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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Life’s Pendulum: Why do we hop on for the ride?

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

As a child, I sat mesmerized by the pendulum on the grandfather clock my Uncle Oscar made for Grandma. My father talked about the cool crank used to wind it and how the weights would drop lower and lower every day until day seven when it had to be rewound or it would stop.  Then, he’d start singing, “Ninety years without slumbering, tick, tick, tick.  Life’s seconds numbering tick, tick, tick.  But it stopped, short, never to go again when the old man died.” (Henry Clay Work).

Yes, we sang songs for everything when I was a kid.  If someone did something a bit loony, we’d sing, “Crazy…”  Or, if anyone ever mentioned the word “swing” at all, we’d sing: “England swings like a pendulum do. Bobbies on bicycles two by two…” Yeah.  A song for every occasion and for every occasion, a song.  But that’s not explaining what pendulums have to do with anything.  Well, except that I kind of like that word.  Pendulum.  It has a nice ring to it.  Which is  kind of funny when you consider that one of those clock weights drives the chimes.  I digress.

Life's Pendulum

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So, what is the big deal about the pendulum effect?

Glad you asked.  Or rather, in case you didn’t, I asked for you.  I’m helpful that way.  *whistles*

It’s just that, as people, we’re prone to what I call “the pendulum effect.”  Janie Doesky has been spending too much money as of late.  She looks at her bank accounts online and freaks out at the excessive spending and waste.  Does she settle down and make a wise spending plan?  Some do. I won’t pretend they don’t.  But a common reaction is for people to cut up credit cards, withdraw 20.00 in cash and decide that’s all she can spend for the month.  On the 4th of the month, of course.

Or, like Kaye, she sees that she has six melon ballers and decides to get rid of all of them.  After all, a spoon does the same job.  Oh, and out go the cookie and ice cream scoops.  People used spoons for centuries and so can she!  She had been waaaaaaaaaay over to the right of the clock, but instead of coming to a balanced middle-of-the-clock, she hangs on and swings all the way over to the left.  Or vice versa.

pendulum image

It happens all the time.

I’ve seen it in homeschooling, where a mom started with hyper intentions and realized that three weeks in, they were already burned out.  So, instead of deciding that marine biology might not be essential for a kindergartner in the Midwest, she throws all books to the wind and tells them to explore their environment…. until they’re about seventeen and a half and then goes, “AAAK!  okay, you’re going to do 8 years in one.  Get cracking.  I want that Algebra book done by the end of the week.”

Kid stares at mom and says, “Why are there letters in my math book? And is this like plusses or takeaways?”  (exaggerated to make a point)

So, of course, when I started working on Cassie in The Vintage Wren, I realized I had another Kaye–different reason, different problem, different personality, same result.  An extreme response to a simple solution to a common problem.

You know, I’m not writing this book to make a point about anything, really.  I’m not here to try to convince people that they shouldn’t buy anything with packaging, shouldn’t have trash service, and shouldn’t enjoy a can of Coke (which is the only way to enjoy one, btw.)  See!

Coke pendulums don't count

So why am I writing it?

Well, because you see it’s about people.  And there are people out there who are passionate about not using straws, about having a “zero-waste” life.  I didn’t really “get” the passion.  Or the driving concern.  And, I couldn’t understand why someone would choose to avoid a really great Viva paper towel (I do love that brand).

I couldn’t understand why–probably for similar reasons why they couldn’t understand how I wasn’t jumping on bandwagons and reusing them as container garden boxes or something.

I’ve said it before, but I often feel the urge to repeat it.  The characters that I write, I don’t always completely agree with.  They hold convictions I don’t, don’t hold convictions I do, they make choices I think are wrong, and convict me with their very right choices.  But as I explore these characters, I learn from them.  Will I ever become a homesteading gal like Willow, or an extreme minimalist like Kaye?  Probably not.  Me? Try for a zero waste… DAY, even?  Probably not.  Could I forgive the kind of blatant and public humiliation and the lies that Mac did in the way he did?  I don’t think so, but I’d want to.  Do I think it’s right that I have a character flirting with a relationship with an unsaved man?

Nope.  But people do these things.  And as I write about them, read about them, examine them, I learn.  I take their actions to the Word and I explore them there. Look, I may never change my mind… or I might.  But the point for me is to learn.

It’s why I write.

I don’t write these characters as models to imitate in every way.  But I always try to show something in them that you should.  The point is for you to discern what that is for yourself.  I’m not writing moralistic drivel to spoon-feed values into you so you can regurgitate the right response.  I’m trying to “stimulate [you] to [demonstrate] love and good deeds” and sometimes that’s going to mean doing the opposite of a character because you saw in that person what you know the Lord doesn’t want from you.

And sometimes I’m just showing what I see in life and learning to appreciate “the other side” a bit.  With Cassie, I have a whole cast of characters.  They make me think, they are on all points of that pendulum swing.  Some are far to the right and others to the left.  Some are nicely balanced, and others vary in the extreme.

