Seeing as how we ended up (unintentionally) doing a series within our Blogs, as we progress, I of course go back and re-read the last one to bring me back to that place(hopefully). The one where I was when the words were flowing just right, where I sat hoping that they would reach someone who needed or wanted to read them. Every author/writer knows ‘the point’. The point where the words come so fast that your fingers can’t keep up and at the same time, you second guess every single letter. So, I sat down and clicked on my file that I had simply titled “Discovering Dimple (Part 2)”.
As I got towards the end, I thought about the personal and painful events that I had alluded to. This wasn’t how I intended it to be, I was simply going to touch on situations that have led to our family’s passion for inclusion, environmentalism, and human rights. Yet, it is nearly impossible to get to that beautiful place without trudging through bits of the ugly path that took us here. I did not intend to share the pain of our family’s rejection to our union, our beliefs and how having no one, I mean truly no one to lean on for years has shaped us, the children and how that dynamic molded who ‘Dimple’ came to be.
Then, just like in the cheesy 90’s movie that they came from, the words ‘Talk Hard’ hit me like a ton of bricks. As one of my generation’s cult classics, “Pump Up the Volume” for me, was about finding and using your voice. The main character often used the phrase “Talk Hard” on his pirated radio show, a reference to several things, but to me, it meant talking about the cold and often painful truth, the kind that wasn’t always welcomed and often intentionally ignored. Perhaps that’s another reason I feel less concerned about divulging what I have and will continue to, as I ‘talk hard’ in my blog posts, I know that there is likely no one reading this, and it has almost become a sort of catharsis for me.
Funny thing is, I’m not even sure if Adam has ever seen that movie. But, that doesn’t matter so much because he doesn’t speak my language anyway. His ideas, emotions, and truths, come through on the page as well, but not in words, in images. In fact, he hates speaking in front of others and all that comes with it. His art embodies our deeply held values, the same ones that we stood by as we lost our families in their opposition to what and who we hold so dear.
Even as I stand knee deep in the salty brine that is middle age, I intend to use my voice and Talk Hard because those values matter and are tearing our global community apart, once again. After a few years of progress and victories, everything from Climate Change to Ableism and our Country’s own factual history are suddenly being called into question. Science itself has become something people can actually deny. Just a few short years following the legalization of same sex marriage, homophobia and transphobia are at an all time high in this country. Sexism, classism, and racism are marring the return to the workplace during what is STILL a Global Pandemic, despite the fact that we are all one human family.
Dimple’s Days are fantastic and whimsical children’s tales that embody the values which we gave up so much for, and we hope become engrained in the characters and lives of readers of any age. Sometimes, everyone needs a tire swing, a breeze and a crystal-clear blue pond, and to just dangle. Other times the simple knowing that there are so many of us, ready to not only Talk Hard but do the hard things that come with it makes all the difference in the world.
