SIGNAL LIGHT

As the youngest of eight, I never had a chance to believe in fanciful childhood things like Santa or the Easter Bunny. Older siblings set me straight, right from the start. There was no Tooth Fairy in the Woofenden household, either - just a straight-up financial transaction: cash for teeth. As the child of a Swedenborgian minister, I had pedantic religious constructs drilled into me, including, for example, an elaborate vision of an afterlife, intended to shape everything about how I managed myself in this life... Because of this, it might seem reasonable to blame my family for how I turned out. I've been accused of being cynical and introverted. I suppose it's true, although if you put me in a room with a bunch of talkative strangers, I will have a great time... And having lots of older siblings, especially several with extremely entrenched beliefs that sometimes struck me as silly, also provided me with an opportunity for healthy, oppositional reflection. Sometimes I would think,..

Primary location: Bowdoinham United States