I will begin this post by saying-the book Frindle is a must read. Sure, I am a third grade teacher, but this book truly brings whimsy to another level. Particularly, whimsy in memory. Without ruining the plot, I feel a brief summary is needed to do this post justice. Frindle is a book about a youngster (in fifth grade) who begins to test the waters with his English teacher's love of the Dictionary. Mrs. Granger, with fire in her eyes but always a grinning soul watches her student grapple with the English language through a social experiment using the word Frindle instead of (pen.)

The ending chapter always leaves me in a puddle of tears as an exchange of letters and gifts are sent back and forth between Mrs. Granger and her former student Nick. This exchange of letters is actually an exchange in memories. As Mrs. Granger so eloquently states,

"At first I was upset by the word Frindle. I tried to stop it. However, I soon realized something. A person can watch the sunset, but he cannot slow it down or stop it or make it go backward.” 

Sometimes, our greatest reflection and realization comes from a collection of memories. What Mrs. Granger finally learns in this ending chapter is-though irritating at first-Nick becomes her sunset. His idea was beautful. And like a sunset, it could not be stopped.

It's amazing how many memories we seem to lose throughout the years as time passes us quickly. We have pictures that remind us, email exchanges, letters, text messages, but nothing ever fully replaces the experience of actually being there. One moment slips away as quickly as the next. Just like a sunset, we cannot slow time down or stop it or make it go backwards. 

Yesterday as I was brushing my teeth, a moment of whimsy caught me by surprise. Occasionally, memories pop into my head, and if I'm not paying attention, they pop right back out again. I suppose the rereading of this ending chapter combined with a fondness of letter writing brought this memory back again. I had a very close friend towards the ending years of my high school career. She was one year older and upon graduation, I remember a quote that had been written on the left side of a card she addressed to me. It read something like this: 

A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small silly presents every so often-just to save it from drying out completely.

After reading her card, I remember feeling a bit downtrodden. I read this as: "Our friendship will inevitably have thin soil in the future. It will require all of these ingredients or else wither and die." Now, in a different place, this memory holds a new wisdom for me-one that she was able to clearly see all those years ago. She realized way before me that we cannot stop time or slow it down or make it go backwards. It is our job to hold onto whimsy through distant memories and small passings of words. 

Our friendship continues only because of her initial wisdom. And so I end tonight with a brief quote from the closing of Frindle's very own Mrs. Granger

“The world has changed in a million ways. That is why I have always tried to teach children something that would be useful no matter what. So many things have gone out of date. But after all these years, words are still important. Words are still needed by everyone. Words are used to think with, to write with, to dream with, to hope and pray with."

Now how is that for whimsy?