I used to read Ramona the Pest to my daughter.
We likely read it 7 or 8 times when she was in kindergarten.
As soon as we would finish, she would want to begin again.
And so we did.
I loved revisiting these stories from my youth.
And seeing the words, hearing the language as an adult filled me with such appreciation for the way in which Beverly Cleary was able to capture what it felt like to be a budding human in a 5-year-old body.
Ramona had so much curiosity and eagerness and zest and spirit!
And yet the rules around her confused her and frustrated her spirit.
One of my favorite stories was of Ramona, sitting down stairs in the cellar, in a dark corner, eating a bushel full of apples. That’s right, the whole bushel. She took a bite of one apple, tossed it aside, reached in a grabbed another – taking one bite and tossing it aside, only to reach out for the next.
When found, she explained, in her matter-of-fact way, that “the first bite is the best bite.”
Doesn’t everybody know that??
Interesting how the dark can lead to such simple truths.
Sometimes the dark is sacred. It is comforting, cozy, luring us with its promise to keep us safe.
While other times the dark is stormy and scary and we want to illuminate a dark corner to chase the ghosts away.
Lately, I have been venturing into some of my dark corners.
I have such a great urge to do so!
And yet, I also have no desire to go back there.
Because once I do, I then know what I have to do.
And the doing scares me more than the seeing.
Anna graduated the Professional Coaching Course in 2006. She is an executive and career coach based in Evanston, IL.
Photo by Cecile Hournau on Unsplash