Writer’s Quote Wednesday- Down the Rabbit Hole

 

This week I chose an excerpt from one of my favorite books- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Carroll was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson on January 27, 1832. He wrote under the pseudonym, Lewis Carroll, best known as the creator of Alice and the Mad Hatter. I read this book over and over when I was growing up and I still have my original copy- although the pages are quite yellow and the cover is torn. Yes, I love this book!

My very own copy of Alice’s Adventures

“Begin at the beginning….and go on till you come to the end: then end.”

If only it was that simple, right? Sometimes when I begin writing it’s like falling down the rabbit hole. I think I know where the story is heading and then the next thing I know there’s a White Rabbit and I’m crashing a tea party with the Mad Hatter. The end product is the results of the trip I took to get there.

Reading Alice time and time again developed a lifelong love of the story and anything to do with those characters. I am a fan of the Disney animated movie, along with the 2010 version that takes Alice back to Wonderland years later.

The book also inspired many interesting songs, many of which appear on my favorites playlist. “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane is probably the most well known.

And then, setting aside the book, movies, and music, my son, Andrew appeared in two different musical productions of Alice in Wonderland when he was 12 and 13. This only made me love all things Alice even more.

Andrew as White Rabbit. (Loved that tail!)

I love that all of this blossomed from Lewis Carroll’s stories made up for a little girl named Alice. How cool is it that he wrote that book 150 years ago not knowing that his characters would live on in movies, tv shows, art and music! A true sign that anything is possible and it can all begin with the written word!

Thank you to Colleen at Silver Threading for hosting Writer’s Quote Wednesday!

Why It’s Important to Share These Things

This article showed up in my Facebook news feed yesterday:

8 critical facts about the state of transgender America​

Why is it so important to share this article? It’s simple. We need to keep doing our part to educate people and make them aware of the issues the transgender community faces. Over and over I hear the same story from loved ones of transgender people- “I didn’t even understand what transgender was, until my son/daughter/brother/sister came out.”

Did you see my hand raised there in the crowd? I really didn’t have a clue until Kris came out to us. And then I STILL did not understand what it meant. It took a lot of time, research, talking to Kris and learning. I had to be open to something that I wasn’t familiar with- something that scared me by how much I did not know.

The truth is that 4 years ago, the state of the transgender community didn’t factor in my life. And that was wrong. People need to be aware of what transgender people face and what they can do to help make the world a better place. I want to think that most people are kindhearted and want the best for everyone, and that if they act differently it comes from ignorance and fear of the unknown- not a place of hate.

If we can continue to share the articles, posts, infographics, cartoons, stories…… all of these things- hopefully more people will share them, too, working toward making changes. I want my son to live in a world where he can get a job, find a place to live, get the healthcare he needs and be happy without fear of discrimination or worse. I want this for all transgender people. They deserve it just as much as anyone else.

Maybe sharing this article doesn’t seem like a big thing but if by sharing this or others like it, we reach one or two new people each time, that is one or two more.

Thank you for stopping by!

Cheer Up!

My day started out badly. It doesn’t really matter what caused it but let’s just say that I was in need of a pick me up. As I thought about songs that might cheer me up, one kept running through my mind. Since I didn’t have it in my music library, I had to look it up online.

 For your viewing pleasure- Lady (You Bring Me Up) by the Commodores- 1981.

This is the first video that came up in my search. I’m sure there’s a better video out there but how could I pass up this one?

The guys in short white shorts and tube socks

The girls with their short, short track shorts, the legwarmers (yes, one is wearing legwarmers)

Synchronized soccer playing moves

What did the song have to do with soccer?

Did it even matter?

Well, it did the trick.

It made me smile. It cheered me up, not in the way I had expected, but it did the trick!

What songs cheer you up?

Kat Got Your Tongue- 10 Years Ago

Flashback- 2005!!!

Top Movie- Batman Begins,      #1 Song- We Belong Together, Mariah Carey

Bestselling Book- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

What were you doing?

Where were you?

Who were you with?

I look forward to hearing what you were doing back in 2005!

2005. I was up to my ears in being a MOM. My kids were 15, 12, and 9. We were on the verge of being a 3 band children family. We were entering our third year in Teen Town, puberty was hitting everywhere, life was hectic. Here are some photos from our very memorable vacation to Colorado:

I would like to thank the participants of last week’s prompt- DREAM! Please be sure to head over to their blogs and read their thoughts on the DREAM prompt. I promise you won’t be disappointed by what these two talented bloggers have to say!

Charissa at Charissa’s Grace Notes

Deborah at Notes Tied on The Sagebrush

Forgotten Games

Near our house is an abandoned basketball court. One of the hoops has fallen down, the other is slowly being overtaken by an overgrown bush/weed-like plant. It is rundown, with weeds spreading through the cracked surface of basketball court. Since it has always been on private property, I often wonder how much use it got, back in the day. Were neighborhood children welcome to come play pick up games? Did the family have a child who loved basketball, spending hours out on the court, perfecting dribbling and shooting skills? Or was it just some novelty- nice to have but more for show than actual enjoyment?

Whenever I looked at it, I always felt such a sad feeling of long-forgotten games. And then my 5 year old grandson spotted it. His shout of joy could be heard all around. He ran as fast as his legs could take him, pushing his way through the overgrown weeds to stare up in wonder at the basketball hoop, so far above him. Before his daddy could even reach him, he was back on his way up to the house, his voice reaching us long before he made it to the door. “We need to get a basketball!”

Through his eyes, I no longer saw something old and useless. Feelings of hope and anticipation replaced the sadness. Even if there never was a child out on that court working on controlling the ball and scoring those points, I suspect that when little CJ comes to visit, that will all change.

This post is in response to the Photo Blogging Challenge prompt- Games.