A Different Feeling
When I was a child, my home life was chaotic and unpredictable. It depended very much on my mother's mood. I never knew when or whether I would be hugged or beaten. At the time, I thought everyone's life was like that. I believed that delusion until well into my adulthood. But even as a child, I knew when I felt safe. I would seek those feelings - even though I had no name for them - in the company of adult neighbours, or other relatives who were within walking distance, or even in solitude. I made sure (learned the hard way) to let my mom know where I was going and how long I would be there. And I would set out to visit these people. Back then, someone was always home; women stayed home to keep house and keep the home fires burning, so to speak. And I would visit folks who always smiled when they saw me coming. I remember going to see my grandmother (my mom's mother) who lived about a half a mile away. I would enter the yard and the first place I'd go was to see the a