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Dorothy Copus Brush The decorative lawn orbs Who came up with that phrase "What goes
around comes around" I have no idea, but it does happen
time and again. One example is the comeback of those shiny glass
globes that are appearing on more and more lawns. These ornaments
were popular when I was a youngster. Many of the catalogs that clutter my mailbox
feature them as something every yard should have. They are called
gazing balls by some and reflecting globes by others. Available
in a variety of sizes and colors, some are mounted on a pedestal
and others on an adjustable rod that looks a lot like an oversized
golf tee. The smaller sizes are meant to be hung from tree branches. Beside the picture, a short descriptive blurb
tells their history. One catalog states the gazing ball dates
back hundreds of years, and in Victorian times they acted as
mirrors. Butlers could discreetly keep an eye on guests to be
sure they didn't walk off with the silver. Parents could monitor
those who courted their daughters. Another catalog calls them reflecting globes
and declares they were used to repel witches from European gardens.
Though the past histories differed, the sales pitch for today
is that they give a view of your entire garden and they enhance
the changing scene through the seasons. There are hand-blown glass gazing balls and
there are stainless steel globes. My parents had a hand-blown
glass globe in our yard, and because of that globe I have carried
a load of guilt for many years. Just when I thought it had been
suppressed, these ornaments became popular again, and I decided
to make a public confession. A new baby joined our household about the
time a gazing globe came on the scene in our yard. For seven
years I had been the one and only beloved child. During my first
year of demotion, life with my new sister went along smoothly.
It wasn't until she became a toddler that my life became more
complicated. Occasionally our mother would ask me to be
responsible for her during short periods of time. That request
was made one sunny summer day when I was playing in the yard.
Of course I did what I was asked, but inside I was angry. I was
working off my feelings by doing cartwheels across the grass. During one of my turns little sister wandered
too close to my flying feet, and one foot struck her, starting
a nose bleed. That was bad enough, but the other foot hit the
gazing ball - the prized hand-blown gazing ball - which shattered. All these many years that double transgression
has stuck in my brain. When I say stuck, the memory of the act
remained, but my remembrance stops there. My parents never used
physical punishment so I know I was not spanked. I realize now
how hard I made it for my parents to deal with me when I did
something wrong because I always confessed and promised I would
never do it again. That is probably what happened, and although
I was forgiven by them I punished myself, as this story proves. Last year I spent several days with that grown-up little sister, and I apologized for making her nose bleed. She could not remember any such thing happening. As for me I will always feel a pang of remorse when I see a gazing ball. Indeed what goes around comes around. |