Tuesday, July 26, 2016

"We will carve our place into time and space We will find our way, or we'll make a way." Alessia Cara

As my son approaches that golden hour of adult hood where he will head out on his own,  I find myself repeating the same things over and over again.  We seem to be in a constant conversation about finding himself and making his way outside of the "popular" crowd to a place where being different is okay and actually encouraged.  I have heard my generation are now called Helicopter parents and I now understand what that means.  Those of us born in the 70's who came of age in the 80's seem to hover around our children because as kids most homes had both parents working, which led to a lot of unsupervised hours with us latchkey kids.  We did it all and saw it all and know exactly what our children can get up to in those times when an adult isn't looking, so of course we tend to hover and circle.  Which means I am quite involved in almost all areas of his life, including some he would rather I have nothing to do with, but nonetheless no topic seems to be unreachable for us.  Though at times I have to bite my tongue, the fact my 17 year old talks to me is an accomplishment.  I never had the kind of relationship he and I have with my own parents until I was well into my 20's and I regret all those wasted years.  People have always said you can't be friends with your kids, and in some ways that is true, and in others it is not.  If you can maintain the level of respect due to a parent and still function as more of a friend then you can have the best of both worlds with your kids, at least that is what I believe strongly.  Which means you get to encourage them in ways you can't as just a parent and it opens up amazing lines of communication, so you get to have pretty amazing moments as your child discovers themselves.  I was always living a little bit left of center, and though "popular" by most high school standards, I didn't run with the "IN" crowd.  I was always a bit different in my style, my thoughts, and opinions and tended to be drawn to those on the outside looking in, with me.  Being strong enough to wade through those waters of bullies and teasing; snobs and jocks; alternatives, stoners, punks and have friends in all groups has a lot to do with who I have become and I pride myself on being a surprise to people, because who I am is never quite what people expect upon first glance.  I truly believe that those who live on the fringe, those some would call imperfect, are the ones with true beauty and who live their lives authentically.  Though the words have been a bit twisted over the years, Jacob Nordby's original phrasing rings clear like a bell in the night whose melody ripples through time like those on a still lake after a stone is tossed.

Beatitudes for the Weird

– Jacob Nordby –
Blessed are the weird people
—poets, misfits, writers, mystics
heretics, painters & troubadours—
for they teach us to see the world through different eyes. 
Blessed are those who embrace the intensity of life’s pain and pleasure,
for they shall be rewarded with uncommon ecstasy.
Blessed are ye who see beauty in ugliness,
for you shall transform our vision of how the world might be.
Blessed are the bold and whimsical,
for their imagination shatters ancient boundaries of fear for us all. 
Blessed are ye who are mocked for unbridled expression of love in all its forms,
because your kind of crazy is exactly that freedom for which the world is unconsciously begging.
Blessed are those who have endured breaking by life,
for they are the resplendent cracks through which the light shines.


The Fashion Details

Tattoo - White-Widow - Shallows - Henna - Arms and Legs @ The Epiphany
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Epiphany/129/128/35

Bikini - Rayne Couture - Hibiscus @ Aloha Fair 2016 Starts the 27th!
4 color choices
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Saints%20Row/212/61/22

Do yourself a favor if you have always run with the "IT" crowd and take some time on the outskirts, on the fringe for a bit, and come hang where the wild things are.....


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