The Team
The age of innocence has an invisible finish line. Some of us rush to get there and others of us "mosey" to it. Today's painting is about teenage years. This is the age where an adult's knowledge is questionable and your friends know everything. Well, when you are around them a lot, you realize innocence is still very much a part of them. I went back to teaching after 15 years of being away from it. I had not ever taught high school kids before. As I was about to enter my first class, I turned to my colleague and asked, "any advice?" Her reply was the best advice I could have gotten and served me well for the rest of my teaching years and even into today..."treat them all like kindergarteners!" As I reflected on her statement, I wondered how I was to do this. The movie Peter Pan came to mind. There is a line in the movie by my favorite character, Tinkerbell, that goes... "all you need is a little faith, trust, and a little bit of Pixie Dust". Teenagers still have the squeals of innocence with their big game wins, the homecomings celebrations, the proms dresses and wearing a tux for the first time, and the moment of reality by receiving their cap and gown. These are the moments of applause and celebration. But there are also the moments of being the new kid on the first day of school, the missed free throw for the big win, the fearful moment before you take that test that determines whether you graduate or not, or when your boyfriend breaks up with you in the cafeteria three days before prom. That's when you need a little sprinkle of "fairy dust" to get you through. That is the beauty of being a part of a group that will give you that sprinkle or safe place. There is a time when you cross the line from innocence into adulthood. Where you have the car notes, and the mortgages, and the getting a good job. We all have to go through it. But like Peter Pan, we all have moments when feel very innocent and we need our group that is our safe place. It can be our co-workers, or a club friend, or a workout friend, or even that family that has been there since your youth. Whether 16 or 90, we all have times that we need a little sprinkle of "fairy dust". I share with you my painting for Day 11: The Team
Thanks for connecting,
Cissy