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Saturday morning, everyone else still up stairs. This is like my only hour of no one but me all week. Funny, I spent most of my life very isolated just me and my grandmother. When we went back to visit once when Trinity was small she turned to me after an hour and said, “It’s so quiet, and there’s nothing to do.” I said two things, “Welcome to my childhood.” And something she’d heard before, “Do you have an imagination?” “Yes.” “Then use it. If you have an imagination you can never be bored.” It’s always worked for me. The inside of my head has always been a carnival of fun.
I was a very hard kid to punish. Sit me in a corner, I made up stories. Send me to my room, yay, I could read. Spanking or hitting always worked, I mean corporal punishment is corporal punishment. Though, that waned in my grandmother’s repertoire when I would do something I knew I shouldn’t, then turn myself in for the spanking immediately with a detailed list of what I’d done. At least once I even cut the switch off the honeysuckle bush so it was at hand. Punishment over and I could get on with my day. One memorable summer day I got three spankings. One for plotting to runaway because she was so mean. My grandmother was definitely of the old school. If you think that was mean, I’ll show you mean. Or the battle cry of my childhood, “You want something to cry about, I’ll give you something to cry about.” I learned not to cry.
She finally found a punishment when I was in double digits that was truly punishment. Send me outside, and frisk me at the door for a book. Send me outside where I felt on display for the neighborhood children. Who were not my friends. At least two of them had stolen things when they came over, so I ceased wanting them to play with me. Funny that. I was puzzled by most of the kids I grew up with, and them with me, I think. I was painfully shy at that point in my life. Those of you who have seen me at signings may find that hard to credit, but trust me, I was terrified of people well into my early teens. It’s why I joined speech team and drama so I could get over it. Deep end of the pool and all that.
I’m going to get another cup of tea, and enjoy this rare silence, just me and the dogs. Have a good Saturday, guys, be safe, have fun.