Saving the Scenery and Species

Saving the Scenery and Species

Happy Earth Day, my fellow Earthlings! Today, I spent quite a few hours in the car, driving to pick up one of my fabulous nieces and bring her home with me for the rest of the week. She’s volunteering as a counselor at my school’s Outdoor School program for our 5^th graders. As I drove up, I kept thinking about how absolutely gorgeous this state is, and how lucky I am to live here (I’m in Oregon, USA). I didn’t think that when I was dealing with some…special…drivers in the middle of a downpour, but I thought it otherwise! J Keeping with the S theme for today and the fact that today is honored as Earth Day (though I am one of those who considers every day I’m alive Earth Day – when I’m dead, I don’t care so much?), so let’s talk about Saving – the Scenery and Species.

When I was in high school, I went on a trip with a youth group. We went to San Francisco, and the surrounding area, each year doing some things just a bit differently than the year before. One of my favorite bits was the year we went to Marine World Africa USA. I am not as fond of zoos and other places like that when they don’t provide the animals they are supposed to be saving with enough room and such, but this place looked good, and the animals looked happy. At the entrance to either the park or an attraction, I saw a sign with a quote that has followed me ever since.

In the end, we will save only what we love,

We will love only what we know,

We will know only what we have been taught.

~Anonymous

This is one of my favorite quotes – so thanks, Anonymous! It’s true that we work to save what we love, we love what we know, and we know what we have been taught – by teachers, parents, society, our randomly sprouted interests, a book, a beautiful sunset or picture of some place. Anything can and does teach us. Many of those things will teach us to love something, and that will help us when it comes to saving what is important to each of us.  I won’t go near religious stuff right now – I could so easily start a debate on some of those topics, simply because I love to see how people reason, but I’d rather not start a fight – but I will say this: this is our planet. I truly believe it is not handed down to us by our ancestors, but is rather on loan to us from future generations. In my heart of hearts I know that it is my responsibility – and my honor – to do what I can to leave a better place than what currently exists for my nieces and nephews and their kids and kids’ kids, etc.  There are so many Species that are going extinct, and by human hands and/or actions (or lack of action). The Scenery is gorgeous, but can be made better – if not here, than somewhere in the world.

What we do in our own lives can truly affect what happens to this entire world. I’m hopeful that we will, as a society of human beings, choose to Save the Scenery and the Species of this world. Maybe we’ll end up saving our own Species in the process.

Thanks for your time,

J

Relaxation

Relaxation

You know the sensation that if your ears go the tiniest bit higher, they will suddenly attach themselves to your ears? Or the one where your head feels about as great as it would if the current world champion of weight lifting were to start squeezing it between his hands? That evil S word that comes into our lives so much  (psst, stress)…and is so hard to counter…then Relaxation comes 

in to save the day!

Well you COULD have pretended to hear superhero sound effects with that, you really could have. *sigh* 

Relaxation. That fabulous aspect of life that we – as a rather stupid society in this case – do not participate in nearly enough.

Why relax? It lowers stress, allows your body to recover from the ‘fight or flight’ adrenaline that we often get into, even in just a mental status; essentially, it allows us to recover from the annoying bits of Life, mentally, emotionally, physically, and even spiritually.

Now, I have to put this out there as it was part of a rather heated discussion between some of my friends a few years ago: I do NOT believe that there is any one way that is best for everyone to relax. If there were, that’d be rather boring, which would distract me from actually relaxing, and then I’d worry about not relaxing enough, which would undo all the work I did while relaxing (yep, that is essentially what I said when I was dragged into the argument, but with a bored tone of voice, apparently J). Yep, that’s right, my friends were not arguing about ways to relax, but the one best way for everyone to relax, which I happen to think is ridiculous. Person A will relax best to weeding the garden (please come and relax in my garden areas!), some relax best by cleaning and organizing (come on over), and some need a certain type of music, or a specific book, or to run several miles (I have friends like this. Yes, they are very sick). Here’s what my arguing friends couldn’t figure out during that argument – there are even people who have lots of ways to relax, and use them in *gasp* varying combinations! Why? Because (drum roll, please)…we are all human (and the crowd goes wild).

