26 September 2014

Imagine For A Moment Your Life As A Children's Book...


Have you ever wondered if your life was a Children's Book, what would it be?
Victor Hugo said: "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark."

I heartily agree with the author as once I learned my letters and could put them together to read a book, my enthusiasm knew no bounds. As a child sharing my room with my sibling meant every precious spot was coveted for my books. Reading was an escape form the ordinary and fuel for my imagination.
Later as an adult I discovered its therapeutic effect when stress was likely to overwhelm me. No need
for Prozac/Zentax or such chemicals, a page here and there relaxed me and I soon became even a 
more adept reader as I started reading in another language.

Books have a delicious way to help you to escape without any physical demand other than a comfortable place to read. I will admit my thirst for the written word is perhaps greater than for others but I have observed time and time again that most people find reading relaxing, a little like brewing a cuppa and sipping it in a favourite corner. 

Best of all, Robertson Davies' observes that "A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight". 

Personally I found 'picture' books vastly irksome when I was growing up and quickly veered towards
adventure stories written by French, Russian and Nordic writers. I have revealed in the past my penchant for such material as Marco Polo's Aventures, Rudyard Kipling's Kim, Dumas, Tolstoy, J.F. Cooper, H. Beecher Stowe, Jean de la Fontaine, Hans Christian Andersen and the likes.

The only children's books I seem to have treasured are The Little Prince by Antoine de St Exupery followed by those written by la Comtesse de Segur. I never seemed to get tired of the first and the others were an opportunity to just dream like any other little girl.


I found myself wondering my life as a children's book and realized many of the classics children read on this side of the pond never featured amongst the many tomes I read. For all the stark insights in Victorian life with such as Dickens, Gaskell, Hardy and so on, I had to first mature as an adult to appreciate the messages behind the lines.

So to conclude, I think I'll have to ponder on it, my imagination often surpassed by events I had little control over. None the less, living on 2 continents and traveling around the world, brings a lot of material to screen for an interesting formula as you can imagine.

So what about you? Just imagine for a moment your life as a Children's book...What adventures would be featured in such a book?


Have a wonderful weekend!



4 comments:

  1. Hi Noelle,

    I enjoyed your post today and the question that you ask, for it truly makes one sit back and take stock of one's life so far, and especially, one's childhood, with all its happenings, both happy and scary, as life tends to be, at various times.

    My own story would include both positive and negative experiences, lessons that were taught early, and being the oldest of three, I had most of the responsibility with regards to my siblings, when we were out and about, and that in itself, created many windows of opportunity for adventure.

    Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend!

    Poppy

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    Replies
    1. I think your words were very wise Poppy, most of us remember the good times and also the troubling ones. As I did not experience a family life, I found I shied away from those happy family stories.
      But any stories with lots of adventures caught my attention and I never much bother with the rest.
      Blessings,

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  2. I remember the first book I read it was The Enchanted Garden and I was about 10 I think of course I had many books with lots of pictures but this was the first with none and regular size it looked so thick at the time, that started a love affair with the written word.
    Merle...........

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    Replies
    1. I too remember a few tomes with many many pages Merle (Russian stories usually) but I always wanted to know the end and
      learned a lot in the process.
      Hugs to Angus,

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