From the Age of Innocence......Through the Eyes of a Princess

From the Age of Innocence........Through the Eyes of a Princess

People from all over our world pass through the gates of the most magical place on earth each day. Whether a child or adult, they anticipate the extraordinary.  Their reactions, especially those of a child, are nothing short of extraordinary.  

Princess Chelsea, an amazingly precocious four year old, attempting to get all fingers in elbow length formal white gloves, her older sibling noticing the difficulty, assists.  Gloves properly in place, our young Princess convenes her court.  When asked to name her favorite Princess, she declines. Each day, for whatever reason, Princess Chelsea allows a different Princess center court billing.  Chelsea's role, make everyone smile, be happy, "like the song," she shouts, then begins to sing.

We assume Chelsea has a back story, perhaps after lunch it will surface.  Over the course of the next hour, we watch without being obtrusive, her family dotes, Chelsea's antics, amusing, she is currently dawdling with her food, her grandmother encourages and with a wave of her "Magic Wand," our Princess magically transforms her food into make believe medicine that will "make her better!"

At four, Chelsea has been disease free for almost two years, prior to this sudden vacation, the stretch ended. Chelsea wanted to visit the Princesses, they make her smile, each day the family videos her visits, Chelsea watches these over and over, she is perfecting the wave.  With distant strains of music reaching her ears, "here comes the parade, hurry!"  She is now on a mission.  Telling the family it will pass by right in front, they take up residence in a shady viewing area, our Princess wannabe getting a lofty view from Dad's shoulders, "she is a wanderer," her mother softly smiles.

A warm muggy afternoon, Chelsea's impatience is now morphing into sleep, resting her little body flopped against her Dad's head, she softly reminds him, "wake me when you see a Princess any Princess,  Daddy!"  He assures her, for the moments she rests. Mom still videoing the on coming parade, "just in case the little one should miss the festivities."

Chelsea does not like needles, she fights, even the Magic Wand is rendered useless.  Her grandmother continues the story," it is our hope theses videos will make her smile, she will remember the happy days and take her medicine.  It is a bargaining tool, hopefully one strong enough so Chelsea won't cry and fight.

For now she's awake, mesmerized by the passing carriage, waving her hand in perfect synchronization wIth the Princess passing bye.  Sometimes little glitches turn into amazing miracles, for a brief moment, the parade stops and as the Princess looks at the small child on daddy's shoulders, Chelsea' eyes overflow with tears , they are tears of joy.  As her Princess waves and throws kisses, Chelsea makes believe she's catching them and begins singing "don't worry be happy!" Her family smiles, Chelsea smiles, " made you smile Mommy, that's my job!"

From the Age of Innocence......Ode to the Grass!

From the Age of Innocence...........Ode to the Grass!

As the sun rises above the horizon, water droplets cover, nourish and cleanse the earth becoming sparkling prisms, softly hugging the contrasting colors of green as the earth awakens each new day and with it, life emerges from this sea of green. Regardless of our age, it never ceases to amaze, whether pleasurably or a strong feeling of dislike, particularly when lawn maintenance is a chore.

As children, we eagerly awaited the late day showers of summer vacation months.  It not only provided a much needed cool down for all living things, but also created new possibilities during lazy hazy afternoon playtime.  Water, not yet absorbed by the thirsty roots, made an excellent place to splash, it's refreshing coolness and rejuvenated blades of grass against our summer tanned skin, created a personal spa.  A grassy slippery slope was also a fun way to spend time out in the afternoon summer rain once threatening skies turned to soft rain showers. The only downside of such refreshing fun, tremendous grass stains!

Much like the smell of summertime rain, fresh mowed grass awakens all senses.  Visually delightful, fresh scented and soft to the touch, it provides one of many happy  memories from my youthful years. Sitting under the apple trees in the backyard with neighborhood friends, perhaps munching on "Kool-Aid" ice pops or lying on your back, the softness of the green grasses embracing you. Watching the clouds softly float by, thoughts of such fancy free moments are most pleasurable, bringing a slight smile to our faces and a warmth within our heart.  Living in Florida, with its manicured year round greenery, the sights are comforting and enjoyable, although grass texture is a bit different from the New England lawns of my youth.  We now sit outside in the darkness of the evening, the earth begins to cool, the relentless day time scorching  from the Florida summer sun, now sleeps for the night. Continuing to make memories, we share the stories of past summer fun and agree, one should never lie in the Florida grasses. A decision based on the army of ants surfacing from beneath the soft green carpet, after recent torrential summer rains!

From the Age of Innocence..........Your Peas Please

From the Age of Innocence...........Your Peas Please

Most children, pretty fussy when it comes to trying and liking new foods.  As reactions go, I'd like to think my reaction to peas will go down in the history books a childhood dislikes. "Mom, I ate peas at Teresa's house last night,"the last word out of my mouth, realization set in, I was in a pile of..............!  

