Day 31: Oct. 5, 2013
My daughter asks me questions about the end of the world.
“Mommy, where do the people go when the earth dies?” “Which will die first, the
earth or the sun?” These questions have been endless ever since we read the
encyclopedia of the universe. I try to
explain to her that people will no longer be around when the earth dies, but
this response is unacceptable. She wants to know where we will be. Finally I
give in and suggest that maybe by that time, we’ll have figured out how to
travel to and inhabit other planets in our solar system. She ponders this for
about a week, then the questions come back.
Once, an older girl explained to my daughter that cougars
roam the woods of Oregon and will eat children if they find them. Thanks, a
lot, random eight year old girl who captured the imagination of my daughter and
ruined my life. Both of my children are
deathly afraid of cougars who infiltrate their minds at any time of day or
night and wreck a perfectly tranquil moment.
“Mommy, do cougars live here and do they really eat children?” Uh, well,
as a matter of fact, yes, they do. This response is definitely not acceptable.
I try to explain that cougars are rare, and the likelihood of coming in contact
with one is very small, and there are no cougars in our woods right this
minute, so all is well. She ponders this
for about five minutes, then the questions come back.
This weekend I am seeing people I have not seen for twenty
years. It feels like no time has passed since then. When you’re a child, time
passes very slowly, and when you’re and adult it passes very quickly. And not
only that, childhood memories are the most vivid and last forever whereas adult
memories are lucky to take hold for five minutes. As and adult, I feel
fortunate to be forced to answer the questions of a child, and to think about
what it was like to be a child in order to figure out the best way to answer
them.
Coffee: my mood on this front is becoming morbid. I am currently staring at a trash can overflowing with coffee cups. I think part of my morbidity is that I'm hungry and tired, but its also that when I tell people about the coffee cup aspect of the project, they smile and nod and say, "that's sweet." Its ok. I'll keep on keepin' on with my own personal goals, and maybe someone somewhere will get with the program and that's a start.
Cups and Bags Challenge: Its still on! We're up to $29. If you use a reusable cup, send me an email here, cupsandbags@yahoo.com and I'll send a dollar to Bring Recycling!
Watercolor:
Watercolor:
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