 Scene One – WE WANT HEALTHY BABIES – Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 1952
“Momma, why is Mable fat?” I say. “Let’s see Bobby.” Momma lifts Mable from her oversized goldfish bowl. “Your pet Japanese Waltzing Mouse is pregnant.” I peer at the plump, black-and-white mouse squirming and waving her head back- and-forth in Momma’s hand. “What’s pregnant?”
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 “Maw, Maw,” Tom’s crow cawed. I sensed urgency in his complaint above the din of the portable radio tuned to Top Forty Hits. Every day my neighbor, Tom, selected the same AM radio station to share his favorites with our neighborhood. In pleasant weather, the crow joined the radio music on Tom’s deck. I wondered if the crow tried to elevate his voice above Fats Domino?
 January is named for the ancient Roman God, Janus. He is usually depicted with two faces as he simultaneously looks to the past and the future. Janus symbolizes transitions as he looks in two directions. This January, the myth of Janus asks us to self-reflect, forward and backward on what we desired, accomplished, and left undone last year to set our intentions for the New Year.
 We are creative beings. When we use our innate abilities in life and work to make something new, we begin with pause. We take a break in activity to change our perspective toward what is before us. Based on a new awareness, we revise our intention about what we want to accomplish. We realize through experience that pause and movement helps solve problems and achieve goals. Yet, we are hesitant to take a break in the midst of our work. It seems counter-intuitive to set activity aside and delay the logical progress of our work for what we think are intangible benefits of pause and movement. We have been told to “concentrate on work, don’t fiddle time away, quit doodling, stop daydreaming,” or to follow any other well-meaning advice we have learned. But, pause and movement is exactly what we need for creative outcomes.
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About the Author
I write personal essays, creative non-fiction, flash fiction, and self-development articles from my home in Madison, Wisconsin.
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