Ah- but it's been an intriguing observation...this hybrid apple we call Alex. She certainly isn't a girly-girl. When I entered her into the county baby contest (12 years ago), I had to choose a particular category for her to compete. For some reason, only known to God, I placed her into "Most Feminine." Undoubtedly, Alex was the cutest baby. But when they lined all the babies up, it was obvious that my girl would've kicked the shit out of the others. Delicate? Perhaps not. As a toddler, she could easily knock over heavy furniture and drag things that I could barely move. "Alex, could you help Mommy move the TV?" (I still call her my little Bam-Bam. Although, now her enthusiasm to lift things for me upon request has waned slightly.)
Anyway, the point of this blog isn't to brag about my daughter's brute strength. What I love about Alex is her ability to stew her creativity and act upon it. She can sit for HOURS and watch the Food Network or any mundane network...but then a few days later, voila. She's composed a song on her guitar, or she's written a fantastical story (with great dialogue). One day this month, she sat down and created Christmas decorations for the tree. For three hours, the girl sat at the dining room table cutting, gluing and assembling these pretty ornaments - with cornucopias, ribbons and nostalgic animated characters.
I read somewhere that unless we have the ability to create, our souls are not truly satisfied. And undoubtedly, the process of creation doesn't happen automatically - it takes time to brew. This is something I have to keep reminding myself, but my daughter is already the wiser. So next time I feel myself a bit annoyed by her practice of wasting time, perhaps I'll take a trip to her orchard. Maybe it'll be fun.
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| Alex and her Independent Soul |
1 comment:
Take me with you. Alex, you are a blessing.
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