Curious Writing – Chiara Talluto

Take a listen to my latest “Catch the Story” podcast from Relatable Media Arts & Inspiration. Today’s session is “There Goes My Ride”. Click here.

Written transcript of the story, There Goes My Ride.

This is a reminiscent tale about giving up my 12-year-old red SUV. Now I know what you’re thinking, how is this story about giving up a car worthy of “Catch the Story”? Let me explain. Have you ever loved something so much, and I use the word, “love” loosely? It seems we love things and like people. Ah…I digress. We can talk about that another time—love versus like.

Anyhow, where was I? Oh yes, loving things, such as a house, a boat, your cell phone, I know a lot of people who are in love with their phones these days. Again, another topic for another day. But my red SUV has been with me for the last twelve important years of my family’s life.

It’s held my two precious daughters who are now teenagers. The many times we’ve ridden together traveling to and from doctor appointments, visiting grandparents, going to the zoo, the park, shuffling them and their friends to sports practices and games, and theater events, etcetera.

This car has taken me to Wisconsin, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky. It’s given me solace and peace as I flipped through the channels of my radio and listened to my favorite songs, or put on that rocking CD and cranked up the volume. And yes, I do have a CD player in this car. Gosh, I’ll miss that!

And oh, the conversations this cabin has held. If these windows could share what they’ve heard, and reflect it back (no pun intended), well, hmm… From tears to laughter, to frustrations and prayers. The best conversations are with your steering wheel. There are indentations of handprints all over the steering wheel from holding onto it so tight to prove it, anyway.

So to say that this vehicle has not only taken me from point A to B on many occasions but, it’s kept me safe. Years ago I named her Wonder Red. There used to be a cartoon on PBS called Super Why about four fairytale friends who go on magical adventures and become reading-powered super heroes. My daughters loved that show, especially this one character named Wonder Red.

Because my SUV was red, it was fitting. And, when my girls knew we were going out, they easily got into our Wonder Red, anticipating all the adventures ahead. It also has transported my parents and my in-laws, who are now elderly, to many family events. So to say that my SUV, Wonder Red, holds a special sentimental place in my heart, I can only say that it truly does.

But now it’s time to give her away after almost 90,000 miles of road life. For us, it’s time to downsize from an SUV to a car. Through all the oil changes, tire rotations, transmission fixes, and light bulb changes you, Wonder Red, have been my ride. I’ve realized that this hunk of metal has kept me safe all these 12 years. She’s older, but she still has some life left in her. It’s the memories of the journey that this old girl of mine, my wonder red, has provided. I was giving these wheels to do just that and I am grateful for what she has done. Whatever driveway and garage she’ll rest her Michelins, she’ll be good.

The moral of this little short story is to cherish the memories of your “things”: cars, houses, places of employment, vacations, etc. Life moves at a rapid pace. Things come and go. In the end, it’s who you have intersected your life with at the crossroads of time. And, those memories will be there until the good Lord takes them away.

I’m reminded through the scriptures that things will fade.

Don’t store your treasures on earth where moths can destroy them, instead store them up in Heaven. (Mathew 6:19-21)
Grass may wither, but God’s Word stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
The world will pass away, but the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)
The story of the rich man wanting to receive eternal life, but was unwilling to give up his possessions to follow Jesus. (Mathew 19:16-30)
What does it take to follow Jesus? (Luke 9:57-62)
His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Mathew 11:30)
Avoid making idols out of your possessions. (Exodus 20:23)

As we get older, we get more wrinkles but God’s word is transcendent over thousands of thousands of years. So, this transaction that me and my family are going to do puts it all into perspective. Our time on earth is very short we don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring, but we do know that as we journey through the adventures of life, we have God with us. God also reminds us to be where we should be, and that things that take us to where we’re going are ONLY here as a convenience. when you move, when you change employment, when you buy a new car or sell your old one, whatever the case may be don’t MAKE IT your idol, don’t let that be your gods but know that there is a greater God. So, goodbye Wonder Red. See ya on the road. If not, hope your metal is used for the good.

Thank you!

Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.

~~Arnold Edinborough

Yesterday, I watched Curious George’s “Swing into Spring” TV special with my eight-year-old daughter. We’ve seen the special plenty of times before, and always found it hilarious.

If you don’t know about the show, here’s a quick synopsis: The Man with the Yellow Hat is sure that George has spring fever, and so he takes him to the park to experience all the wonders of spring. George is so excited about spring that he wants his dog friend Hundley, to have spring fever too, but Hundley and the Doorman are busy trying to win the Mayor’s spring cleaning prize. When a broken water pipe floods the building, Hundley has to stay with George in the country, and he tries to make sure Hundley enjoys spring.

As we giggled at George’s silliness, I got to thinking about this little monkey and why I liked him so much. He’s very cute, but the Curious George shows are about a mischievous monkey on sordid adventures and comical mishaps that The Man with the Yellow Hat has to rescue him from or fix the situation—all the time. If that was my monkey, boy, oh boy, he would be in trouble and put in a very long time out.

