Let’s just say I was inspired by two beautiful 6 and 10-year olds this weekend.
Same but Different
Acceptance is not Submission
“True acceptance will transmute negative feelings of anxiety and resentment.”
Eckhart Tolle
Weakness: Your Choice
“Ultimately, it’s how do I respond to what to happens (that matters) not what actually happens. That is your area of freedom. You can choose to respond consciously and then you are not at mercy to what happens to you.”
Eckhart Tolle
Three Minutes
Nothing calms me faster than putting ink down on paper.
Fishy #3
Just playing around.
She’s Spoiled
If you pour plain dog food into her bowl, she will wait until you put extra treats in it (cheese, chicken, etc.) This is what they mean by “You teach them how to treat you.”
Prototype
Gobiesocidae
These little fishies live in shallow waters and can actually live up to four or five days on land!
Out on a Lim*
The sequel to the “Crazy Rich Asians” film has been delayed because of a pay dispute. Adele Lim, a female Asian writer, was offered 1/8 the pay as her male (white) co-writer. This is an enormous disparity and even more egregious when you consider what she brings to the table (which he cannot): an Asian perspective to an Asian film.
Here are some of her words on the matter:
“Being evaluated that way can’t help but make you feel that is how they view my contributions,” Lim said. She also feels women and people of color are used as “soy sauce.” In other words, they’re only there to add a cultural flavor to the project.
Opal the Dog Wonder
She makes everything better.
Good Deeds
My daughter brought the garbage bin in from the street for the first time.
As she walked it to the gate, a sun spider ran across her ankle.
She screamed.
And she will probably never bring the trash bin in again.
By the way, sun spider is a misnomer – it’s not a real spider nor does it like the sun!
Dark Fate
From Light*
They Have a 17-Year Lifespan
Are Desires Crucial?
Hail the Husband #4
“How do you spell moronic? Temperamental? Adjacent?”
My daughters and I often get a laugh out of my husband’s questions. We’ve learned that it hurts his feelings when we gleefully react to his earnest inquiries. So we stifle our giggles. But yesterday, he unearthed his fourth-grade report cards. And even he had to laugh…
Hail the Husband 3
He plays with her and pets her all hours of the day
talking and teasing Opal – she listens to him say
that he’s glad she’s here – wouldn’t have it any other way
and I’m happy to spot them like this through the archway
I Like Cooking with Him
Haul-lelujah
“I’m looking forward to our long drive from Georgia,” my husband says.
We will be driving from Lawrenceville, GA to Mesa, AZ (over 1,800 miles) to move my mother’s things from her old house to ours. After dad passed away in July, mom has been uprooted mentally, spiritually and physically.
But whose partner says they are looking forward to driving all day for several days? Mine. I’m fortunate to have a supportive partner who not only steps up but embraces this “adventure.” He’s excited to box things up, rent the equipment, tow mom’s car at the back of the truck and drive all the way back home for 27 hours. Thank you, William. I am grateful.
Family Doodle
Student Reflection #2
Student Reflection #1
I’ve had a record number of late work assignments turned in this year. For each assignment submitted late, I’m having students complete this form. Something tells me this will not be the only form this student submits this year…
Cute Desert Brush
I went for a walk between teaching classes today. It was 114 degrees. I spotted a bunch of cute desert brush plants.
Art prompt: Elvis has left the building
Question Your Motivation
Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world.
Jim Carrey
Surviving
Name Your Keeper
I used to go to a lot of weddings. Now I am attending more funerals. Everyone dies. Creating a will does not bring death closer, it helps your loved ones handle your assets and liabilities when you are gone. Don’t leave a mess as your legacy.
I finally completed my will. I just need to print it and get two witness signatures and a notary. I live a simple life with no debt and uncomplicated assets. Thus, I was able to do it through freewill.com and did not need to hire any lawyers. It was free! Freewill.com also offers advanced healthcare directives and durable financial power of attorneys. All are free! Check them out now: www.freewill.com
Art prompt: “All you need is love”
A remedy for pain
“True acceptance…means you are willing to feel this emotion, this pain in your body, forever.”
