{"id":739,"date":"2023-05-15T22:07:46","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T22:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/?p=739"},"modified":"2023-05-15T22:32:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T22:32:27","slug":"glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/","title":{"rendered":"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On May 3, 2023, I visited Vigelandsparken<\/a> in Oslo, Norway with my moms and grandmother.<\/em> The sculpture park houses Gustav Vigeland’s life’s work, including over 200 granite and bronze statues<\/em> that represent the human condition both physically and emotionally. A few of the statues provided glimpses of myself and sparked the following vignettes<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Walking up to the bridge, her piercing stare floods my body and suddenly, I cannot move. Though she cannot speak, she calls to me, baby in arms, stony eyes emanating a silent plea toward the top of my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know,\u201d she whispers. \u201cOf all people, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As my eyes remain locked onto hers, I feel her immense exhaustion\u2014the baby, keeping up appearances, being a good mother. A deep knowing passes between us, but I am frozen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, she says no more. While I wait, I promise her that I understand. I study her eyes. In them, I see her as if I am the only person who has ever recognized this mother with the pleading gaze as a kindred spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon, I notice the baby nestling into its mother\u2019s shoulder, trusting the protection of her strong arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a time, I tell the mother I must move on. Her gaze does not change. How long will I remain locked in her knowing stare? I allow the question to float away, and still, I wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few minutes, she says, \u201cYou and I, we\u2019re not \u2018natural\u2019 mothers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this recognition, my limbs loosen. I smile and thank her for seeing me. Released from the grip of her stare, I begin to cross the bridge. As I glance back over my shoulder for one last look at her stony form, I realize that rather than wanting to be saved from her lot in life, she simply wants to be seen. Like me, she wants to be known for all of who she is: a mother who loves her child and will protect him at the expense of her own life even as she remains deeply ambivalent about motherhood itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As the baby grows into a young boy, she delights in his round belly, soft features, innocent smile, and natural curiosity. In a relationship she does not fully understand, the boy experiences his body as a captivating site for exploration rather than a fraught battlefield upon which to wage the wars of social acceptability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before life settled into predictable patterns, she spent her days looking over her shoulder toward the horizon. Not afraid as if someone was watching or chasing her, but wistful, dreaming of a different life. She stared into the distance, plotting her departure until one day, she turned to stone, still waiting for the perfect moment to begin her adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The woman with the spaghetti hair looks over her shoulder. One foot raised onto toes, hands lifting waist-length strands away from her head. A gleefully free pose, and yet she looks back, her expression neither fear nor joy but a kind of seriousness. Is it wonder? Curiosity? Perhaps she\u2019s self-conscious of her unabashed display of freedom. She revels in her playful self, but she\u2019s uncomfortable being on display. Is anyone looking? What are they thinking? Do they care what she\u2019s doing in this moment of abandon? Are they judging? Approving? Critiquing? Wondering all these things, she keeps dancing as if no one\u2019s watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Want to be notified of new publications and blog posts?\u00a0Sign up<\/a>\u00a0for my email newsletter!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On May 3, 2023, I visited Vigelandsparken in Oslo, Norway with my moms and grandmother. The sculpture park houses Gustav Vigeland’s life’s work, including over 200 granite and bronze statues that represent the human condition…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-experimental","category-travel"],"yoast_head":"\nGlimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze - Monica J. Williams<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Four vignettes sparked by four sculptures in Oslo's Vigelandsparken cover themes of motherhood, lost opportunities, and living with abandon.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze - Monica J. Williams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Four vignettes sparked by four sculptures in Oslo's Vigelandsparken cover themes of motherhood, lost opportunities, and living with abandon.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Monica J. Williams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mwilliams199\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-15T22:07:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-15T22:32:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Monica Williams\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Monica Williams\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Monica Williams\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd\"},\"headline\":\"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-15T22:07:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-15T22:32:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":591,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Experimental\",\"Travel\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/\",\"name\":\"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze - Monica J. Williams\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-15T22:07:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-15T22:32:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd\"},\"description\":\"Four vignettes sparked by four sculptures in Oslo's Vigelandsparken cover themes of motherhood, lost opportunities, and living with abandon.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":960},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/15\\\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Monica J. Williams\",\"description\":\"Writer, Adventurer, Reformer\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd\",\"name\":\"Monica Williams\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Monica Williams\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/mwilliams199\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/monica-williams-ph-d-48a237230\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/monicajwilliams.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/admin_vb9gcv4d\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze - Monica J. Williams","description":"Four vignettes sparked by four sculptures in Oslo's Vigelandsparken cover themes of motherhood, lost opportunities, and living with abandon.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze - Monica J. Williams","og_description":"Four vignettes sparked by four sculptures in Oslo's Vigelandsparken cover themes of motherhood, lost opportunities, and living with abandon.","og_url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/","og_site_name":"Monica J. Williams","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mwilliams199","article_published_time":"2023-05-15T22:07:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-15T22:32:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Monica Williams","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Monica Williams","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/"},"author":{"name":"Monica Williams","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd"},"headline":"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze","datePublished":"2023-05-15T22:07:46+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-15T22:32:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/"},"wordCount":591,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1","articleSection":["Experimental","Travel"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/","url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/","name":"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze - Monica J. Williams","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1","datePublished":"2023-05-15T22:07:46+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-15T22:32:27+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd"},"description":"Four vignettes sparked by four sculptures in Oslo's Vigelandsparken cover themes of motherhood, lost opportunities, and living with abandon.