“No, no, no, no and no. Also, no, no and no.” – my son Braden, age 3
Calm delivery. He thought he was being reasonable and making a good argument. He used the “also” just to add the special emphasis he needed. As I recall, I was asking him to do some menial task like wash his hands or head to his room for quiet time. One of the things I love about him is that he talks like a grown up but expresses kid thoughts. Perfect.
Today’s Favorite: Red Sled by Lita Judge
My son loves sledding. We checked this book out from the library because it was about sledding and I have to say, it is simple, sweet and fun. There are hardly any words – mostly just sounds one would hear or make when sledding (Whoa! Whooosh!) which makes it really fun to read. Forest animals all take the sled out for a joyride and have a ball. And the little girl/boy is onto them. Super cute winter book.
“And then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me
would I yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will yes.” -James Joyce
Is it hot in here? ‘Cause I’m getting a little bothered. Sooooo romantic. A few years back when I was performing songs out, my fellow songwriters and I were discussing the magic of soulful male songwriters. Put a poetic, soulful female songwriter on stage and the audience is like, “Show me something I don’t know already.” Put a poetic, soulful male songwriter up on stage and the audience is captivated. Initiate swooning. This quote has that swoon-worthy quality. It’s all wrapped up in itself and in the momentum of the rich moment.
Today’s Favorite: How Many Jelly Beans? A Giant Book of Giant Numbers
by Andrea Menotti – Illustrated by Yancey Labat
This book is just so cool. The illustrations are modern and fun. The little dog is hilarious. And it’s a sneaky way to introduce little ones to the visual reality of really big numbers. The story starts with a brother and sister challenging each other to who can eat more jelly beans. Each one tries to outdo the other and the illustrations reflect their increasing challenges. 25…100…1000…100,000 jelly beans! It tries to answer the great philosophical question: Is there such a thing as too many jelly beans? (The dog doesn’t think so.) The fold-out page at the end of the book has 1 million jelly beans on it! I can’t think of any other place my 4 year old has actually seen a million of anything. It was a pretty cool realization for him to see…1 million is a lot! Totally awesome!
“my feet will want to walk to where you are sleeping but
I shall go on living.”
-Pablo Neruda
Neruda. He said pretty much everything better than anyone of us could. I’m posting this quote as a tip of the hat to those we’ve lost. Blessings to those who are grieving. I never really knew grief until my dad died two years ago. Now I know as much as two years as taught me. “Grief” is one of those words that does close to nothing in explaining what it is supposed to represent. Like “love” or “birth.” It is a scrap of blanket covering miles of geography. It does nothing to cover the different terrains and seasons. I love this quote because I’ve found that even though my mind has moved on from my dad’s death, my body absolutely remembers. During the time of year that he died, I find myself sad, tired, angry, desperate. It doesn’t matter that I’ve gotten therapy and have worked on forgiveness, moving on and all the stuff you’re supposed to do. My body is still acclimating. I still go to his speed-dial number, think about what I’m going to get him for Christmas, and get a choke in my throat when I think of him not being around to see my kids as they grow. But I shall go on living.
Today’s Favorite: Little Fairy Can’t Sleep
This book is gorgeous. Daniela Drescher is such a beautiful artist that I really wouldn’t care if there weren’t words to go with the pictures. As an adult reading this book, I want to jump into the story so I can interact with the glittery, charming world she paints. I can only imagine how magical it must feel for little ones. Growing up, I loved reading about enchanted worlds — and if I’d had it, I know this book would have been a favorite. If I were being super-liberal, I’d take a small point off for the fairy being so tired at the end of the book that the moth-fairy prince carries her home….but this book is so sweet (a mother fox & her family, a father elf & his family, the sandman, a mid-summer night’s party!) that I don’t even care. If I’m reading this to my son at bedtime, when we get to the sandman page, he asks me to grab some magic dust from the page to sprinkle in his eyes. That’s how much this book comes alive. Gor-geous!
“When setting out on a journey, never consult someone who has never left home.”- Rumi
Rumi is one of my favorite poets. Yes, he was a mystical bloke and quite a romantic. He wasn’t afraid to let his freak flag fly and also wasn’t afraid to share the wisdom of his heart. I long to see these qualities in my daily life. Honesty, truth in feeling, openness.
This quote, in particular, is one of my favorites because it reminds me of the traveling I did in my twenties. Where I grew up, I didn’t have any examples of women traveling by themselves around the country. It wasn’t until I moved out to Colorado and started meeting people who were avid travelers that I realized that anyone could plot a course and follow through. It’s a good reminder to seek out people who have taken chances and broken down barriers. Not only are these kinds of people exciting and fascinating, but they are also inspiring. They make you believe in yourself as a trailblazer and someone who can fulfill not just one dream, but many dreams. The way you were meant to.
My mom was recently interviewed for a blog. She has been an educator for many years and I keep insisting that she write a book so that her wealth of knowledge and wisdom can be shared in written form with future generations! Some of her most important work has been teaching graduate students who are seeking teaching certifications. Among other things, she teaches them that being centered and present as a person in the classroom- to be a listening presence- is more important then any content they will teach.
She credits one of her inspirations as Mary Rose O’Reilly who has some fascinating work available. One her quotes is below:
“The ‘secrets’ of good teaching are the same as the secrets of good living:
seeing one’s self without blinking, offering hospitality to the alien other,
having compassion for suffering, speaking truth to power, being present and being real…
I would like to ask what spaces we can create in the classroom
that will allow students freedom to nourish an inner life..”
-Mary Rose O’Reilly
Taking a moment to really honor the wonderful teachers who have softened the tone of our inner dialogue, cleared our walking path, and helped clarify our future goals…that is a moment worth taking.
Here is a post about one of my greatest teachers….Enjoy!
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
Science! Optimism! Perseverance! I love this quote because it snaps me out of self-reproach at not being successful enough, not accomplishing what I want quickly enough. (Whatever.) Edison had the focus to carry on toward his goals despite concrete evidence that what he’d done so far hadn’t worked. To remain undaunted attempt after attempt after attempt….that is inspiring. And honestly, anyone who has ever achieved a goal they’ve never reached before must go through some form of this self-encouragement. But to not waste energy shouting and wailing about what failures we are as we make our way to our goals- that is genius.
“Everyone matters.” – The Muppets
I’m fairly sure that if the Muppets ran our country, things would be pretty damn good. They’re ethical, they’re musical, they’re kind, they like road trips, they’re fair, they’re ambitions, and they always put friendship first. They’ve been my heroes for a long time.
shufflesteps 