Working Together

    Today we held an event to mulch the pathways of our school garden.  We finally had our 16 large garden boxes built and filled this spring. The children planted all of the boxes with seeds.  A few families and teachers kept the boxes weeded and the pathways between the boxes mowed and trimmed this summer.  In  a year when it rained constantly for most of June and July, we did not have to worry about watering as much.  (Our resident groundhog and his family have been enjoying a lot of very wonderful eating and we are so glad that they do not seem to like cucumbers. Thus is the life of gardeners.)
    Today was the big day, a week before the school start date.  At last, we were going to groom this garden and make those pathways really finished looking by adding the mulch.  Putting down landscape fabric, newspaper and shoveling mulch did not sound like fun, but it had to be done.  Volunteers have not exactly been knocking down doors to help us out.  Three current teachers ; the 9 year old son of a teacher, who is on crutches: a recently retired teacher; and a young family with four children under seven made up the mulching crew. Please note that the children were every bit a part of this team! The 8 month old baby did his part by being so quiet and good while his parents worked. It was amazing that all of that truckload of mulch could be moved by this somewhat motley and, at times during the day, very sparse crew! 
     Working together toward a very specific and defined goal was the very satisfying part and seeing the beauty when we were done was the inspiring part. Some people could not stay until the job was complete, but that did not matter: they gave what they could.  From  7 AM to 1:30 PM,  the project lasted and it was really fun in spite of our preconceived ideas.  Being stiff was my badge of courage and feeling that special camaraderie that only working together can give was my joy!

Team Building

                                                             Team Building

        Our school staff went to an outdoor corporate team building event last week.  Everyone was dressed in outdoor clothes and prepared for an adventure.  We started indoors by getting to know each other by moving around the room and finding people we had something in common with.  Then, using a rope, we handcuffed ourselves together with a partner. We had to figure out how to get out of that and teach others the trick when we figured it out.  Finally, we did a little arm wrestling.  After each activity there was debriefing and figuring out what this had to do with the collaborative work we would need to be doing to build school success.

     After those activities, we went to the woods where we were divided into two groups.  Each group was given a different task with props and challenges.  Our first task was a gigantic teeter-totter, in which we all had to balance and move around on in specified ways.  For 13 people, that was not easy.  When our group completed that task, we moved to an area where the other group met us and we explained our task to them and they explained their task to us.  This, too, was difficult, because we could not see each other’s props.  Our second task was to beat the other team’s time completing a relay task, then tapping numbered circles with foam noodles in a specific order.

     The next task was to get everyone in our group through various sized panes made of bungee cord without touching the cord. Some panes were low and some were high.  When we switched with the other group this time, our final task was to stand on 2 foot long railroad ties and keep moving them forward without getting on the ground.

     There was always a consequence, if someone fell off or touched the ground in all of activities.  Usually, you had to start the entire activity over.  Obviously, these activities helped us to support each other physically and emotionally.  There were a lot of lessons we extracted from this fun day.  It was impressive that we felt such camaraderie in such a short time.  Everyone was needed and everyone supported and helped each other.  Lessons about leadership and working together abounded.  It was inspiring!

      Here’s an idea for our next team building event!  Put everyone in groups of four or five in a car with a map, written directions, a GPS system and access to Siri on an I phone.  Tell the group to take a trip about six hours away at a specified location.  See if they can cooperate enough to get there and get home without any irreparable damage to the relationship!  It is a risk!

     A trip on the highway with four friends and Siri was exactly what we did a few weeks ago. It was a road trip to Lake Michigan with the dearest of friends. We had all the equipment listed above and we still managed to get turned around a number of times.  Siri is not perfect, but she is entertaining!  None of us got our way all of the time (not even Siri), but we all got our way some of the time. 

     The best thing about cooperation is that we all get to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We work toward the mutual good and discover that it is often better than our own way. If anyone says to you, “It’s my way or the highway”, pick the highway!  It is a lot more fun; especially, if you love adventure, challenges and team building! 

     

Learn Something!

           Driving to and from the elementary school in an economically disadvantaged urban community, where I teach, gives me a lot to think about. The boarded windows and the trash everywhere is sad. The bright spots are definitely the clean, well-maintained homes, though they are few. The innovative little businesses that pop up along the way are noticeable with their colorful, inexpensive signs, but these too are few and far between.  The churches offer rays of hope, but their influence is sometimes minimal. As one looks around, an older adult sweeping the sidewalk or planting flowers might be seen. These are signs that a few adults do care. Why would some even vandalize their own neighborhood or permit others to do so? Our beautiful school garden was vandalized last night for the second year in a row. It was not theft of the produce.  It was deliberate destruction. Why?

