He sat outside of the amusement park- beyond the fence-watching the dazzling carousel.
The sounds of children alternating between squeals of laughter and shrieks of terror as they rode up and down and around and around on the strikingly ornate replicas of make-believe animals made him feel almost alive.
It wasn’t supposed to end so suddenly: his journey through life with his beautiful bride.
He’d invested his heart and jumped aboard for the entire ride-buying a house, working two jobs, and setting up for a long future.
But now he’d been thrown to the ground holding an unfulfillable promise- just an observer imagining what ‘might have been’- his ups and downs and ‘round and ‘rounds frozen forever in time.
The grin on the punk- the mugger who stole her cellphone and their lifetime together- when he was released on bail, set the stage and now, he had no choice but to cancel that ‘clown’s’ ticket himself.
Succession depends upon what’s come before, So why isn’t our history the focus anymore? To understand now, we must learn from what’s passed. Good foundations are needed for all things to last. If you’re bothered by problems that have come to be, It’s best to know what may have caused them, you see. Nothing ‘pops up’ or takes root simply ‘out of thin air’. Don’t just complain or destroy pretending to care. It’s harder to renovate than it is to raze. Seems the lazier people are the loudest these days.
Willy had yet to make a simple decision. At 5-years-old, he was standing frozen at the counter in front of ice cream choices once again. He was a precocious child who asked endless questions while turning everything over, and over, and over, in his mind. His parents found themselves often frustrated with Willy. His deep consideration of everyday imbricate choices seemed to over complicate every outing interrupting their casual family flow. Willy inevitably was blamed for stealing their fun with his constant indecisions.
Willy would later become a below average student never fitting in because of his tendency to fail miserably at multiple choice tests. The layers of meanings in words and phrases added many extra choices for his brilliant mind to discern which slowed his decision making on ‘timed’ testing. Often, he’d argue the merit of a “wrong” choice and would be given credit, but the obstacles of standardized thought were real.
Today, Willy has found his niche working beside Elon Musk on our future. Musk didn’t care about Willy’s public-school resume because he knows genius when he sees it.
The “containment” had become nearly complete. Only pockets of revolutionaries and elites remained free to roam. Green energy proponents had gotten their way. Without reliable energy, people had become prisoners of the diabolically imposed reduction of human wealth and mobility. The Police State slipped in easily… virtually unresisted. Covid-19 had proven how easily fear could control the masses and fear was easily and ubiquitously propagated by every media platform through AI. Disarming the public had, as expected, sealed the deal. The gates were now locked, and the concentration of human foot traffic caused the environment within to turn muddy brown. Yet, Nature could not be intimidated nor propagandized. Although the trajectory of human prosperity had been interrupted, there were signs of life carrying on that offered hope to those plotting a restorative escape. Life, and human determination, always finds a way.
Are you utterly minimalistic in your lifestyle, an absolute clutterer hoarder, or just messy?
I am a clutter bug who knows exactly where everything is on most occasions. Organization is IMHO its own artform but NOT for me. If I know where things are I have little interest in the time it takes to be, or maintain being, organized. I’ve had to reduce the kinds of clutter since I retired from day care in order to add new kinds. Playpens, tons of markers and crayons, and paperwork from those days are mostly gone. The likelihood of homeschooling my granddaughter again (I’m thrilled about that.) keeps me clinging to maps and articles for use in that purpose though. The day care kids, and I, created parade costumes and handmade gifts for years by recycling household paper waste. That too is gone. But the clutter continues with my new projects and interests. According to many psychologists, people who have a tendency to be ‘messy’ are more creative and likely have higher “outside of the box” levels of intelligence. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it! LOL
Do you prefer to sit on a chair, cushion, bench, floor or something else for comfort and which?
It would depend upon for how long. The older I get the more padding I like my sitting spot to have. But I will sit awkwardly contorted on occasion to avoid disturbing the dog’s life of luxury. 😀
What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
Trying not to be too political. My mind gravitates toward the pressing problems of today and since every single topic (purposely) has an element of politicization, it is hard to avoid. Speaking about it helps me come to terms with it. Those who feel assaulted by contrary opinions IMHO have made conclusions. I need to put more thought into my opinions since I’m cautiously unsure if there is a correct answer. But since my blog is almost entirely for my granddaughters’ benefit, I don’t feel any pressure not to express my opinion on topics I deem important and feel strongly about. I enjoy the following and friends I’ve made here. The ultra-sensitive types have courteously culled themselves for the most part. Seems only the ‘grown-ups’ are left, and I like that. BUT we are all individuals who have hearts and minds for other more fanciful topics, and I want that to be a part of my blog too.
