Like the bully-bullying actions of Rosebud, the Cat, bullying has become an insidious thorn leading to harmful and violent behavior in the public arena. Learning why a bully bullies. Learning why a victim becomes a victim is crucial. Learning books telling stories about bullies and victims and how they made a positive change, gaining compassion for others, is important in a society that is daily grappling with these issues. The workplace, school, and our government is an excellent place to start.   

How many of us have been bullied as a kid or an adult? I was seven years old and in the second grade. I was given a pass by my teacher to get a drink of water. Outside of the room I turned the water fountain handle. The water rushed by me and into the face of a man teacher walking by. I'd turned the handle too hard. It scared me too death.The man grabbed my arm and dragged me into the classroom in front of my teacher and a bunch of kids. My mother was called. Together, the two teachers and my mother stood over me. "Apologize!" I was told. The teachers glared at me. My mother said nothing. I shook my head. I was really afraid. It was an accident. I couldn't talk. I couldn't say anything. For a long while I became more shy of kids and adults after that awful day. It's surprising how what appears as a small bullying incident can affect your life.

ROSEBUD THE CAT SAYS: "Bullying is no longer thought of a rite of passage that strengthens character."

ATTENTION ALL CAT LOVERS: "Rosebud, the Cat Who Lost Her Nine Lives" by Joan A. de Bruin & Douglas R. Decker is now available on Amazon.com. Rosebud is an Abyssinian cat who's on a mission to find herself. Her wise mentor, Bastie, the giant winged hound, guides her through a magical world to discover the compassionate cat she truly is. Sounds like a young person's story? Yes it is and no it is not. Rosebud gives you a deeper understanding of the wrongful behavior that may have affected your own life or the life of others. Rosebud is truly for all ages, touching your inner child and love of your feline friends.

Rosebud didn't know she was a bully. She thought she was only protecting herself.

Bullying used to be considered as a rite of passage to strengthen character. This is no longer so based on new research. "Bullying can be defined by many things. It's teasing, name-calling, stereotyping, fighting, exclusion, spreading rumors, public shaming and aggressive intimidation." Whether in person or on the internet the effects are long lasting, even into adulthood. Rosebud carries the reader into and out of the bullying part of her life through an allegorical story written and illustrated by authors Joan A. de Bruin and Douglas R. Decker. 

Heroes Journey: Rosebud

Heroes Journey: Rosebud: Rosebud sends her letter to all kids & grownups explaining how she became a bully, losing her nine lives as a result. She wants you to ...

LIKE A MOTH TO A FLAME

Like a moth to a flame we are irresistibly drawn to myths, and regardless of “…our ignorance of the language or culture [from which it came] is still felt by any reader anywhere in the world. Myths throughout the world are similar. Myth is language…its value is timeless. The mystical value of myth does not lie in its style, its original music, or its syntax, but in the story it tells. With myth, everything becomes possible, it explains the present and the past as well as the future.”  The Structural Study of Myth by Claude Levi-Strauss  

In the late 1970’s my friend, Dr. Sheldon Klein, Professor of Computer Science and Linguistics, University of Wisconsin, shared with me he had worked with Levi-Strauss on the basis of the myth in Paris, France, some of which he shared with me in the above paragraph. From childhood, I read myths and mythical type stories, pretty much everything with a mythic structure and journey; created such stories since I was a child.
   

Not until I was an adult did I began to write my stories in earnest.  My two recent publications brought me out-of-the closet and my dream came true. I'm now a published writer. After I completed Angel, I gratefully recalled Sheldon Klein's influence on my present writing.  Sheldon was the first person to show me the true value of the myth, which led to trusting my own writer’s voice. Although Sheldon, this brilliant man, is no longer with us, I thank him and his wife, Carol Klein, from the bottom of my heart.