Livingpalm (the Prequel)

For most of my life I have been addicted to blank paper. Any kind of blank paper will do.

Oh, I've been known to overlook paper that is too decorative or too small or too uptight. But, show me a blank spiral bound notebook and I have no will-power. Add subject dividers and I go over the edge ... I'd steal for a 3-subject, spiral bound notebook full of crisp pages to write on with my other addiction -- a great, juicy pen.

Lately, Natalie has been bugging me to unpack my old notebooks and let her read all my precious childhood Words. She has been going through one of the most predictable of girlhood phases —The Phase of Naming. Future children, friends, dogs, horses, houses, husbands--it doesn't matter the object -- it's all about the Naming. She's been choosing names for the 20+ grandchildren she plans to give Brian and me one day. I tell her that I, too, named my 20+ future children when I was her age. In fact, two of my children are named from that original list. She is ecstatic that her Name is one of them.

She wanted to see The Lists. Yes, I had Named all 20+ children I intended to have some day. I Named each one of their spouses and their children. I also Named each of the horses they would own and keep in our Family Barn.

This week, while Brian was gone to Arkansas we unearthed the precious notebooks from my hope chest. We had to move aside the old cheerleading shoes, the baby sweater, the knick-knacks of my girlhood until we found the lovely orange books that contained all my obsessive Lists. (and every form of "Tami + Boy" you can imagine!)

We had so much fun.

I realized that this blog I'm writing in every week or so is really just a of what had been natural to me during my childhood years. The writing of thoughts and ideas and hopes and dreams and disappointments-- and lots and lots and lots of lists.

Another fun discovery was the writings of Speeches I'd Written In Case I Ever Got to Talk In Front of An Audience.  

I'll share one in my next post.