Finn, love this- perhaps the curve of the meandering river is like the curve of your belly..always changing shape. The cycles of the flowers have SO much to teach us.
Despite how young women are taught about the cycles of their own body, it’s surprising to now be shown how linear/hierarchical the entirety of life is seen. In fact, once I had 2 kids, I was lost, like my life was over — the end of the prescribed story line of school, uni, job, marriage, babies. It was years before I was able to see that it was only the beginning of the next phase… no, the next curve in the labyrinth.
Yes, it's interesting all the moments in our lives when the prescribed story line runs out or gets disrupted, the way we need to retell our own stories to ourselves. I love that, "the next curve in the labyrinth."
My kids both moved out last year (one got married; one going to college) and I read back through the journals I kept while I was pregnant and when they were babies. The story I told myself then was not at all how things turned out. Instead it was full of surprises and plot twists that made the story richer. Some of them were small things like, how does my child not like mustard? Others, I later realized, were things I wanted from my parents and my kids weren't as impressed with (college funds). Letting go of my narrative to let them have their own was difficult at first, but more satisfying to all of us.
I love that you're starting your life as a parent with this question. Also, thank you so much for introducing me to Ariel Gore's work <3
This is so helpful for me to read, thank you so much! I love the idea of surprises and plot twists that make the story richer. And kudos to you for letting go of your own narrative to let your kids have their own -- it does sound like one of the hardest things to do.
And yes, Ariel Gore is fantastic! Her book We Were Witches is absolute magic, and her forthcoming book The Wayward Writer will have a deep dive into her take on alternative plot structures.
Fiddlehead, meandering river ... I am loving the shape of your narrative, Finn.
Thank you so much! All week I'll probably be looking out for shapes, trying to see which ones fit!
Finn, love this- perhaps the curve of the meandering river is like the curve of your belly..always changing shape. The cycles of the flowers have SO much to teach us.
Absolutely! It's time to look at the shapes of flowers and other beings near the ground ... not every story is the shape of a mountain to be climbed.
So much yes here, Finn. So much!
Thanks! And so much more to explore. This topic feels wild and unruly, which is maybe for the best...
Despite how young women are taught about the cycles of their own body, it’s surprising to now be shown how linear/hierarchical the entirety of life is seen. In fact, once I had 2 kids, I was lost, like my life was over — the end of the prescribed story line of school, uni, job, marriage, babies. It was years before I was able to see that it was only the beginning of the next phase… no, the next curve in the labyrinth.
Yes, it's interesting all the moments in our lives when the prescribed story line runs out or gets disrupted, the way we need to retell our own stories to ourselves. I love that, "the next curve in the labyrinth."
My kids both moved out last year (one got married; one going to college) and I read back through the journals I kept while I was pregnant and when they were babies. The story I told myself then was not at all how things turned out. Instead it was full of surprises and plot twists that made the story richer. Some of them were small things like, how does my child not like mustard? Others, I later realized, were things I wanted from my parents and my kids weren't as impressed with (college funds). Letting go of my narrative to let them have their own was difficult at first, but more satisfying to all of us.
I love that you're starting your life as a parent with this question. Also, thank you so much for introducing me to Ariel Gore's work <3
This is so helpful for me to read, thank you so much! I love the idea of surprises and plot twists that make the story richer. And kudos to you for letting go of your own narrative to let your kids have their own -- it does sound like one of the hardest things to do.
And yes, Ariel Gore is fantastic! Her book We Were Witches is absolute magic, and her forthcoming book The Wayward Writer will have a deep dive into her take on alternative plot structures.
Thank you ♡