            The brightly scrubbed children with their hair neatly braided or combed stand with parents tightly holding their hands waiting for a bus.  There are others walking to school with loving parents guiding them and chatting on the way. There is something exciting and hopeful about going to school for the children wearing backpacks on their backs and carrying anticipation in their countenance.  The skipping, hopping, running and chatting show that many of these children do want to go to school. Their movement shows excitement. They are full of hope. It is rare to see a child under ten who is not bouncing on his or her way to school. School is about hope and opportunity.  Learning and discovery are fun and they know it. 

            What are we doing that robs these children of their hope?  What is it that turns the many children who care to only few adults who do?

            One of my favorite of all sights on my drive is the teenage student waiting at the school bus stop so oblivious to the world around him, because he is totally engrossed in a book. A book that can take him to a different time and place if he so chooses.  The desire to read that book can make a difference to the young person and the community, because it is within those pages that dreams are created and become real.  Why do some teens care so much and others not at all?

            Are we as a society too demanding or not demanding enough?  The passion and motivation for learning seem to slip away as the years go by for many of our students. Do we fail to encourage and discover strengths, because we are focusing on the wrong things?  We know that we are doing something that is not working, but we cannot see what it is. Are we learning how to solve our problems?

            One of my all-time favorite quotes is from T.H. White in The Once and Future King.   “The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you…”

            Will we as a society, as communities, and as human beings learn the lessons of cause and effect?  Will we learn as fellow sojourners how to improve our world and our individual lot in life? Can we keep hope and joy alive?  The only way to make something positive out of a bad situation is to learn something.  Will we?

          

A Joy-Seeker Reads the News!

       The newspaper of my city is getting smaller and smaller. I am not talking about the number of pages, though that may be true, too. The cost has remained the same, though less paper is being used.  People are getting their news from other sources and for good reason.  The internet is faster and you can pick and choose articles from a variety of sources.

      Our paper comes to our home on Thursday through Sunday. When we get our paper, sometimes it sits on the driveway even for a few days before someone bothers to pick it up.  Is it that we are apathetic about the world events or too busy to make it a priority?  

       The newspaper is not a bad newspaper, but a bad news paper.  The head lines of the days are on the front paper, followed by the most news worthy articles in the Section A.  None of them are about international trends or news that offers any hope.  The following sections headline bad news in the city, state, world of sports, world or business and world of entertainment.   Very little focus is on anything is productive or positive.  It is best to skim and scan, for sanity’s sake.

      The local city news section focuses on every perverted event that people in our general vicinity have participated in.  It talks about abuse of children, heinous murders, tortures and every sick, sick activity possible.  I can barely stomach the headlines, let alone want to read the detailed articles.  It is the same for the parts of the arts and entertainment section, specializing in sordid details about lives of our depraved celebrities.  I used to love both of those sections.

      The section that tells us what our television has in store for its followers for the week is another adventure in depression.  Researchers say that avid television watchers are more depressed than others. Is it any wonder?  We now have a hundred or more channel instead of 3 or 4 and there is still nothing of value to watch.   

      The Sunday paper is a little thicker and includes the travel section.  This has become my favorite, because you have “got to have a dream”.  The arts and entertainment on Sunday includes articles about upcoming cultural events in town, movies and new books, so I usually look at those parts, and only those parts.  I love the idea of going places and doing interesting things, even if it does not happen as often as I would like. It is always great to hear about new reads, too.

      I always look for jobs and property auctions in the paper.  I always know someone who needs a job and I think about finding some great property for nothing. Looking in these sections may be sheer habit at this point in my life.

     Then, there are the advertisements and coupons.  Honestly, I would be a lot more content and a lot wealthier, if I did not look to see what other people are buying “on sale” that I did not have.  The best thing for me to with these ads, as well as the most of the newspaper, is to take it straight to the recycle bin without passing “Go!”

      There is one part of the newspaper that is truly the best for joy-seekers, however.  It is a reflection of modern life that wallows in humor, sarcasm and subtlety.  You cannot skim it as you do with other parts of the newspaper.  You have to give it your full attention and take a hearty bite, not a nibble.  This part is not for tasters, sippers or cautious partakers.  Joy-seekers, this is your only consistent hope for the modern “hard copy” newspaper.  It is the only part where you are sure to find a belly full of joy and laughter, or, at least, smiles and a clearing of the brain.  There’s sure to be something that helps you laugh at yourself or remind you of a situation you can relate to.   As a joy-seeker, I applaud and appreciate the cartoonists of America, who brighten the days of so many with their cleverness and creativity. 