Do you think you are an addictive or non-addictive personality?
My propensity to get distracted [LOOK a squirrel! LOL] seems to indicate that I don’t dwell or get hyper-focused on anything. I even stopped blogging for two years awhile back.
Do you feel in any way, shape or form threatened by the arrival of AI [Artificial Intelligence] opportunities or welcome the progression into your life with ease?
There’s a lot of buzz about it and I’ve lived through the Y2K and Covid-19 hysteria, so I don’t know what to think. I DO know I don’t have any influence on what will happen. As all human inventions have a good use and a bad use, I’m sure it will present an interesting new era for mankind. Trusting anything we see or hear on electronic devices will be the dangerous part. Perhaps, word of mouth and real-life observations will return to their pre-computer status? More than ever, our children need to be taught to think critically for their own survival. As for dangers arising, mankind has always innovated counter moves when presented with danger. We have the capacity to handle evil practices as they arise, but the scarier question is “Will we have the freedom to innovate and solve them?” Maintaining FREEDOM is essential to our future. It’s slipping through our fingers in the guise of a Global Utopian Reset and I hope we correct that course very soon!
What subjects or topics inspire you to create the most concerning your writing?
Children are always my focus whether it’s observing their innocence or protecting their futures, they are what’s most important to me.
When was the last time you walked through a graveyard?
Frequently. My whole backyard has a cemetery property that adjoins it. The children and I have roamed through it taking note of the stories there. Many soldiers and young children from the 1800s are buried there. Tragic tales of whole young families succumbing to illness are there. The perspective of seeing the difficult times that preceded us, makes us grateful to be alive today. All of these “scares” about people’s feelings being assaulted don’t carry as much weight and seriousness when you get a glimpse of true dangerous and difficult times when life itself was the daily struggle.
What are your top five favourite flowers?
White wild phlox are my personal favorites. They remind me of my grandmother’s house in the summer. Seasonal ones like lilacs, wild azaleas (known as swamp pinks), and peonies come next. Their appearance marks the progression of Spring. And Chrysanthemums that explode and persevere at the onset and into the Autumn season with colors that define that time of year.
What would you say would be your writing quirk?
It seems that writing with pure honesty is a modern day ‘quirk’. Not trying to please, or align with, anyone in particular is easier than it appears when you’re confident about your own values and intentions.
Expectation stretches hope beyond its useful boundaries. Disappointment lies in wait with wetted lips on human plans. A happy heart is one that sees the future as unwritten.
We are individually predisposed to our own variety of reactions to Life’s litany of experiences. The quiet introspective child will respond differently from the impulsive risk-taking child to the same (or similar) situations. Neither is better equipped than the other, but their ‘journeys’ will obviously take different ‘paths’. So, in that sense, we are each ‘slaves’ to our inborn tendencies.
Yet, in each situation we also have the capacity to make choices. Sometimes they are choices that are the ‘lesser of two evils’ and sometimes they are choices according to values and goals. What makes life even more of a gambit is that none of us get to become adults without passing through the “tempest time” of being a teenager. Gosh! It’s hard to watch. So much of their future successes depend on making ‘wise’ decisions during a time when their own wisdom is in low supply. We can appeal to them but no longer have much influence on them. This is why we call the preteens, the “formative years”. Their values and decision-making skills are already formed by our involved parenting.
{A short opinion rant is coming. Viewers are advised to use discretion. LOL }
Tell me again about the modern concept of “free range parenting”?! Offering little guidance or instruction to young children isn’t just “lazy”, it’s cruel and amounts to criminal neglect offering no compassion for their futures. It also makes our entire society and culture vulnerable to unscrupulous influences. Shame on those who fail to guide their children! [Yes… I lost my cool. Sometimes there are topics that require it. 😉 ]
Since so many other online writers have blogs dedicated to their writings, I’ve decided to jump onto the bandwagon. All posts published here will be either fiction or poetry, some new, and some previously published on various places on the Internet. Some of my works are conventional, and some are quirky. All fiction posted here, except for fan fiction, will include the letters "rose" somewhere, as a tribute to my Baba.
Sillyfrog's Blog 