Quote of The Day

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Beware of Appearances

 Paint Party Friday
29 faces of September
My computer is giving me trouble this week.
 I wrote this a while back after reading about
 woman whose claims were dismissed by a 
celebrity partner.   
Miranda
Men with perfectly painted sheds to match their perfectly painted
 homes, in their perfectly groomed yards are often sorely imperfect.
 Men who seem jovial and kind to neighbors, ones who wear their
 party face, and go to church religiously are not always as they
 seem to those who know them intimately!
Men who are adored movie stars and seemingly
 loving fathers can be Hyde, behind closed doors!

  Quiet unassuming people who make us laugh with
 their contemptible humour may be extremely 
verbally abusive to those they appear to love!
Mental illness can be hidden behind a beautiful smile, 
a quiet demeanor, a generous hard working spirit.
 Alcoholism, and drug abuse can do the same! 
Many woman suffer behind closed doors and no one
  knows what to believe! Friends can't quite comprehend
 it, and often times the victim wrestles with how to 
define abuse.
Milly exhausted after harvest
Their partner was mean  during a drunken stupor, is that abuse?
 He's impatient and snarly with his children when no one is
 watching, yet appears to be the perfect dad! Is that abuse? 
 He punches a hole in the wall instead of you! Is that a threat 
of abuse? He starts ranting and screaming for no particular
 reason or provocation. Children and partners are dumbfounded
 by the behavior and try to calm him down.....is that abuse?
 Mad at co workers he demeans you verbally! Is that abuse?
 
If it feels threatening, then it probably is! No need to doubt it! 
Love doesn't feel bad. Love is hard at times. It can be 
frustrating and irritating!
Love can be demanding, and unappreciative, 
thoughtless, careless, and forgetful at times! It 
just can be. However it should be a knowing. 
You should feel valued, at ease, safe and 
respected the majority of the time!
 Too many times women suffer in silence, covering for 
bad behavior. Shocked by it none the less, but still 
protective of those they love!
I'm Sammy a green dog, or am I?
 A lot of my art is rarely the true colour to what the
  image is. A metaphor for life! What we see on the
 outside is too often not the reality of what's 
on the inside!
 I bark all day long, I get away with it because I'm adorable!
Sadly I learned that as a young child when my safety was
 compromised by an  extended family member! Thereafter,
 even as young teen much older adult males also covertly
  propositioned me. Some forced me into unwanted
 uncomfortable positions!  Those you would
 never expect to be so smarmy!
I'm cute but I have bad manners, and hump legs in public!
I had a parent who looked up to those with 
more education. Holding  too much credence in
 those who held a degree...leaving me a little 
more vulnerable than I should have been.
Cute eh? I nip at Children when no one is looking!
 She did however educate me on predators 
 of which I bumped into many along the way. 
 It's why I was a very informative 
and over-protective parent at times!

I still ask parents to be overly cautious with their 
 children and once even demanded my brother
 hear me out when I felt his child was being
 assessed by someone unsafe!
I pee inside  because I don't like the cold!
 There are always things you don't know 
about people. Best to always be wary and safe!

Have you ever been surprised that 
someone wasn't who they appeared to be?


In hindsight were there clues?

" The gift of Fear" is a wonderful
book by Gavin De Becker  
highlighting human behavior  and safety!
I've yet to read " Protecting the Gift"
about protecting teens and young children!
I have no doubt it's excellent since
he is such an expert!

28 comments:

Clare Lloyd said...

Super art as always so colourful.

Valerie-Jael said...

Very interesting read and fun art again. Appearances are often very deceptive, and we need to be alert with all of our senses. Happy PPF, hugs, Valerie

Anonymous said...

Wise words as always ;) Yes, there have been surprises in my past - I guess everybody knows that - but in my case experience and intuition developed over the years so it happens now rarely to me...happy PPF and a loveley weekend to you...

sirkkis said...

Yes many times I've disappointed someone that I have had a wrong image.
A great post, Giggles. Love your volourful creatures with their - may I say, odd colours.
Happy PPF xx

froebelsternchen said...

Wonderful art again Giggles - you always bring us into thinking as well with your text!
I am lucky that nobody around me was really bad in my life!

Happy PPF!
oxo Susi

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

The old saying, "never judge a book by it's cover," goes both ways. Just like with people, the ones with appealing covers may be flops, and the shabby looking ones may be gems. May your week be filled with peace, joy and love.

minnemie said...

I love "Milly exhausted after the harvest". Yes, true colors... hard to determine. Transparency is the safest and most communal human color... but pain often make us choose opaqueness... and underneath are layers and layers of ever changing colors... Great reflections as always, Giggles!

denthe said...

Sammy's so cute, I like the little conversations he's having :-) Very true words. I find it pretty sad to always be wary, but I teach it to my children too. Better to be safe than sorry. Although I also agree with Arnoldo: sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised by someone you thought would be different...

Nordljus said...

Great, expressive images, and very wise words. Yes, appearances can be very deceptive, I have been disappointed too, but luckily never had any really bad experiences.

DVArtist said...

