(Dress-ups, ca. 1954. I am the floozie on the right, and the other girl became a home ec teacher and clothing designer.)This was an interesting exercise. I know it was supposed to be answered off the top of my head, but I had difficulty coming up with some of the answers.
My favorite childhood toy was... my bicycle. Taught myself to ride at 5 or 6, on a borrowed bike, no help, no training wheels, lots of scabs and dogged determination. I can still feel the euphoria of the first time I was balanced and flying down the sidewalk. Soon after, we moved to a very hilly neighborhood and I couldn't ride until Mother decided it was safe. She made me shut my eyes while she wheeled a shiny blue bike into the living room the night before my birthday (8th?). My heart nearly stopped. I loved the freedom that bike gave me.
My favorite childhood game was... dress-ups. My neighborhood pals and I had a wonderful stash of clothes (women dressed up back then) and the good fortune that one of their mothers wore a size 4-1/2 shoe!
The best movie I ever saw as a kid was... Saturday morning tv reruns of old Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, and Roy Rogers movies. I loved cowboys and planned to marry Gene Autry (Roy was already taken). And the old 30's Flash Gordon and Little Rascals movies. (Really dates me, huh?)
I don't do it much but I enjoy... socializing (as in going out) with my girlfriends.
If I could lighten up a little, I'd let myself... totally tune out the negative vibes coming my way on a fairly routine basis.
If it weren't too late, I'd... have time to become a very, very good sewer.
My favorite musical instrument is... the piano. Another surprise from Mother was a gorgeous cherry baby grand piano and piano lessons. Playing didn't stick but the lessons did. I can still read music and I think my understanding of music is far deeper than it would otherwise have been. I love strings and woodwinds, but for me The Source is the piano. Just last week I wrote Mother a thank-you note for those long-ago lessons she thought she'd wasted money on.
The amount of money I spend on treating myself to entertainment [including sewing-related expenditures] each month is... possibly excessive—but I don't care. I work to support my habits and my generosity to others might be considered excessive too.
If I weren't so stingy with my artist, I'd buy her... a Bernina 440 Quilter's Edition with stitch regulator and embroidery module.
Taking time out for myself is... easy for me to do, but very hard for others to let me do. (And whose fault is that?)
I am afraid that if I start dreaming... reality will be disappointing. And honestly, I've been lucky to realize many, many of my dreams.
I secretly enjoy [watching]... Woody Allen movies. I know he's an awful person, but he makes me die with laughter.
If I had had a perfect childhood I'd have grown up to be... more sure of myself, more intellectual, and more artistic, because my parents wouldn't have been crazymakers. Instead, they would have provided the emotional and financial stability to give me wider horizons. I could have pursued a richer life via education and travel, rather than spend the first half of my life on the practicalities of survival. (Yes, that's bitterness you hear.)
If it didn't sound so crazy, I'd write or make a... plan and follow through on my dream to live for 2 or 3 months in Edinburgh, Scotland (this would include short excursions outside Scotland).
My parents [thought] artists [were]... invisible, I guess. Don't recall they were ever mentioned.
My God thinks artists are... Umm, my problem here is with the first two words.
What makes me feel weird about this [dis]covery is... how strongly many of Julia Cameron's theories resonate within me. It's been a little spooky, actually.
Learning to trust myself is probably... much easier at my age. I've always trusted my instincts and I've seldom been wrong. I don't need much reassurance these days.
My most cheer-me-up music is... Jimmy Buffett; Handel's "Water Music" suite or Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" suite.
My favorite way to dress is... comfortable but polished. Tailored; usually arty/ethnic or English shire matron; good fabrics, well-chosen colors, loose and easy fit. Expensive shoes that look like orthopedic Rx's.
1 comment:
No, it's nothing my husband would ever do. He loved Edinburgh, but his attention span is too short for an extended or repeat visit anywhere. It's my secret plan for widowhood. (I am NOT planning his demise, but he IS 10 years older, after all!) The idea began when I booked rooms over there for my daughter and her mates, and learned short-term rentals are quite available and not terribly "dear" as they say. It would be a base to travel all over the British Isles at a leisurely pace--the Highlands, Ireland and Wales, and parts of England I haven't seen. I would walk and walk and walk that beautiful Royal Mile and lovely Old Town and New Town, and spend hours and hours at the Royal Gallery. I would go to Glasgow to research their excellent genealogical archives to learn more about my Campbell ancestors, and my Campbell daughters (I guess my first husband was a cousin) could use me as a base for visits to the Motherland. Then on to the Continent for short excursions.
I would love a couple of months of solitude and complete independence. I would try small-town France, but I think 2-3 months of my survival French would become stressful and somewhat isolating. The Scots are the sweetest people we've ever encountered.
Post a Comment