Yep, my friends have some weird arguments at times.  Typically, they entertain me on some level or another. That one just bored me. I’m one of those people who has so many ways to relax, it’s often amazing that I have enough tension in my body to stand upright. In fact, writing these blog entries gets me into a zone of sorts that relaxes me nearly to sleep each day. My sister loves it when I feel antsy while visiting her because she never knows what will be cleaned during my relaxation process – she especially loves it when I have the urge to iron. Yes, iron. No, I won’t come and iron all your stuff. I’m busy this week. Maybe next time. Of course, I also sing, dance, act, nap, mediate, people watch, avoid all people, walk the dogs, snuggle the dogs, write a scene out that comes to me randomly, watch a marathon of certain shows, and who knows what else will help my brain and body shut up enough for the rest of me to do its thing. I love finding new ways to relax, and when a certain way to relax decides to work for me in a new situation.

I can’t figure out why, in this day and age, with all the advancements we have beyond those of yesteryear – heck, yesterday, in some areas – why we are burning ourselves up so darn fast. I do hope it change soon, though. There are some amazing people out there that I’d like to meet, have a cup of tea with, and then randomly break into song – in public – simply because we can.

What are your favored ways to relax?

J 

Qi

Qi

Yesterday’s post ended on perception and how we both perceive and are perceived. Just after I posted that, I went onto an online forum that has one of those live chat rooms where everyone talks over each other and if you aren’t used to following twenty conversations at the same time, you’re pretty much screwed in one of these rooms. Seriously…I think brains might explode. And that’s before all of the arguing can begin. Luckily, the arguing was to a minimum, and the main thread of conversation in that chat room at the moment centered around Qi.

So, what is Qi and how do you say it (especially with no u after the q) – the main focuses of the short time I was in the room. It got even better when some brave soul pointed out that the word can be spelled in different ways. Yep, brains exploded, I’m thinking.

For those of you who are actually wondering, Qi – also spelled Xi and Chi and Ch’i (and those are just the spellings I’ve seen) – is pronounced ‘Chee’ – no, I don’t think it’s supposed to be related to Cheetos, but you can check into it and let me know.

Qi, in as simple of terms as I can use – and I beg pardon if I’m inaccurate in this, as it is a compilation of what different people have told me as well as how I understand it – is in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Philosophy what makes up everything and links it all together. Okay, simpler terms?  Think of the Force from Star Wars and how it links everything together. Combine that with how Neo was able to see how things were made and linked together in The Matrix,  and you’ve got a general idea of the very basics. Qi needs to flow, and in the human body, blocked Qi equals pain and illness and all sorts of icky things.  Qi has duality aspects to it – masculine and feminine, or yang and yin – and is not always understood in Western medicine and society. It is often perceived as a con or something that cannot possibly be – Tai Chi, a martial art form, focuses on using Chi/Qi as part of its forms, and while it is often used as terrific exercise and great for balance (it’s both), I have heard people say that it is a wussy kind or martial art. I’d love for those people to see my Tai Chi instructor from college who threw a former Marine across the room when they were sparring.

Qi can be gentle, and it can be ferocious. It is assertive and receptive. In its ideal situation, it is all of that, and it is balanced. It shows up in many forms under even more names in all kinds of cultures and religions/spiritual paths. It has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and can definitely work well with Western medicine.

Qi also begins with the letter of the day, Q, which fulfilled a need for my writing.

May your Qi be balanced and flow freely,

J

Please and Perceptions

Please and Perceptions

Please is a word that several of my friends have moaned is going out of style and usage. Well, they actually say something more like ‘no one ever says Please any more’ – and I totally beg to differ! Maybe the word itself isn’t always used, but Please still exists in my world. A lot of the time, it comes across in tone, body language, or a combination of the two. Many of my students use the word quite often. They also use thank you and you’re welcome. Please still exists, and is easily taught. The most effective way to do so is to model its usage. I think that goes for any result we want.

I believe I have said before that I’m Proudly in Public education. I have a terrific job, and am lucky to work in an elementary school (students ages five to ten or eleven). I get to be in on the Primary education for these, our future leaders. I know that not all of them have the easiest home lives, and some are more likely to hear ‘shut up’ than ‘Please’ – but those kiddos still know the word and how to use it. In fact, those students seem to take to using it more readily than some of the others. I wonder if this is because they can feel the impact of that simple word when used appropriately. I know that it’s a ‘thing’ to say older generations sit around and complain about younger generations and how they have it so easy and are lazy, rude and such – sorry, generalization, but I have heard it a great deal. I, however, disagree. Yes, there are those who are like this – but they can be found at any age, in all kinds of circumstances. Both ends of the spectrum can be found if you look.

