| 2. First Day of School A Personal Note from the Artist |
The first day of school, along with daycare, is
one of the first barriers between child and
parents. It is the first of many separations.
In many ways, it is like the emotions a child
experiences when they are born. Torn from
the warm familiar security of time spent with
parents and placed on a strange school bus,
fear of the unknown is only natural. This fear
can lead to panic, confusion, hysteria—even
feelings of desertion. After all, they are now
in an unknown environment—once again.
The parents, whom you see reflected in the
window of the school bus, of course know
that all will be well and this is a necessary
step forward in life. But the child does not
have the experience of the parents. She’s
one of the first barriers between child and
parents. It is the first of many separations.
In many ways, it is like the emotions a child
experiences when they are born. Torn from
the warm familiar security of time spent with
parents and placed on a strange school bus,
fear of the unknown is only natural. This fear
can lead to panic, confusion, hysteria—even
feelings of desertion. After all, they are now
in an unknown environment—once again.
The parents, whom you see reflected in the
window of the school bus, of course know
that all will be well and this is a necessary
step forward in life. But the child does not
have the experience of the parents. She’s
confused and just can’t figure out why her parents are so happy at seeing her taken away. They’re even
waving goodbye! All the child sees are her parents becoming a fading reflection in her life, which I have
symbolized by sketching them as reflections on the glass.
The traffic lights in the background allude to the many roads yet to travel for this young girl. Each has its own
intersections, traffic lights and turns to maneuver and make choices about.
The bus itself is a symbolic vehicle in this drawing, providing several analogies. The first that comes to mind
is a wall of separation from what was. The cold metal and glass serve as a harsh, cruel barrier between her
and her parents. She can still see them standing there, but she cannot reach them. She cannot run into their
arms. There is also the analogy of the bus as yet another womb. There was first the womb of the mother,
then the womb of the family. Just as the child got comfortable and familiar with that, she has been expelled to
start all over again. Now the womb is the bus, representing a whole new array of development and growth.
And finally, there is the bus as a vehicle transporting her to new experiences in life. We all have symbolic
vehicles that transport us to new relationships, new knowledge, and new experiences. School is certainly
one of those. Our job transports us to self-sufficiency. Hobbies transport us to satisfaction and fulfillment.
Movies and books transport us to worlds we could never live in. Automobiles transport us to new
environments. Marriage and family transports us to the realization of the importance of interconnectivity. And
so on and so on as we travel through this journey we call Life. And as we do, we play out the journey in
stages that highlight and mark our progress along the way.
Like the event depicted in this drawing, each Stage of Life is both painful and rewarding. Painful because
change and growth is always painful in some degree. Rewarding because that is what the creation of life is
all about: growth, change and expansion.
waving goodbye! All the child sees are her parents becoming a fading reflection in her life, which I have
symbolized by sketching them as reflections on the glass.
The traffic lights in the background allude to the many roads yet to travel for this young girl. Each has its own
intersections, traffic lights and turns to maneuver and make choices about.
The bus itself is a symbolic vehicle in this drawing, providing several analogies. The first that comes to mind
is a wall of separation from what was. The cold metal and glass serve as a harsh, cruel barrier between her
and her parents. She can still see them standing there, but she cannot reach them. She cannot run into their
arms. There is also the analogy of the bus as yet another womb. There was first the womb of the mother,
then the womb of the family. Just as the child got comfortable and familiar with that, she has been expelled to
start all over again. Now the womb is the bus, representing a whole new array of development and growth.
And finally, there is the bus as a vehicle transporting her to new experiences in life. We all have symbolic
vehicles that transport us to new relationships, new knowledge, and new experiences. School is certainly
one of those. Our job transports us to self-sufficiency. Hobbies transport us to satisfaction and fulfillment.
Movies and books transport us to worlds we could never live in. Automobiles transport us to new
environments. Marriage and family transports us to the realization of the importance of interconnectivity. And
so on and so on as we travel through this journey we call Life. And as we do, we play out the journey in
stages that highlight and mark our progress along the way.
Like the event depicted in this drawing, each Stage of Life is both painful and rewarding. Painful because
change and growth is always painful in some degree. Rewarding because that is what the creation of life is
all about: growth, change and expansion.
| Actual Image Size: 16”x 20” |
| Copyright Bruce Carnahan All Rights Reserved |
12 Stages of LifeTM
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| About the Artist |
| 2. FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL |