Little Monsters Everywhere

My youngest son Sawyer was two, and my wife, Jen, had taken him grocery shopping with her. He was still small enough to sit in the little shopping cart seat – a blessing for a parent with an energetic child, which Sawyer definitely was. She was standing in line reading a magazine, and Sawyer was still in his seat, drumming on the cart’s handle and singing a song of his own invention. He was being loud, but, Jen thought, not too loud.

She was not the only one in line that day. A young couple stood behind her while Sawyer drummed and sang and Jen waited. When it was her turn to unload her groceries for the checker, Jen returned the magazine to the rack and heard the man say to his girlfriend, “The little monster.”

Occasionally, I let myself watch shows with monsters before I go to bed: seductive vampires who drain their lover’s blood, or dead-eyed zombies who crave human flesh. It’s never a good idea. The monsters keep me up. The stories always include monster-killers – Van Helsing with his wooden stakes and silver crucifix, plague warriors with their swords and shotguns – but their efforts, however successful on the screen, are not enough for me. I find myself in bed having to rid the world anew of its monsters. The more I fight them, the further from sleep I’m taken. I awake the next morning unrested, having chased and been chased throughout my dreams.

My favorite part of these shows is always when the hero sees through and past the monster’s fearsome power to its inherent vulnerability. This is the clarity I’m trying to find in my sleepless bed. I just get too caught up in the killing, of actually ridding the world of monsters. I’ve forgotten I made them all, these trolls destroying of my peace with their noise and nonsense, these harpies clawing at my heart with their worry and fear. There will be an endless contagion of monsters, a daily apocalypse, until I see past the mask I gave to family and stranger alike, straight to the friendly face as human as mine.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence.
You can find William at: williamkenower.com