I have a love/hate relationship with cooking.
If it’s a lazy Saturday and I have plenty of time, I love cooking. I make a mean lasagna.
What better way to demonstrate love than to nourish people both physically and spiritually at the same time?
But after work, I’m tired. Everyone is looking at me. What’s for dinner?
I don’t know. I just want someone to rub my feet.
In high school, our mascot was “the barbs”
– that’s short for barbed wire – which was invented in DeKalb, IL.
barb = sharp, bristly, obviously unpleasant…
causing inflamation and swelling. High school was constant stress over
grades, posturing and “success,” whatever that was.
My home life was more of the same, pure misery.
I felt invisible all the time. Nobody saw who I was, they saw who they wanted to see.
(Mostly, they were disappointed by what they saw!)
But I survived. I’ve actually thrived.
And you will, too. Hang in there. High school is temporary.
I recently assigned an alphabiography to my 6th grade students. For each letter of the alphabet, they had to write 4 sentences regarding a meaningful topic (could be a noun, adjective, verb) to that letter. After reading theirs, I was inspired to write my own. My version is presenting itself in poem form:
I am learning to accept what is
to see every “flaw, mistake, tragedy” as beautiful
I’m getting better at not asking “why?”
And replacing it with “why not?”
*My Alphabiography project
You know someone who is always cheerful and helpful, don’t you? This person has a big heart and is dependable when you need them most.
Don’t wait for Professional Administrative’s Day to give him or her a small token of appreciation. Don’t wait for birthdays or holidays.
Say thank you. Write a card. Give a small gift.
Make a positive, unexpected gesture. See what happens…
If you’re a writer and/or a lover of poetry, you’re likely to be familiar with Poets.org. They offer “Poem-A-Day.” According to their website:
“Poem-a-Day is the original and only daily digital poetry series featuring over 200 new, previously unpublished poems by today’s talented poets each year.”
Today’s poem is a particularly good one, from Ira Sadoff:
Ok, I no longer want them,
the many selves I had to manage
that once exhausted friends. I believed
in angels then, thought I might be
an angel—that was me, flying off
on a tangent, just so we could land
on one of my many balconies
so we could look down on everyone.
This reminds me of my youth: the self-centeredness, naivete, and drama. He captures it all in just a few words.
Check out poets.org. They feature the works of poets from past and present. I’ve replaced the daily news with a poem each day and it does the soul wonders!
Driving home, I asked the freshman high school daughter how school was today.
“I think I am really starting to dislike my science class now.”
“Why?”
“Because our teacher handed us a fifty-page document titled ‘Science Fair Projects.'”
I laughed.
“I could have taken chemistry!”
Beginner’s Mind is a term in Buddhist thought referring to how fresh “things” are to someone who is just beginning. I am a beginner when it comes to art (just completed my first online class)! Our society tends to laugh or look down at beginners. But when and how else are you to get good? You have to start at the beginning.
I love learning about basic lines and curves and putting them together to create art. Wow. I surrendered to it. I don’t judge. I just draw. Using Skillshare’s free classes (to start with), I took “Become a Pencil Ninja.” After completing it, my eye caught one of the feedback comments, “This is a perfect class for children.” I had to laugh…for children, indeed. I am a child when it comes to drawing.
Next up: a self portrait. This looks like it will be much more challenging!
Skillshare is pretty cool. You can teach classes as well ask take them. Check them out! Skillshare.com.
I love her quiet presence
– wide-eyed and expectant –
she lives each day without self-judgment
She is ready to play at any time,
faithful, affectionate and constant,
she delights in all life has to offer
people keep their distance from her breed
believing them to be vicious
when they merely mirror their human companions
they are mute and misunderstood
Once a mascot for 20th century America,
and even called “nanny dogs,”
Pits can sustain much pain without yelping
The language barrier rendered us speechless
but my Korean grandmother’s love for me was a quiet companion
playful, devoted and boundless
Acceptance of what is real is one of the main precepts of freedom, according to the great spiritual thinkers. Most of us have not met complete inner peace because we resist reality. Our egos take over and react: We complain about things that “happen to us.”
Practicing full surrender to reality means accepting (completely) the fact that you have to take your car into the garage for the second time in two weeks (this time, to fix the tail lights).
It means that you are not disappointed or frustrated when technology fails, when your plane gets delayed or when you realize you sent the wrong email to the wrong person.
Full surrender means you accept that you just got canned and you’re now unemployed….you accept the sudden death of a loved one or that you lost your (fill-in-the-blank) competition.
If you can accept all that life brings you, then you are well on your way to true happiness.
Apps have become so ubiquitous that we joke, “There’s an app for that.”
And yes, technology can help you achieve your goals and it can entertain you, but when it comes to creating art or work or works of art, there is no substitute for the consistent effort and focus on it.
Sitting under a tree, pondering nature all around you…that is how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity. So legend has it.
Objective and careful observation of nature, our pets, our loved ones is how we will help society. Sustained effort for the greater good is what will be effective. Apps and other technology alone won’t do it.
Kismet 