I am really starting to get into this writing. It is not so much that I can personally relate to it, as many of you have been able to. I grew up in a busy city with many luxuries not afforded to most children. We had 5 acres of land, a swimming pool, mini bikes and go-carts. No,I was very fortunate in that regard and never saw my parents worry over money. I think the way I am relating to this though is through my father. My father's mother was a sharecropper from South Carolina. She had a 4th grade education and paranoia schitzophrenia. My father was the oldest out of 6 children and after their father left and their abusive stepfather began to control his mother, he became the sole provider. The stories he shared were so vivid, so incredible. He would talk about their factory house with the bathroom on the back porch and how some days it was so cold, he would try not to use the bathroom till he got to school. He told me about working at UNC-CH selling peanuts so that he could buy lunch for his brother's and sisters when he was only 9 years old. And he told me of the fun he had in Monkey Bottom, the nickname for the little park where all of the "poor" kids hung out. He would make bamboo whistles and crawl through the drain pipes under the baseball field. I can't believe that even now, I can so vividly recall him telling us these stories. I even recall wishing that I had grown up poor because the family worked together to survive and my dad had so much more fun than I did.
For me, this really seems to be a common theme throughout this chapter. The fact that imagination becomes the main way to escape the reality and hardship of life. Hicks talks about "pegasus" and how she use to imagine seeing and riding off into the sunset, something very similar to what Laurie says. A number of the authors have written about imagining that they were a princess who was treated with royalty and doted on. This imagination is to me, what fuels a creative mind. Perhaps, this creativity and imagination in fanciful notions created a need for many of these authors to get their ideas down or to thirst for more stories fitting this mold.
For me, the stories my father told me have always stuck in my mind. Now that I think about it, I realize that a lot of the things I write reflect his hardships in life. I have never really written about "happy" events. I write lots of poetry about hardship and social injustice. My father was labeled as "Durham's first hippie" because people thought he was simply rebellious. They didn't know that he actually couldn't afford a haricut or had to wear clothes until patches would no longer hold. He shared these stories with us and moved my heart and led me to try and be a voice, an activist, for the little people that are often forgotten.
Whitney Gilbert
On a side note.......
Another interesting thing is, that even though my father was never very studious, my first memories of reading are with him. He use to take me to the grocery store and have me sound out food labels! I think he always just wanted a better life for us and he busted his butt to make sure we didn't grow up like he had to and that we had every opportunity out there.
Comments (8)
I love that your dad took you to the store and made you read the labels!!! I suppose you could have reacted differently to his stories, to his instruction. But it seems like you really connected with him and made his stories part of your life. You even treat others differently because of his stories. Your father obviously chose to rise above and not wallow. I am beginning to understand why some people just wallow as I read this book.
Ashley Catlett
Posted by Ashley Catlett | April 4, 2009 8:33 PM
Posted on April 4, 2009 20:33
Whitney-
Your stories are as important as those from less fortunate upbringings. Each of us experience different sets of circumstances, yet each set is full of its own hardships. I also grew up with comfort around me, yet I struggled in relationships and finding my identity. I relate to this book on that level. Hardship is not limited to a financial status or crisis, but any conflict that propels us to think outside of where we currently reside. It may reference our physical residence or it may pertain to the thoughts that reside in our minds that we have taken ownership of. I loved reading your blog and hearing of your dad's set of circumstances and how they propelled him in his raising of his own family. You have already lived so many of your own circumstances that will come to play as you live your life and approach your future.
Posted by Stefoni Shaw | April 5, 2009 2:17 PM
Posted on April 5, 2009 14:17
Your dad had you do what I try to influence so many of my families to do. I work with preschoolers that are considered at risk because of different circumstances. I try to influence my families to go to the library versus being concerned about buying books (for most of them money is a hardship). But I also talk a lot with them about using signs as they drive down the road, talking with them about their grocery list and reading things like labels in the stores. I figure it is free print/resource why not use it.
Posted by Amy Spade | April 5, 2009 8:56 PM
Posted on April 5, 2009 20:56
How great is it that your first experiences reading involve your father, taking you to the store to read labels! He was providing an opportuntity where many would have said there was none. The fact that your family did not face hardships does not mean that you cannot relate to the writing but that you simply view it from a different perspective. That is what makes the world so wonderful, everyone has their own perspective and opinions!
Posted by SuSu Watson | April 6, 2009 3:09 PM
Posted on April 6, 2009 15:09
How interesting! Fathers can be great influences in the lives of little girls. I had two very caring and nurturing parents who wanted the best for me. It was my father who I remember always encouraging me to read and also comprehend text. Although, my situation was much different because my father was a preacher at a Southern Baptist church, it is the same idea. Your father cared enough to work with you whenever possible. Whenever I look at grocery labels, I will think of your story.
Posted by Brittany Guy | April 6, 2009 9:16 PM
Posted on April 6, 2009 21:16
I am stealing your dads idea to use with my own daughters. Why didn't I ever think to "make" my 5 year old read the labels as we grocery shop. She can read them to my 2 year old. We read the signs along the streets and highways, but now I can make our grocery shopping adventures more interesting for all 3 of us.
Posted by Cherrita Hayden-McMillan | April 6, 2009 11:57 PM
Posted on April 6, 2009 23:57
I am stealing your dads idea to use with my own daughters. Why didn't I ever think to "make" my 5 year old read the labels as we grocery shop. She can read them to my 2 year old. We read the signs along the streets and highways, but now I can make our grocery shopping adventures more interesting for all 3 of us.
Posted by Cherrita Hayden-McMillan | April 6, 2009 11:57 PM
Posted on April 6, 2009 23:57
Wow Whitney --- what a rich history you have! Your story/reflection -- and the connection to Hicks -- is amazing. I like how you say that you are reading this book "through" your father. To me, this speaks of a complex connection to a text, which we can never anticipate, and how deep our histories are.
Posted by Alecia Jackson | April 9, 2009 9:30 AM
Posted on April 9, 2009 09:30