handwritten on November 21, 2019
Unfortunately, I was supposed to be pulled for a meeting on Thursday but luckily I was unable to secure a substitute and was allowed to go on the Symphony Field trip with my students. The concert was just perfect-the main reason being I have about 8 countries represented in my room this year and the theme for the performance was "around the world." Even more intriguing was hearing various members of the symphony play solos based on their home country's ballads, dances and musical genres. My students were so very excited when one of the countries traveled was "China." I have two students who came from China this year and every student in their seat turned to look at me and gave a little "...
handwritten on November 20, 2019
I thought about tonight the things that really matter in this lifetime. There could be lists of thousands of ideas, and I believe every individual has that "something" they focus on in this lifetime that helps them multiply their own love. For me, I think no matter what activity I complete or who I meet, I just want to figure out every being and their authentic self. I want to look into a person's eyes and have them know (without me saying so) that I see their very being, their essence and their soul. I see not their face but the them that others miss, skip over or ignore. I see their rawness and their worries but also their passions and their wants without them saying so. I think if I...
handwritten on November 19, 2019
L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
This was a phrase essential to the way in which Mr. Rogers himself lived his life. The phrase means this: What is essential is invisible to the eyes.
Like the days in which lessons are stopped because you can feel the internal sorrow of a child who is frustrated and needs a little pep talk in the hallways.
Like the mornings you wake up and feel revived and excited to spread hope and love and joy to every student in the classroom despite the fact that no one is understanding the math lesson you are teaching...
The feeling of giving is essential
The feeling of giving back or mending a small, broken soul is essential
The joy on the face of your...
handwritten on November 18, 2019
Something I've always been (and it's a difficult trait to get rid of) is a people pleaser. And I had to laugh because in my father's old high school year book a classmate wrote, "You are a beautiful person, Andy. Your only fault is that you are too nice." In fact, if I remember correctly, my dad's friends actually made him an "I'm sorry" cake once because he said sorry that many times. I suppose naturally beautiful people (my dad) sometimes find it difficult to upset others (and I suppose this makes sense.)
What I have realized moreso this year than many on this adventure of whimsy is just how exhausting pleasing everyone around us actually is. Mostly because...you come to realize that some...
handwritten on November 17, 2019
I used to internally make fun of my parents (maybe just a bit) when I realized how much video footage they took of both me and my brother growing up. But sitting down tonight in the family room with the whole family watching those videos made me think just how full of wisdom my parents were to take THAT many videos. Because photos are fabulous but those tiny moments that you truly don't remember with fleeting time-sometimes bring up so many important memories and quotes and lessons that you may never again have been able to uncover or remember without those small snapshots.
Within those videos it was obvious that time changes everything. Time changes how individuals act. It changes how...