Kim Eng
‘Tis the Season
I used tracing paper. Super cool. Felt like cheating as I drew, but then I realized I was able to draw at a level of detail I’m not used to. We’ve found four scorpions in the house and one in the pool thus far.
Who do you kiss most?
Dr. Sei-Jong Chung
My father was a very private man. He passed away on July 11, 2019, and we did not have a service for him in Georgia, where he lived. Instead, we will have it at my house on September 12. Here is his obituary:
Dr. Sei-Jong Chung, passed away in the early evening hours of Thursday, July 11, 2019 at his home in Lawrenceville, GA. He left this world peacefully, with his loving wife, our mother Jung-Yoon Chung, by his side. As he waged a short, but courageous battle against lung cancer, he discovered a peace and joy with his family and friends he had never previously known. For this, we are eternally grateful.
Born in South Korea, he was the fifth of eight children and displayed an exceptionally inquisitive and academic mind. As a young immigrant and college student, Sei-Jong performed many odd jobs, including serving at restaurants and shoveling coal so college students could enjoy hot water. As he worked to earn his advanced college degrees, he also mentored students and Korean immigrants. On several occasions, he exchanged his skills as a technical English reader and writer for other services. It is because he possessed such expertise that we, his three offspring, were able to take Tae Kwon Do lessons and attain black belts.
After earning his PhD in Operations Research, Sei-Jong was a professor at St. Ambrose College and Northern Illinois University. As a father, he favored the “tough love” style with intentions of preparing us for a tough world. He never allowed us to believe we were victims of any circumstance or person. We were raised to believe we were the captains of our ships and that is an invaluable lesson.
During his final months, he shared with all of us the memories of the life he lived so purposefully, the people who made his journey worthwhile, and the many lessons he learned along the way.
He remains an inspiration to his family, friends and former students, and his intellect, quick wit and generosity will be greatly missed by all who knew him.
The Choice
I’m reading this right now. Dr. Eger, a Holocaust survivor, is proof that our happiness is our choice in life, regardless of what happens.
The Hexagon
I’m taking a podcast class. Seth Godin’s first lesson: start small. Your sister is your first guest…and then a neighbor…maybe a friend of a friend. But not until your sixth guest do you invite someone who has something “better to do.”
You’ll get more “yeses” once you’ve built your hexagon.
You need to develop your skills.
I love Seth’s closing: “Go make a ruckus.” I am thinking of my own…
Don’t Miss it
“True joy is made up of many, many, many small moments. If you wait six months for the big thing (for example, a vacation abroad), you miss all the beautiful small moments.”
– Eckhart Tolle
Basking in Arizona
Llama Doodle
The Antidote
She told me she wakes up anxious. I recommended writing five things she is grateful for first thing in the morning – every morning – before she does anything. Just two weeks in, she said she feels happier each day.
Gratitude can replace worry.
Bones – Shadows – Contrast
Daily Practice: Journaling
Art prompt: hocus pocus (journaling)
Catharsis
Daily art prompts. Today’s: “Dream a Little Dream.” I just drew and wrote what came to mind. It became instantly cathartic. Since March, I have lost a friend to a heart attack, my father to lung cancer and discovered a loved one is a severe alcoholic. This has brought to the fore some unsavory childhood memories. The spate of mass shootings in the past couple of days is also disturbing.
But art and writing are centering me.
Response to Art Prompt: Furry Friends
Art Prompt: All Those Pretty Lights
Fished from the Pool…
I Told You Not to Smoke
It’s How You do What You do
I asked my 12-year-old niece, “Who is your favorite teacher?” Although math comes most easily to her, she didn’t hesitate to tell me her English teacher is her favorite instructor of all time, because “She is so enthusiastic about everything! She loves to act stories out.”
Here’s to enthusiasm!