      Years ago, someone, who only read the comics in the newspaper, was considered low brow and uneducated. It was something that was mocked!  Someone who only read the comics was scorned and found himself the subject of jokes!  When I was a young person, I did not read comics too often,  because I did not think the comics were that worthwhile.  Now, I see how balancing the comics are!  Part of finding joy is learning to laugh at oneself.  Sometimes that is the best we can do!

Gold in my Backyard

      A friend recently asked me why I had not blogged in such a long time.  Someone actually noticed!  I was surprised.  Here are the reasons for my negligence:  end of school year busyness, family issues, critical life decision-making and a too-full plate in many, many ways.  Have I been too other-wise focused to see the joy in life?

      The friend that started blogging before I did decided to end her blog after a year of blogging.  She had decided in her blog to make an adventure of discovering the city she lived in after nearly thirty years of hating it.   She wanted to find the beauty and the joy in Cleveland, of all places.  Her beautifully composed blog explored this topic of finding adventure in your own backyard.  She summed up the lessons she had learned and ended her blog by literally saying, “Bye”.

      My blogging topic, on the other hand, is never ending.  Finding joy in life is a life-long journey.  Friend, I thank you for asking, because it reminded me to regain this focus. There are so many things concerning joy to write about. I want to share an experience concerning joy in my own backyard.

      I was picking up two girls at the Columbus airport for church camp. One girl arrived an hour before the other.  After getting some lunch, we had time to kill until the second plane arrived. 

      Columbus tourism is alive and well at the airport.  You can buy just about anything with the word Columbus, Ohio, Buckeyes or Ohio State printed on it. Some items are tasteful, even lovely and some are just tacky and useless.

      I saw the most amazing postcard at one of these airport shops.  It actually dropped my jaw.  It was a photo of a beautiful field of radiant, golden sunflowers that I had longed to see for many years; that I had even looked for in Normandy and Tuscany and did not find.  I had only imagined the beauty of such a sight after reading the novel, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Yet, here was this postcard with the word OHIO on it. The postcard on said the picture was taken in Central Ohio. Yes, it was taken in my own backyard!  Sometimes we do not have to travel very far to find joy, the joy we are looking or longing for.  The postcard even had glitter on it: something gold with glitter!!!

Onion or Oak and What I Carry

        The saying in my high school yearbook said, “Life is like an onion. You peel away each layer and sometimes you cry.”  I thought it was a beautiful, meaty statement about life when I was 17.

         I look at life differently now. The onion metaphor does not seem to work for me any more.  As I get older, I do not think as often of peeling away something on a regular basis to get to the end: an end, which is an empty nothing, like the inside of an onion. It seems somewhat pessimistic. Though perhaps, I missed something in my understanding of this onion.

         I think of my life as more like an oak tree that each year gains a growth ring.  In good years there is a lot of growth added to the trunk and in other years the growth is smaller.  The growth we gain each year is the character we build and what we do with our lives to help us become stronger and align ourselves more to God’s plan for His people.

        The title of the book, The Things They Carried, is an interesting title to a book that is not as good as the title.  It makes me think of what we carry with us through life and what that says about our character.  It makes me think of what we would carry out of a burning house or what we would pick if we could only keep a few of our possessions.  It makes me think of ladies’ purses and what they value enough to take with them everywhere.

       Then, it causes me to think of invisible things that I carry with me from year to year and what those things say about me.  Is life a peeling away like an onion or building of layers like an oak?  Maybe it is both.

      What thoughts, ideas, habits and qualities do we carry with us from year to year?  Peel away the bad, the unnecessary, and the sin and build the layers of strength, character and sense of purpose.  Whichever the case, as it goes with peeling away, so it does with strengthening and character building: sometimes we cry. 

       I revised my two page resume last night.  I peeled away the unnecessary, the padding and I just went for the truly most important highlights of my career.  My resume is now, at over 30 years of teaching, smaller than it was at two years’ experience.  Does that mean that I have not done much lately or does it mean that I am finally able to see what is important? I hope it means the latter. Yet, I wonder: is my life more than a little piece of paper that speaks of my career?  What is worth carrying and what is not?

      What really mean something are the intangible qualities that I hope I have that no one can peel away, pare away or take away.  The intangible qualities that will show my Maker that I have grown in the ways that are important are what I am interested in keeping and transporting on life’s exciting journey.  I hope that the things that I carry are things like love, joy and peace.

Gardening Quotes for April

Gardening Quotes 

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation. ~Phyllis Theroux

Hope never dies within a true gardener’s heart. ~author unknown

The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the whole world. ~Charles Dudley Warner

Hoe while it is spring, and enjoy the best anticipations. It is not much matter if things do not turn out well. ~Charles Dudley Warner

However many years she lived, Mary always felt that 'she should never forget that first morning when her garden began to grow'.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.”
― Abraham Lincoln

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece”
― Claude Monet