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1","width":1280,"height":960},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/15\/glimpses-of-self-in-granite-and-bronze\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Glimpses of Self in Granite and Bronze"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/","name":"Monica J. Williams","description":"Writer, Adventurer, Reformer","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/#\/schema\/person\/312cc1b5f9d0933cdbf56b2424c528bd","name":"Monica Williams","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c7de4a86ab7cfe4c0bd7e71e58b8aaa383084b03eca9da2fed8126bda4af6f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Monica Williams"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mwilliams199","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/monica-williams-ph-d-48a237230\/"],"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_vb9gcv4d\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1",1280,960,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1",700,525,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1",700,525,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1",1280,960,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1",1280,960,true],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?fit=700%2C525&ssl=1",700,525,true],"write-post-thumbnail-large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?resize=1035%2C500&ssl=1",1035,500,true],"write-post-thumbnail-medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Vigeland-bridge.jpeg?resize=482%2C300&ssl=1",482,300,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Monica Williams","author_link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_vb9gcv4d\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"On May 3, 2023, I visited Vigelandsparken in Oslo, Norway with my moms and grandmother. The sculpture park houses Gustav Vigeland’s life’s work, including over 200 granite and bronze statues that represent the human condition...","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":275,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/01\/last-days-in-lisbon\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":0},"title":"Last days in Lisbon","author":"Monica Williams","date":"August 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"July 24, 2022 Sintra, Portugal A few steps into the cave: darkness.\u00a0I couldn\u2019t tell the difference between eyes open or closed.\u00a0Silence pressed upon my ears. I smelled dampness. Reaching overhead, I felt the cool stone ceiling. Reaching out right and left, my hands meet ruddy stone walls. Rather than claustrophobia,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Essay"","block_context":{"text":"Essay","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/essay\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/691426142746443776_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C736&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":300,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/05\/how-i-matter-part-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":1},"title":"How I matter (part 2)","author":"Monica Williams","date":"March 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Chapter 2 I Matter. As she lay on the ground, stunned by the appearance of two words that had never occurred to her in quite that way, she noticed that the space behind her eyelids now glowed with energy. Those two words had pulled her suddenly out of the darkness\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fiction"","block_context":{"text":"Fiction","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/fiction\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":274,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/22\/a-witness\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":2},"title":"A witness","author":"Monica Williams","date":"August 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"He appeared one day as she worked in the backyard. Yanking the crowbar from between two pieces of wood, she glanced down toward the growing pile of scraps and there he was, perched on the tree stump at the edge of the pile. She stopped, more curious than afraid. A\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fiction"","block_context":{"text":"Fiction","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/fiction\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/693310849377517568_0.jpg?fit=640%2C531&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/693310849377517568_0.jpg?fit=640%2C531&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/693310849377517568_0.jpg?fit=640%2C531&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":301,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/03\/how-i-matter-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":3},"title":"How I matter (part 1)","author":"Monica Williams","date":"March 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Chapter 1 Fight or flight mode had kicked in again. She, a tall, thin woman with brown hair tied up in a ponytail, ran against the feeling. Or into the feeling. She never could tell which.The trail iced over in spots, forcing her to pick her way slowly through to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fiction"","block_context":{"text":"Fiction","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/fiction\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":280,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/12\/accidental-person\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":4},"title":"Accidental Person","author":"Monica Williams","date":"April 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m reading Terry Tempest Williams\u2019 book, Refuge. One sentence pricks my soul. She writes, \u201cWithin every checklist there are those birds listed as \u2018accidentals,\u2019 one species, or at best a few, that have wandered far from their normal range. They are flukes in a flock of predictable migrants. They are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Essay"","block_context":{"text":"Essay","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/essay\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/681367577811992576_0.jpg?fit=1200%2C750&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":279,"url":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/08\/life-of-a-journal\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":5},"title":"Life of a Journal","author":"Monica Williams","date":"May 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The handwritten dedication at the start of the journal elicits hope, love, and tenderness. Who is this \u201cfearless and awesome\u201d Alexandra daughter? Did she share her dad\u2019s vision of what\u2019s to come in her life?\u00a0 Dad\u2019s vision is clear: she\u2019ll embark on writing adventures with her trusty lime-green notebook at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fiction"","block_context":{"text":"Fiction","link":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/category\/fiction\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_20220508_121115249_HDR-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_20220508_121115249_HDR-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_20220508_121115249_HDR-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_20220508_121115249_HDR-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monicajwilliams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_20220508_121115249_HDR-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=739"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":749,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/739\/revisions\/749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monicajwilliams.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}