I am truly sorry you experienced things in your youth from the "smarmy" Getting that message to others even family members can be very difficult. People don't or can't believe. Over protective? I don't think so, you were/are being the best mom. Your art is always effective especially with the different colors. Growing up in foster homes I always had to be on alert. Today children are more at risk than ever. This is a wonderful post.
Wishing a happy weekend to you. PS thank you for the encouraging and wonderful comments on my blog.

Faye said...

Great drawings as usual, Sherrie, and some very wise words. I must be one of the very few fortunates in this world. I have never been abused in any way. Or if I was I didn't recognize it. Ugly teen never had any boy ogling or worse. Of course, as a very shy person, I have rarely put myself out there unless it was a safe situation. Today's world is so different. In the past we could play outside all day and never check in. No one worried. Now it is a scary world.

Mona Pendleton said...

Amazing artwork Giggles! I always enjoy looking at your colorful pieces! Happy PPF :)

sheila 77 said...

Who knows what goes on in other people's heads? Yes I've known of several cases where the man is the life and soul of the party outside but with his family is very different.
I love the first bird with the bright pink background and the lady with the square glasses. She looks as if she is having deep thoughts.
That's a very bad dog, but you've made great colour changes. So is he a green dog or not!

Andrea @ From The Sol said...

I am sorry you had to learn so many hard lessons as you grew up ... but certainly you are the wiser for it and seem to have survived it all well. And, I am sure your children have benefited from your awareness. The world we live in today is no different ... deception and cruelty have been accepted as a norm and it's up to us to watch out for ourselves. I have been blessed in many ways and have had to deal with difficult issues as well ... seems to be the nature of the beast. Your art work is always a joy, Giggles and your thoughts always provoking :) Thank you for caring and taking the time to share ...

Andrea @ From The Sol

Christine said...

Nice art! I agree that appearances are not always what they seem, it's tough to know the truth. Still waters run deep and all that.

artbyjune said...

Thoughtful words! And its so terrible when trust is shattered! Its an imperfect world! Making art can be a solace. I love your figures and dogs!

Lynn Cohen said...

Important message here today. Glad you are spreading the word. Seems we have someone trying to attain high power, an important position who is blatantly abusive verbally, emotionally, and physically. He even lashed out at a young female journalist this week grabbing her wrist to get her to stop filming him as he walked by. He was still angry about his poor performance berating his female opponent. We are getting deluged with this behavior every day in the news. I fear victims of past abuse all over the world are suffering PTSD symptoms as a result. I know I am left sickened by it.

Your art cheers me up. Thanks for posting it around the important subject matter. Hugs from me.

Robin said...

Great Post!!! As a survivor of childhood abuse, then domestic violence (several times), I became a crisis and safe house counselor for women and their children fleeing domestic violence. The answer to all your questions is, of course, YES! Even in these times, predators are everywhere. They all look different, with different personalities, yet they are the same person under their presentation. I love your comments under your dogs, perfect! Thank you so much for this blog post to address an issue that still finds people in authority blaming the woman. Bruises can heal, the damage inside is an open wound forever. Big hugs! Rasz

Ritu Dua said...

What a thoughtful post!! Love the colours and the drawings!! So much of vibrance and love !!

http://beneathmyheartart.blogspot.in/2016/09/curiosity-leads-to-passion.html

Granny Annie said...

You must share this wonderful post with a community that serves victims of domestic violence. It is a very moving and beautiful piece.

Indira said...

Great art and a thoughtful piece. One can be easily hoodwinked by appearances and sometime what happens behind closed doors can be shocking and extremely hard for the victims to bring the truth out in open.

Neesie said...

Fantastic artwork as usual, along with some thoughtful words.
Thankfully I've never been subjected to anything like that or not that I remember anyway, but I'm so paranoid about my children's safety. They are both adults now, but I still fear for them. It seems a crazy world right now.
I do remember knowing a family that seemed just too perfect, but I felt uneasy for some reason... I just couldn't put my finger on why. A few years ago, I heard a few tales and they are divorced now. They just seemed too perfect at the time. It was all an act!

NatureFootstep said...

as already mentioned you have to look behind the surface.
I like your style.

My name is Erika. said...

Sorry for the delay as I was down and out with a headcold this weekend. UGh headcolds! Loving your art again this week Giggles. One of your pieces reminds me of Carol Channing back in the 1960's. The blonde girl with the tilted head and the big hat. Maybe it was all that celebrity talk that got me thinking that way. I don't know if she was your inspiration but she (like all your faces) came out great. Loving the blog header too. Happy new week and new month. Hugs-Erika

Irene Rafael said...

Hello Giggles, I am sorry to hear about that you had experiences as a child. You have turned them around to teach children around you to not take for granted their own safety. I don't consider that overprotective. Rather you are doing your job as a parent. On a different note, I love your new banner! Have a lovely week! ~~ Irene

Šolanje na domu-Waldorf said...

You never know what's behind closed doors. Many people look harmless in public and not so much in private.

PiaRom said...

Wow what a story!! You have to write a book for sure!! My english is not good enough to understand everything, but most of them! I so enjoy your paintings with the words! Especcialy the lil dog, who gives his true story away too, haha! Always a treat to visit your blog!! ♥ Conny http://piaromsartjournaling.blogspot.de

Lisabella Russo said...

What wonderful art! I think it's better to err on the side of caution when it comes to protecting those we love. It's hard to know who some other people are beyond the surface.

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