Totems

I have heard that one definition of a totem is an animal that you have a connection with. Thinking about that is interesting to me because there have been several animals that I have called myself/pretended I was etc. So here are a few and some of the reasons why:

• Shrike: one of my computer/avatar names. I actually wrote a whole essay about why I choose the name shrike. Some of the reasons being a shrike is a tough, resourceful, little bird.
• Griffin: the mythical creature I would most like to be. I always liked the fierceness of the lion but with the freedom that wings would bring.
• Hedgehog: They just seem super cute. I want one. They are all prickly on the outside but cute and cuddly when you get to know them... I'm not exactly sure I would call myself cuddly, but still. I think I like skunks for similar reasons. (I have a beanie baby hedgehog named Prickles).
• Dog: When I was little I constantly played dogs/puppies. I was told my bark was quite convincing - maybe they were just being nice. I don't know very much about dogs but I have always preferred the bigger ones like dalmatians (because of 101 Dalmatians), Rottweilers (I like their markings), and labs. (I have quite a few stuffed animal dogs including Wonder, Floppy, Bones, and Glowie).
• Tiger: If I wasn't pretending I was a dog or a griffin I was a tiger, especially a white tiger. "Tiger tiger burning bright." Tigers are fierce, strong, mysterious loners. They have always been intriguing. (Sharrie is my orange tiger and Quittle is my white tiger).

Anyway, those are some of my favorite animals, and I think favorites often tell you something about yourself.... or maybe just what you want to be yourself. So now the question stands.... what is your favorite animals? or if you were an animagus what would you be?

Grass or Memorials

Grass

Carl Sandburg

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.

Shovel them under and let me work -

I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg

And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.

Shovel them under and let me work.

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:

What place is this?

Where are we now?

I am the grass.

Let me work.

Today I walked past a small pavilion on campus where a young women was reading something. And no one was listening, we were all just walking on past. But I heard some of her somber words. She was listing off names, races and places of lynchings. Individuals killed for various reasons. Often charges of murder. And you know what I thought? You can judge me. Great another memorial for death and evil.

In High School during one of my English classes we read the poem above, and my teacher asked if we should put memorials up for all these places. I echo what I said then. If we look back far enough in time, probably every step we take is on a place where someone (or something) died. Someone cheated, someone lied. Lets not put a sign at every one of those places. I'm not saying that war memorials are bad, and we shouldn't have any, but sometimes, we dwell so much on the negative things in life that we don't let the grass grow. We don't let healing take place.

I mean really. How does it heal anyone to have someone read names to nobody about lynchings 100 years old?

Egg Traditions

Happy Easter.

Because of this Easter season I have been hearing about different Easter traditions recently.

• Easter baskets filled with toys, candy, or bread to be found in the morning.
• Easter egg hunt
• Decorating Easter eggs- crayons and dye/dye/natural dyes/yarn/stickers
• Huge dinners
• Eating something with hard boiled eggs- deviled eggs/creamed eggs on toast/potato salad/egg salad sandwiches
• Belief in the Easter bunny
• Rolling Easter Eggs down snow banks or sand dunes

Growing up we always decorated Easter Eggs. Usually we draw pictures on them with crayons (or cray-pas work better) and then dye them. We also always went on an Easter Egg Hunt. We had to go play in one area while our parents hid them. So much fun. And when we had the chance we rolled them.

I never remember believing in the Easter Bunny, having a big dinner, or getting Easter baskets (well maybe once). My favorite Easter Book was/is definitely The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Du Bose Heyward.

Happy Easter, and I hope you enjoyed your own Easter traditions - all revolving around eggs apparently.

Types ofCreativity

I like being creative. Making order and beauty out of nothing. It makes me happy. The thing is, I think everyone is creative, not always in the way they paint, or scrapbook, but in the way they make dinner, or write a paper, or just the way they are. Me. I'm a make-it-do kind of creative. I like finding beauty in organizing the ordinary things around me. Although I do like painting and some of the more typical types of art. Here is one example.