Johnson Jenetics.

I have recently been pondering on genetics.

Not the grand scale genetics of Plato and Nazi Germany regarding society; but the small scale genetics of Merideth and Johnson regarding me.

The Merideths on my mother’s side, all speak and spell like dictionaries and have an author hidden somewhere in the skeletal closet.

The Johnsons however are artistic with gifted hands and spell with creative freeform.

In the early days of their courtship my mother was impressed with my father’s ability to make beautiful things with his hands.

She was equally impressed with his letters steeped in words she had never seen before.

 After fifty years of marriage my mother is still impressed with Dad’s ability to make beautiful things but deals with all correspondence.

 As their first born and the fusion of the Merideth-Johnson genetics I am a Dyslexic Writer/ Artist.

This makes me a writer who draws flowers in the margin and uses words I don’t have a hope of locating in the dictionary.

Although my computer Hitler and I share a “it’s complicated” relationship, I do rely on his spelling advice. The familiar wavy red line is so comforting. It reassures me all the lineless words are o.k. (At least for Americans or English, depending which version of spell check he’s using.)

If I go a couple of paragraphs without seeing THE LINE, I get nervous and type something deliberately wrong just to check Hitler is still alert.

I have even learnt how to seek out his haughty “do you mean………?” box. Usually I do mean, unless it is a French word or one that starts with pn, kn or ph.

Recently I had a visit from relatives on The Johnson side.

“I see you have THE GENE” said my aunty reverently when she saw my whimsical wooden dolls.

“There is a lot of THE GENE in the family”

“My father had it,”

“My brothers had it,”

“My daughter has it,”

“But I,” (regretfully) “never got it, I can spell and have a logical mind.”

(A sure sign she missed it.)

We sympathized with her.

In spite of limitations it’s a great thing to be a Dislexsick, Artistick, righter.

P.S. Hitler has just informed me Merideth is spelt Meredith.