I had no idea Prairie Dawn wore days of the week underwear.

She’s also a Leo, her birthday is 8/3, and her mother is named Delta (making her Delta Dawn like the song).  I Googled her and found out she’s pretty darn fascinating.

When I was younger I was always more of a Miss Piggy fan.  I loved that she was so bold and brazen.  Miss Piggy was a star and when she was on the show everyone else paled in comparison.  Miss Piggy had Kermit and she was a crazy loon actress.  Piggy was all flash, smoke and mirrors and she knew karate.

Prairie Dawn played the piano, put on all the talent shows and performances.  Prairie Dawn was a journalist and no one handled Cookie Monster like Prairie Dawn.  She was subtle and yet very effective.

Sure Miss Piggy had the boas and her cute little chubby feet shoved into those high heeled shoes, but Prairie Dawn had days of the week panties.  That’s sort of bold too, different bold, subtle bold.

When Katlyn was little she used to ask us the morning of school picture day which smile she should use.  At first we said, “Well, which smiles do you have?” She replied, “I have my big smile and my little smile.”  She would then show us both smiles.

Her big smile was a warm toothy grin, it’s really sort of a perfect picture smile.  She still flashes it every year in our Christmas pictures.  Her big smile is lovely, confident and bold. It’s a Miss Piggy smile, it makes a statement.

Her little smile is a sweet, lips closed, no teeth smile.  It’s her Prairie Dawn.  Her father actually called it that the first time he saw it.  He looked at her and said, “That’s your Prairie Dawn smile.”  They watched a lot of Sesame Street, so she knew exactly what he meant.

Katlyn will be twenty this year and we haven’t seen the Prairie Dawn smile in a while.  She doesn’t really ask us anymore which smile she should use.  That stopped around junior high school.  But if she did, if she were to call me from college and ask me which smile she should use for the day, I would tell her to use her big smile.

She’s making her way in the world and she needs to be Miss Piggy right now.  Bold and daring and full of spunk.  She’s beautiful and she should be all, shoulders back, Miss Piggy Big Smile at this point in her life.  Prairie Dawn is always in there.  She’s quiet and later in Katlyn’s life there will be time for her little smile.

Maybe everyone has a big smile and a little smile.  I’ve always put value in the big smile.  In fact, I think we always told Katlyn on those picture days to use the big smile.  We do have a couple of little smile class pictures, so maybe she made up her own mind those years.

As I get older,  I’m starting to see value in Prairie Dawn.  I like her and the subtleness of her smile.  There’s a lot going on behind that smile.  What I used to see as just passive and a little annoying, I now see as simple, understated.  Piggy still rocks, but Prairie Dawn is cool too.

My thoughts from the laundry room.  Dawn of Light.

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