When I was a little girl I played hide and seek and got lost. Now I’ve found myself again I want to stand on a box and sing into a spoon. Peer into draws not meant to be opened. Draw and scribble and make mistakes. Catch bubbles before they break. Do loud burps. Swing on the clothes line. Lick my fingers and stay up late. Undress hibiscus flowers. Pull funny faces. Throw sand. Stay forever in a hug. Smell everything. Jackets and boots. Hair and skin. Wear bare feet. Watch people, even when they’re looking. Hang upside down on the monkey bars. Make a mess. Squat on rocks and spot crabs in the cracks. Giggle and snort. Do handstands and cartwheels. Play dress ups. Be naughty and cheeky and silly. Run really, really fast and have big soft sand to fall into.
(Picture of Mum as a little girl. Originally in ‘Rock The Boat’ handmade book, now in Clunk & Jam book, 2019)
Sometimes she felt like a wind-up toy that’s lost its key .
Footnote: This ink arrived after a friend of mine told me this was how she was feeling. When I sent her the little girl she asked why the key was part of her head – and why so big? Maybe she’s showing us that the key’s actually been there all along. Perhaps she just lost sight of her own ability to get herself going again? Turn key not lost at all – just run down. Or she’s become unraveled by certain circumstances. The key to getting going again might be in questioning (and in future, avoiding) what initiated her current unraveled state? Well worth some further thought (as her large thinking cap might suggest).
(Clunk & Jam book, 2019)
“KINDNESS has no sell-by date. It doesn’t have to be packaged, perfumed or prettified. It is just the most magnificent expression of all that makes us whole and human. Only the KIND should be listened to in our world.” John Bird, Author and Editor, The Big Issue UK. Image from A Revolution of Kindess book by Anita Roddick.
(Reposted from 2009)
Army of Ink Salute .
The Army of Ink salutes all the girls who got lost. Those who wish to remain unfound. All the tiny souls that skipped from one to forever, never felt the kiss of a prince and lived unhappily ever after in a dress up box. Now we’re lifting the lid. What about the boys? They can play too.
(Reposted from 2010)
Excerpt of article from Fernwood Fitness magazine. Art Charles Blackman, ‘Children Playing’ (original in colour).
Warped Selfie .
When does time spent in front of the mirror stop being about preening and start becoming a problem? We look at the devastating impact body dysmorphic disorder can have on our kids and how you can foster a positive environment where appearance isn’t everything. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) describes a disabling preoccupation with perceived physical flaws. Affecting both men and women, it causes excessive self-consciousness and, while onlookers might see nothing out of the ordinary, sufferers experience extreme anxiety causing them to withdraw from school and social activities for fear people can also see the ‘defects’ they see in the mirror.
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