crying child
Dear Associates,
let’s play with an image!
I drew this on Friday for my graphic novel.1 Take a look and see if you can feel your way into the image. Turn it into a film strip or a gif in your mind.
Now: what’s happening here? Why is this child crying? What do they want? If nothing instantly comes to you, make something up without thinking too hard. Does this kid stir up any memories?
This will work better if you write a few notes down, or say your answers out loud. I’ll put mine in a footnote so you can check them out if you want.2
Are there other people around? How are the other people reacting? What do they do next? And what does the child do in response?
Now take a break.
There are a couple of things you can do after your break.
Forget about it, go on with your day. You played with an image! Congratulations!
Ask yourself what the kid needs3 (comfort? a bandaid? protection from someone?), and imagine giving it to the kid. Congratulations! You helped to heal this child’s psychic wound.
Ask yourself what the kid needs, and give it to yourself, or someone around you. Congratulations! You allowed your imagination guide you into doing something for no good reason.
xoxo
Indigo
I’m still doing tarot readings, and there is still a sale on — $30 for 30 minutes. Details here.
Or come find me at these events (in person or online):
Stratford-Perth Pride! Upper Queens Park, June 2, 1-4 pm.
ZOOM group session: Prospecting for Possibilities, part of the Existential Playground series with the Deep Play Institute. Free! June 18, 12-130 eastern.
Walk-in readings at the Livery Yard, June 22, 2-3:30 pm
That day’s work session was everything I wanted… I was almost instantly absorbed in my task, and made three graphic novel pages in an unknown amount of time… unknown because i wasn’t watching the clock and begging god for my work time to be over. It’s the most rewarding thing, getting absorbed in my work. It’s lovely that I am happy with the output, but even more lovely is that feeling of absorption.
The child has lost something… they are sitting on a sidewalk on a sunny day. What did they lose? I can’t tell. There is a feeling of abandonment. Whatever they lost is less important than the fact that no one around them cares very much about it. There are other adults and kids around, just getting on with their day while this child is weeping with despair and frustration. It hurts.
The kid needs someone to listen to them. The kid needs someone to understand how much it hurts. The kid needs to be picked up off the sidewalk and carried for a bit until the tears die down. The kid needs a nice, long nap. The kid doesn’t need cake but would probably enjoy some after they get up from that nap.