Meet:

Cassie:  A bit sarcastic, definitely extreme when challenged and has a strong, competitive spirit. But she’s caring, loving, and generally comfortable in her own skin. She has a tendency to manipulate things or let you think things happened or will and then confess.  I like her.  I think she’d make me tired in person, but I like her.

Lauren:  If Cassie is impulsive and impetuous, Lauren is her balance.  In fact, Lauren is a fairly well-balanced character.  So I find it really fun that she does something out of character and totally off balance.  Because, as humans, we’re like that, aren’t we? We all have some out of character quirk that keeps us from being dull.

Joel:  Aaah… Joel.  To be honest, I didn’t think I’d like him.  He’s stealing the show.  I get emails demanding that I not break his heart.  OOPS!  He handles Cassie’s extremes very well and yet isn’t just a pushover.  That’s a nice combination right there.  Too bad she can’t see it.

pendulum image

Evan:  I didn’t expect to like Evan, either, but I did.  No matter how hard I try to make him kind of a jerk about his lack of understanding regarding the whole eco-thing.  He just refuses.  And maybe that’ll be better in the long run.  He’s a bit more intense than Joel–driven.  But maybe that’s what gives him an edge, you know?

Marla:  So far, she’s just a mom.  A cool mom, but a mom.  I want to make her a bit more like the Marla in my life, but it never works.  And now I think it might be too late. She’s already done something that probably kills that personality trait.  Sigh.  Oh, well.

Grandma: Yeah.  She’s gonna be something else.  And that’s all I’m sayin’.

There you have it!  The cast of Cassie and Co.  Except for Think.  But that’s for another week.

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Comments

  1. Angela Martin says

    August 31, 2016 at 9:23 am

    I love this.
    (I almost said “I. Love. This.” But I knew Jillow would not approve. I wish more writers had a Jillow.)
    Still praying for you.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 234: A Chat about The Chosen Kids with RM Ruiz
byChautona Havig

Remember when you were a kid and you wanted to help with whatever the family was doing, so Great Aunt Tissy gave you a stack of napkins and told you to put one at each plate? Remember how she commented on what a  “big girl” you were?  And then, as if that weren’t bad enough… remember how you were fourteen and a “big girl” was the last thing you wanted to be? 

RM Ruiz’ The Chosen Kids Saga does just the opposite. She has a cast of related characters who are given real work by God–important work. They’re pulling on the armor of God and doing real battle with real enemies of the Kingdom of God and all while He works out their sanctification. Listen in to where she got the idea and where the Chosen Kids are going next.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you!

What if God Decided to Use Ordinary Kids to Battle the Underworld?

Can I just say that I love the respect Rosemary shows her characters? These kids, as young as eleven, aren’t told to fold napkins and praised as if they saved the world. They’re given tools and assignments and do save the world… or at least a piece of it and with the real help of the Holy Spirit. How cool is that?

And she does it with a tortilla in one hand and some eye and mouth-watering chili stuffs in the other.

Oh… and don’t forget the research for Encounter at Paradise that sent her up a literal slippery slope into frozen tundra. In July. #BecauseResearch.

And the result is book two of the Chosen Kids Saga! (To listen to the first episode where we talked more about the first book, go HERE.)

The Chosen Kids: Encounter at Paradise by RM Ruiz

A thrilling adventure for middle-grade readers, showcasing the supernatural powers of God, His son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.This is the second book of The Chosen Kids Saga.The Chosen Kids are ready for their second mission!

It’s been two weeks since Caiden and his family’s summer of fun turned into a secret quest for God. After their first mission, the Chosen Kids step into their new roles without fear or reluctance. With revived faith and God’s blessed tools, they embark on their second hunt—ready to track, capture, and expel the enemy.

But the day turns into a tedious game of hide-and-seek as the family races to get ahead of the fiend. When the unthinkable happens, and their mission becomes personal, they must keep the faith and trust God’s plan. They could set things right with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, but only if they obey His commands completely. Caiden thinks he’s uncovered the answer, but no one ever listens to the youngest cousin…

With nightfall quickly approaching, the Chosen Kids set a trap.

But if their plan fails, they could lose one of their most valuable assets, and their quest will end in heartbreak and disaster.

In this next chapter of the Chosen Kids Saga, readers will see the cousins in action as they take on their new roles with renewed spirits. Just like the first book, this fast-paced adventure includes family love, kid banter, and humor with even more adventure, danger, and spiritual growth!

This series mixes fantasy and adventure elements with transparent Christian themes for young believers who want a story that includes gospel truths without reading through symbolism.

Middle-grade readers will follow along as these flawed, relatable characters—still finding their way in Christ—embark on a life-transforming quest to save humanity. With family love, spiritual growth, kid banter, and humor all mixed in for a fun and exciting journey.

The adventure starts with Encounter at the Dunes and continues in Encounter at Paradise. Grab a copy of both to begin the redemptive journey today! Book three, Encounter At Ambrose, coming summer 2024.

Learn more about the series, the characters, and Rosemary at TheChosenKids.com

And the series she mentioned was The Son of Angels.

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Episode 234: A Chat about The Chosen Kids with RM Ruiz
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