...courtesy the Madeleine L'Engle book Walking On Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. Oh, and it's part one of two, but no peeking at part two until you at least make an attempt at part one. Ready?
Write an incident from your childhood or adolescence that was important to you. "Write in the first person. Nothing cosmic, just an incident. And do not write this for children...Write it for yourselves."
By rights I should had been severely injured or even dead. Me, the family monkey... I had been climbing trees, shelves, counters, chairs... whatever I could for as long as I could remember. That day I was nearby tree climbing; higher and higher until I could see over the roof tops. I reached for the next branch, the one I was standing on collapsed. Back first I fell to the ground branches breaking my fall. I hit the ground with a thud, amazed at first that I fell then that I wasn't hurt much. When I caught my breath I moved everything to see that I was still working. The only thing that hurt was my back, but in a superficial way. I walked home and made up a plausible story to explain the large scraped areas on my back. A week of no swimming, daily dressing changes and the odd admonishment to be careful was the result. That and the fact that someone was watching over me that day. Not long after I was back climbing again. Great training for my future in gymnastics, not only physical but also in grit, determination and subborness. That stays with me today.
Posted by: Jan at August 18, 2004 11:01 AMWhen I was in grade school, maybe 4th-6th grade, I took Saturday classes in astronomy at the local planetarium. Some of the sessions I went with a
friend, more often it seems I went alone; always took the bus. It was a lot of fun, even when I didn't quite understand what professor Abrams was talking about.
One time, we arranged that I would walk to my grandmother's house after a certain morning class, for lunch and a visit. It was a couple of miles, and while I had been to Grandma's many times by car, I was completely unfamiliar with the route between the planetarium and her house. But I was game, got directions, and set out in fine weather.
I missed the main road where I should have turned, and continued walking for maybe half an hour before finally deciding to turn around. (All the way to the western edge of Forest Park, for those who know St. Louis.) I stayed calm, and through logical reasoning, I was able to find my way again, but of course I arrived over an hour later than I was expected. My grandmother and I had a fine lunch and a pleasant visit.
To me it seemed a fine adventure, and no one made a big deal about it or got particularly worried. I guess the incident was important to me because it gave me some confidence in my own abilities out in the world alone, and it felt good that my elders trusted me to take care of myself at an early age.