When i was a child, i was the scissors, the paste, the glue, and the papers.
We were instructed to (each one of us) cut out a small paper kite and attach it to a big pegboard on the schoolroom wall. The teacher stated that whoever learned their multiplication tables to a certain level would be allowed to raise their kite higher to a corresponding level. I cut my kite into a grotesque shape. Our teacher asked me why (while i was good at art) i made my kite so distorted and “out of shape.” I told her that i did not want to have a nice kite that would appear to soar higher than the kites of all of my friends. I refused to learn the multiplication tables. I remember, at that young age, thinking that my teacher was very crude and unrefined for asking us to compete in such a way against each other. After a couple of weeks, the teacher allowed me to learn the multiplication tables without having to place my kite on the bulletin board. Years later, as a young adult, i visited (and worked for 6 wonderful months) in Perth, Ontario, at a magical place called “Family Pastimes.” They, at Family Pastimes, are caring vegetarians who make and sell cooperative (non-competitive) games. Play together, not against each other. When i was a child, i was the ringing of the school bell, the giggling of boys and girls, and the accordion-like, crushed paper coverings for plastic straws.
[Familypastimes.com]
64 flower stigmas, more or less. (1) Photo by Thomas Peace c.2016
64 flower stigmas, more or less. (2) Photo by Thomas Peace c.2016
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 