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Go Sit Yourself Down Somewhere“Go sit yourself down somewhere, boy (or girl)” was standard advice usually given with the “look” that made us kids move as fast as possible from the advice giver who was usually an aunt, parent, any adult neighbor or relative. In our neighborhood, any adult who saw you misbehaving apparently was duty-bound to report you to your parents for instant behavior adjustment. In our family of four, I was the middle child of three, the only girl, and the one most likely to find ways to get around obeying even the most direct parental directive. My mother used to say that she might have appreciated my leadership capabilities, if my brothers had not been the ones to follow me blindly into mischief.Getting back to the “Go sit yourself down somewhere” advice, we could expect it to be forthcoming any minute as we got closer to the adults gathered on the front porch to share what we thought must have been dynamic news or juicy gossip. The importance of a speaker’s report could be gauged by the number of heads nodding in agreement, the number of heads wagging dissent, or the volume of the belly laughs.If the adults began to whisper, we strained to hear. As our interests peaked, we usually inched closer, giggling, stumbling, getting louder and sillier until we were noticed. It was then someone from the group of adults would yell, “You’d better go sit yourself down somewhere!” Strangely, we never asked where that somewhere was to be; we automatically knew that it had to be far enough from the talkers that no arm could reach and deliver the famed back-hand slap.As for the advice itself, back then I considered myself lucky to get a fair warning. I took it literally and simply moved as quickly as I could. Today, I realize it was some of the best advice I have ever been given. It is when I sit down somewhere alone long enough to detangle myself from the maze of information and concerns that confront me daily, that I am able to redirect myself in positive ways. It is when I go sit myself down SOMEWHERE, that I notice the leaves browning and falling slowly; that there are fewer birds chirping; that the sun’s rays are more subdued; that the air is cooler, fresher, more palatable. It is only when I go sit myself down that I accept SOMEWHERE is where I am and where I’ve needed to be all along. ©2009 Rosalie M. Taylor |
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