The last few months for me and SUsie, as Dickens would have written,
have the best of times and the worst of times. They've been engrossing times,
alluring times, distracting times, demanding times, immersing times. beckoning
times: weeks of spoiling grandmunchkins, caring for Susie as she continues
her recovery from back surgery, weeks of being a care giver to Susie's brother
in Boston, promoting my brand new book on the Jewish experience in Georgia
(CHANT OF AGES; CRY OF COTTON), struggling with Kindle conversion of the book;
thinking my sister's husband--my oldest friend and ex-roommate at UNC--as he
faces his third major surgery in ten months. Through the thick and thin of it
all, through the highs and lows, what has always blown away any impending
opaque mist?
Now, I do love to go to sleep and awake next to Susie to be thankful
for the best feelings I have and still experience. I do love my pick-me-up
morning coffee to cut through the brainy cobwebs. And, I do use my daily early
morning, mobile meditative six mile walks to keep by soulful visibility clear.
But, do you know what really awakens me each day, what doesn't allow my
perspective to be clouded? No, its not coffee. It's not even my walks. It
is, as Thoreau once said, my excitement with and anticipation of the and dawn
overflowing with never-having-been newness, and never-will-be-again uniqueness.
It's awakening and bouncing out of bed with a joyous "Good morning to you"
nowness. So, as I walked yesterday's dawning morning, thinking of both Larry
in Boston and Stan in Memphis, I thought about what is it in the nature of life
that is a powerful lesson for living in general and for both teaching and
learning in particular?
It's simple. It's not information, assessment, technology, or
technique. It's unconditional fun and love. Unconditional! Simple, but
complicated, complex, and challenging. But, how rewarding and fulfilling!
Now, having fun doesn’t mean being useless or irresponsible or frivolous or
being out of focus. Having fun means being frolickly. And, frolickly means
being cheerful, positive, energetic, playful, excited, curious, and
enthusiastic about whatever you’re doing. Loving means respecting and
treasuring. Love means being filled with service, attentiveness, awareness,
alertness, otherness, and mindfulness. Fun and love are synonyms of faith,
hope, belief, imagination, and creativity. There is no mistaking love and fun.
They're the backbone of adventure. They're the time when we live. They're
the bounce in resiliency. They are the common threads of life, the flames that
warm our souls, fuel our spirits, energize our dreams, strengthen our
intentions, clarify our visions, and feed passion to our lives. When the fun
and love are absent the fog settles in: a happiness is replaced by a sadness,
an excited "wow" by a bored "ho-hum;" optimism by a pessimism; opportunity by
barrier; fulfillment by emptiness; compassion by judgment; community by
separation; inclusion by exclusion; unconditional by conditional; purpose by
meaninglessness; seeking by settling for; newness by staleness; sharpness by
dullness; expectant uniqueness by unenthusiastic routine; doing a committed and
persevering "whatever it takes" by a sighing "doing my best;" and, the dance in
a step by a plodding. That is why, for both teacher and student, as well as
for everything else in our lives, we must be synonomous with fun and love.
We can't make a difference in life, in our lives, and in someone's life
by being indifferent.
Make it a good day
-Louis-
Louis Schmier
http://www.therandomthoughts.edublogs.org
203 E. Brookwood Pl http://www.therandomthoughts.com
Valdosta, Ga 31602
(C) 229-630-0821 /\ /\ /\ /\
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//\/\/ /\ \__/__/_/\_\/
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/\"If you want to climb
mountains,\ /\
_ / \ don't practice on mole
hills" - / \_
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