What’s unusual is that a human has a monkey for a pet. Sure, people have had alligators, pigs, and dangerous snakes as pets, so what if a cartoon character is raising a monkey? At this I say, build him/her a zoo and keep those animals in their own habitats. The Man with the Yellow Hat lives in a New York City apartment of all places, and a country home near a lake called Lake Wanasinklake, but he still has living quarters meant for man, not animal.

Okay, I’m getting too literal. I must remember that we are talking about a cartoon.

Watching many of the Curious George’s shows I found that the spirited monkey has many interesting and entertaining ventures. He is constantly befriending strangers, is able to communicate with people who don’t speak English, talks to a dog named Hundley, who is a “dog doorman,” has a cool best friend named Bill, who teaches him about fishing and ghost stories, chases a squirrel named Jumpy Squirrel, and little George is so smart that he can hang with the professors at the museum where The Man with the Yellow Hat works.

Up until ten years ago, I never watched one episode or read any of the books by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey. I had no reason to. However, thankfully that changed, and in the last decade I’ve binged on so many of the Curious George television shows, admiring the unfettered monkey and all his crazy escapades. I’ll admit there is something beautiful in seeing the vulnerability and inquisitiveness of a character whose joy comes from discovering new things.

Yes, we all know little George got himself in lots of trouble. How about when he flooded the country home with water, or changed up the soup ingredients because he couldn’t find the vegetables The Man with the Yellow Hat had written down for him, or when George went up in a rocket and becomes the world’s first monkey to go into space. In those episodes and others, his pet owner always accepted George’s curiosity without being harsh or mean-spirited.

And, speaking of The Man with the Yellow Hat, how many of you know his name? He has remained nameless, only recognizable by his BIG YELLOW HAT. I did some research and discovered his name was actually Ted Shackleford. I liked him too, his unruffled demeanor, and his ability to explain things in an understanding way.

Having considered all this, my interest was piqued on the authors of Curious George—a husband and wife team named H.A. Rey and Margret Rey.

It turns out the couple were German-born Jews who fled Paris, France just before Germany took over the country in 1940. With two home-made bicycles, a few belongings, and a manuscript about an inquisitive monkey, they escaped to Lisbon, Portugal where they got on a ship, and eventually crossed over to the United States.

Did you know that the monkey’s original name was Fifi? The first book written by the Reys was titled: “Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys” and it was published in France in 1939. In 1941, when the Reys went to publish their book through Houghton Mifflin on a story about a monkey…the publisher thought “Fifi” was an odd name for a male monkey, later changing it to Curious George.

Did you also know that Mr. and Mrs. Rey’s first American published book was simply titled: “Curious George,” a story about a man (The Man with the Yellow Hat) who traveled to Africa to capture a monkey and bring him to a zoo in New York City? PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) would be all over this story if this happened in real life.

If this hasn’t gotten you curious yet, how about this…Watching the Curious George TV shows and reading the books help children ages 4-7 increase their math and science skills? Read more about it here.

Seven original Curious George titles were written by the Reys, plus the “Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys” book. See the list here. Their books have sold over 25 million copies worldwide.

In the early 1980s the books were turned into a television series so a wider audience could enjoy them. A new Curious George series debuted on September 4th 2006 on PBS Kids as part of the PBS Kids Preschool Block. Although Curious George ended its original run on April 1st., 2015, the series still airs on PBS Kids through reruns.

With the exception of the “Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys” book, I’ve read all seven of the tales and don’t have any favorites because I truly love them all. Click here for the list of books.

However, I do have many favorite TV episodes. Check them out below:

A Halloween Boo Fest

A Very Monkey Christmas

No Knowing Gnocchi with Chef Pisghetti

Auctioneer George

Curious George Sounds Off

School of Dance

Windmill Monkey

Meet the New Neighbors

Well done, George

Something New Under the Sun

The Perfect Carrot

Old McGeorgie had a Farm

The Magic Garden

Up, Up, and Away

For a complete list of all the TV episodes, click here.

I’ll never grow old watching the Curious George shows. I think it is safe to say that my daughter will agree. We bond, laugh at George’s pranks, and relax for family time. I think the two biggest takeaways/ lessons from Curious George are never to rush and judge, and to always forgive—important traits we need to work on in today’s world.

To read more about the Mr. and Mrs. Rey, check out this treasure: “The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey”

Until next time…Be curious.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curious_George#”Original_Adventures”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curious_George_(book)

http://www.curiousgeorge.com/

https://www.kidsbookseries.com/curious-george-original-adventures/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Curious_George_episodes

http://www.tv.com/shows/curious-george/

https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/curious-george-learns-about-brand-recognition

https://www.kelseymedeiros.com/braking-down/the-curious-case-of-curious-george

https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/10rzyr/a_unifying_theory_of_curious_george_with_an/