Garden of Escape

I'm usually not much prone to escape in life, giving up most of my vices years ago (keeping my coffee though). As I was putting my little one to bed tonight, it occurred to me that I do still escape in life. My little one has grown fond of an old song, "Octopus's Garden". If you're familiar with lyrics of the Beatles tune, you know it's about escaping to an octopus's garden, acceptance, not being found, happy and safe, in an octopus's garden, in the shade.

Silly song and a song of my youth when life appeared simple. Oh, to escape to the days of old. Dreams were in abundance. Play was the focus of the day. Your biggest worry was trying to get your parents to allow you a few extra minutes of play, to stay up a little longer, or getting that newest toy. Almost everything was an adventure, not a burden of today. Dreams filled the skies where ever one traveled. And as we both know, the memories of youth can be very selective.

Many of us have memories of childhood that are really very crappy. Memories of pain, disappointment, struggles, fitting in, finding love, etc, etc, etc. Those dreams pop up from time to time, and through God's grace, I've been able to put them in a nice box stowed away in the corners of my mind, ready to be opened and examined when needed. I choose, most of the time, especially when singing to my little ones, to be rooted in the pleasant memories of my childhood.

I realize that unlike God, I cannot forget. At the same time, I've realized that I also don't have to hold on to pain, even if I can't erase the memory. So, I encourage you, my friend and reader, to choose the joyful memories where ever you can find them. To be in an octopus's garden, under the sea, in the shade, sometimes is a good escape from the world, or at least until I stop singing, look at the beauty of my little one, realize how blessed and grateful I truly am, and bask in the peace that only comes from God. Thanks for the memories, guys, and the lyrics you gave my sleeping beauty.

(The writings in this post are random thoughts and observations and are NEVER intended as professional or personal advice. Take what works and leave the rest. For information on mental health and/or substance abuse help, visit http://www.rodneyvalandra.com and refer to the links page.)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Worthy and Wanted

"Don't You Love to be Loved?"

Keeping It Real