Years pass, taste evolves although my aversion to canned peas has not, preference is fresh, fresh and nothing but fresh.  As with most veggies, visual pleasure just as important as taste. Canned peas of youth, olive drab in color, mushy in texture, the odor reminiscent of something slightly spoiled and despite the passage of time, pinpointing the smell still remains a mystery.

If ever there was a traumatic food moment in my life, peas or should I say the one solitary pea that sat on my dinner plate for nearly two hours, qualifies as traumatic, as does the gagging reflex once it finally slipped down my throat.  For the record, it was never digested and probably holds the record for reappearance time once consumed.

Watching Andrew Zimmerman of "Bizarre Foods,"  I am awestruck and jealousy consumes my being, sometimes life is so unfair!  Should he find a food distasteful, nostrils may flair, but never a regurgitated projectile or least not televised.

Once in the grocery store checkout line, impulse items adorn every space of the narrow aisle leading to unloading area.  Magazines meant for purchase are read and re-read, hoping for inspiration. As the summer months wane, pages are filled with colorful recipes from nature's bounty, mostly healthy options, veggies prepared to visually dazzle and tantalize the tastebuds.  In my youth this might have assisted my brain in the fight between visualization, mushy taste and that distasteful smell!

From the Age of Innocence........A Lesson of Endurance

From the Age of Innocence..........A Lesson of Endurance

Page after page of Aa Bb Cc on triple lined extra wide penmanship paper, blisters bulging from the death grip of little fingers around an extra thick lead pencil, touted as "your first pencil!"  No eraser, larger circumference than upper grade pencils, considered a "miracle pencil" although not particularly user friendly, first graders endured the grueling task of learning, producing and reproducing the alphabet until the teacher deemed it either perfect or perhaps sufficient torture had been endured.  Allowed to take our "school work" home, it adorned the front of the refrigerator until either the next letter was learned or the wrinkled document mysteriously disappeared.

Having an older sibling, definitely benefited my learning.  What she practiced at home, I mimicked.  If she wrote, I wrote, if she read...I attempted and yes, it was beneficial until it was required learning.  Perhaps boredom wasn't as bad as it seemed, class room windows large and in warmer weather, opened, allowing springtime freshness to permeate the air.  A great atmosphere for afternoon daydreaming much to the annoyance of the teacher.

As the school years progressed, movement into the next grade level, penmanship still an important part of the learning plan, cursive much more exciting and expressive than plain old block print.  Large, three lined writing paper, now passé, eraser topped slim lined pencils made those curly lined letters so much easier, one could express themselves so much more, much to the chagrin of the educator walking the aisle between desks, pointer in hand as if a fine arts class was in session. Unfortunately my cursive interpretation of the letter "A" bore no resemblance to the example on the blackboard.

Looking back, perhaps these teachings were necessary. Some say your signature is indicative of your personality, we won't go there.  It was also said messy handwriting belonged to doctors, I must be an exception.  If this be true, pharmacists are brilliant, although mistakes do happen; they tell you what the pill should look like, just in case.

Cursive may soon be a thing of the past, news ways to express oneself will always evolve. With technology moving forward at lightening speed, a mere point and click, perfect penmanship every time, Totally embracing all technology, with no ill-feelings of what I had to endure eons ago, the only possible conclusion is, "I was born at least a half century too early!"

From the Age of Innocence..........A Colorful Memory

From the Age of Innocence..........A Colorful Memory

Mary Blair was an American artist, born in Oklahoma in 1911; although her name is not widely known, her works have injected vivid color, profound meaning and through diverse interpretations creates joyful, happy and most assuredly pleasant and lasting memories for millions.

First introduced to the art of Mary Blair in 1964 at the New York World's Fair, her brightly colored characters, wide-eyed, smiling children from around the globe, made "It's a Small World," a very lasting memory, a reminder the children of the world are this planet's future. As adults, we tend to forget the implications of our actions; in our minds they are justified.  However, these very same actions in the eyes of our children,  become learned behaviors.  

Some of Mary Blair's earlier art works includes a brief stint on Disney's Dumbo, an earlier version of Lady and the Tramp and a second version of Fantasia titled "Baby Ballet," release in the late 1990's, long after her death. All these childhood films created happiness and a sense of goodness and well being, Mary Blair is and was an artist extraordinaire!

Occasional visits to Disney World's Magic Kingdom, sans the crowds, to this day, creates the same sense of inner peace within my being. The age of innocence abounds, adults experiencing the world of magic through the eyes of the children and if only for a moment in time, are free from a world of worry. 

Bold colors, smiling faces, whimsically painted animals, entice all, while Mary Blair's legacy continues to delights all ages.  It reminds us to smile, be happy and understand the cultures of the world and it begins through the eyes of the future, our children!