that they granted the unusual permit to Madeline, whose last name was redacted. (Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control via AP)

A girl named Madeline, with a vivid imagination and remarkable awareness of how bureaucracy can dash dreams, got her wish when she asked Los Angeles animal control authorities for a license to own a unicorn — if she’s able to find one.

The first-of-its-kind permit came with strings attached, however: The mythical creature must be provided ample exposure to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows and have its horn polished at least once a month with a soft cloth.

Director Marcia Mayeda of the county Department of Animal Care and Control sent the girl a heart-shaped, rose-colored metal tag with “Permanent Unicorn License” emblazoned on it, along with a white fuzzy unicorn doll with pink ears, purple hooves and a silver horn.

The department’s response came after the girl wrote it a brief letter last month: “Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one.”

Mayeda commended the girl for her “sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance” and for thoughtfully considering “the requirements of providing a loving home to animals.”

Its five conditions for unicorn ownership also require that any sparkles or glitter sprinkled on the animal be nontoxic and biodegradable, and that it be fed watermelon at least once a week.

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“reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”

-C. S. Lewis

 

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credits: los angeles county animal care and control, AP

Nov19

the land of your childhood.

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first snow of the year – outdoor adventure day

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first time with sustained snow play for many

running, jumping, sticks, snow angels, footprints, chasing,

snow picnic, snow story, snowballs, duck,duck,polar bear game,

lost mittens, noses running, rosy cheeks

eating lots and lots and lots of snow

one said it was the best snack in the world

and it just might be.

 

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“there is no land like the land of your childhood.”

-michael powell

Oct31

hot stuff.

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i loved wearing the costumes of my childhood era

and happily ‘suffered for my art.’

recent neighborhood nextdoor comments on the halloween costumes are wonderful:

They were so ugly but if you made your own costume, it wasn’t cool. We had to buy these things…jumpsuit tore easily, and elastic snapped off mask. And the sweat…and trying to breathe through the tiny mouth hole!

Those masks were so HOT! Didn’t hold us back tho! Was so safe then and went out by ourselves.

You couldn’t see out of them, sometimes the parts that touched your face were sharp, the elastic that held it on got tangled in hair. It is a wonder we survived Halloween in these masks!

then the elastic broke so your mom tied it and was even tighter and hotter! 

 and tangled it whatever hair was still left!

I’m surprised there weren’t thunderstorms inside the mask with all the condensation from breathing too. My favorite was my Hot Stuff costume. I still have a picture of me in it!


I totally had one of these costume with the mask…but this…this looks like a Pink Floyd video.

It was miserable wearing those masks, but we didn’t care, we wanted that candy !!

Looking back at those costumes, they were actually a little creepy!!  

How about the little tiny slit near the mouth so that you could attempt to get air? Your parents couldn’t understand why you had to take it off before you went up the steps of the next house. Your face would be drenched with sweat but you would wipe it off and keep going.

Made of suffocating plastic but we loved them anyway.

happy halloween!

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“when you’re wearing an animal costume and something bad happens,

your facial expression doesn’t change. the animal is deadpan the whole time.

if you’re skiing in a gorilla suit and you fall, you just see a gorilla who has no emotion.

it’s just a stoic gorilla wildly falling down a hill, out of control.”

-dimitiri martin 

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photo credit: vintage pinterest

Sep30

in it.

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with the return of the school year

comes the return of our outdoor adventure days.

 

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“we could have never loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it.”

-george eliot

 

 

Sep25

crack the whip.

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“crack the whip’ sculpture – sunset hills, flint, mi

j. seward johnson, sculptor

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being the youngest in our neighborhood gang

i was often the smallest

finding myself on the end of ‘the whip’ during this game

sometimes it felt like i was flying

and highly likely that i was.

—

“being smart as a whip means knowing when not to crack it’

-vera nazarian

 

 

Aug4

wilding.

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 back in time on a summer’s day

when your parents thought

you and your friends of all ages

were just pedaling around the block for hours

but in that time you really

explored abandoned houses and those still under construction

built your own underground fort

jumped in the mud to see if it was quicksand

left your socks behind

met a new kid

balanced on a a board going over the water to get to the other side

found a golf ball

explored the gravel pit

rolled down a hill backwards

shared snacks that fell in the dirt

had the best day ever

every single day.

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“keep your children wild, don’t make them grow up too fast.”

– brooke hampton

Jun8

a wish for my students on their last day.

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“there is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything.

negative people find their walls.

so never apologize for your enthusiasm.

never.ever.ever.

-ryan adams

 

may you all live like this forever. and ever. and ever.

love, your teacher

(who lives like this too)

May18

invisible.

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i can identify with this little one

 when i was a child

i believed

 when i had

my sunglasses on

no one could see me

now, i’m left wondering…

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“vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”

-jonathan swift

May16

above water.

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i first crossed paths

with this brave and amazing future author (trish kearney)

years ago on her blog:

“my thoughts on a page”

https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/8642668

where she wrote about

her family, her careers, her loves and losses, her daily life in ireland

when i later traveled to ireland

we met in person

(even though her children warned her i might really be a male serial killer)

we spent a great afternoon at an outdoor pub

near the water on a beautiful day

getting to know each other

i had no idea what her whole story was

until she began writing posts about her childhood

 floating the idea of writing her memoir

including painful buried trauma she had endured

as a young championship swimmer

over time she gained confidence

decided to tell her story

to find personal peace

to hold her tormentor responsible

to no longer be a victim

to help others who might not be ready to speak.

what followed was

her book, “above water”

a podcast, “where is george gibney?”

and unforeseen consequences

both good and bad.

this is a book of truths

of regaining power over one’s own life

of bravery

of survival

 of living to tell the tale

of an unbroken spirit

of healing

of helping others.

i give it my highest personal recommendation

here’s to you, tric, and to all who suffer in silence

you are their brave voice for each and every one of them

and i’m so proud to call you my friend.

—

“you don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.”

-Edwin Louis Cole 

 

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“above water” is available at:

the book depository (paperback – free worldwide shipping)

https://www.bookdepository.com/Above-Water/9781529333640

 

amazon u.s. – kindle format (and on june 21 (presale) in paperback) in the u.s.

amazon uk – available now

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Above-Water-Childhood-Enduring-Survivors-ebook/dp/B08HMPF1PP

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Reviews:

Not an easy read but an essential one … an important book that celebrates the power of the human spirit―Irish Independent

A completely compelling book … this is ultimately a story of Trish Kearney’s triumph―Irish Times

Trish Kearney’s memoir is proof that the powerless and betrayed can survive and triumph―Sunday Independent

An extraordinary story, at times heart-breaking but ultimately inspiring. Trish’s courage, her determination and her warmth light up those dark secret places―Woman’s Way

A powerful story beautifully told―Irish Examiner

Inspirational―Sunday Business Post

About the Author

Trish Kearney is a writer and mother of five living in Cork, Ireland. Her weekly ‘It’s My Life’ column ran in the Irish Examiner for over two years. She also has a popular blog, ‘My Thoughts on a Page’ and was awarded Best Personal Blog and Best Writer at the Irish Parenting Blog Awards in 2015.
Above Water is her first book.