At work, I have students in all grades who are rather demanding and come across as rude, so I help them learn how to Politely address someone – I first wrote an adult, but really it benefits working with any age, since people deserve manners. At the same time, I have quite a few students whose manners are wonderful; then the rest are somewhere in between (weird, right?). My point is that they all know how to use Please and other manners, and are constantly receiving gentle guidance as to when and where to use it. My students – even when they drive me bananas – give me such great hope for the future. On the days when I feel down and really tired, hearing a student use the word Please (especially when speaking to a despised ‘enemy’ as happened recently with one of my students)…hearing that term used, well, it makes me happy and grateful that people are still teaching their kids these manners. Are the kids perfect? Nope, thank goodness. I’d be really worried about Pod People if they were – and my students are many wonderful things, and I’m glad perfect is not one of them. They are caring, compassionate, hard-working, intelligent, unique, wonderful individuals who I hope will continue to grow after they leave our school. I want them to achieve their dreams and move mountains in their chosen field.  I want them to go where no one expects them to go, and for them to help make this world an even more amazing place. Using the word Please simply helps them pave the way to their goals, and I hope they realize that.

Perception

I had a discussion with a coworker today about Perception, and how individual Perceptions of a specific instance can completely color the resulting observations. I don’t think I came across as this being a bad thing – I hope not, since I think it’s great. If we all thought the same way, had the same experiences, and followed the same Path, I think it would be overdone, boring, and quite crowded. 

Our histories make up ur points-of-view to a great extent as they shape us and our views of the world. Take a couple of people and toss them into a situation and observe their reactions. A great deal of those reactions will be based on the point-of-views from which the individuals encounter the situation. A young child will see things much differently than an elderly individual. Different aspects of our lives and very beings will color our Perceptions and how we do and view things. Does that mean we can’t get along, since some of us are so vastly different? Nope. It just means that we then have a terrific opportunity to see things from another Perspective, opening our horizons and making the world a better place through what we learned from that experience.

Please have a fantastic day.

Thank you,

J

Oklahoma!, Organization, and Optimism

Oklahoma!, Organization, and Optimism

Evening!

Yesterday’s post ended with a short bit about the musical Newsies. Today, when I realized the letter was O (yep, it was the type of day that I had to REALIZE the letter after N is O), and I instantly had songs from the musical Oklahoma! going through my head (as I do now, all jumbled together a bit, in a mash-up gone horribly wrong). Since I love musicals, and Oklahoma! has always been a favorite, this is not a  bad thing – a bit of a confusing thing since the songs mixed up in my head don’t exactly mesh well together, but not a bad thing. I’ve been tagged recently on another site in a picture of a musical poster from my high school. A show we did my junior year of high school – Fiddler on the Roof. Many of us have been talking in the comments area about what those times in music and theatre meant to us, and tiny bits of show memories are cropping to the surface, reminding us of how much fun the utter chaos was during production. I played, as I’m calling it now, a dream zombie (Grandma Tzeitel), as well as a – live – villager, in that production. Some of my best high school memories are from that musical, and I will always be incredibly grateful that I participated in it. The organized chaos from that memory reminds me of a more recent conversation I had about Organization.

Organization

The conversation I keep thinking about was about internal versus external organization. I am much more of the former than the latter. I can keep all kinds of stuff organized in my brain, including some weird trivia that likes to pop its head up every so often to give a cheery ‘ello! to all passersby. 

My external organization, on the other hand, makes sense to me alone. And if someone should move something in order to ‘help’ me, I have to completely redo the project – or at least the organization of it – or I will never get it done. I often have several projects in motion at once, partially because of the whole lack of saying ‘no’ thing, and partially because my job has a crud load of work to it, and I’m constantly working on five things at once in a desperate hope to not fall too far behind. I’m getting better at making my form of external organization more understandable to those around me…but I think that is due to sheer desperation to have people leave my stuff alone so I can actually get something done. On the internal side, I’m lucky to be able to remember and keep track of a ton of information, and constantly have people make comments about how they have no idea how I can track everything I’m doing. Well, ADHD meets OCD and they become best buds, I guess? That might just be my innate Optimism speaking up, though.

Optimism

I totally admit to my status as an eternal Optimist. What that means, in ‘non me’ terms is that I can always find the silver lining when it’s at ‘dark and dreary’ status. Sometimes I have to look really hard to find it, but I’m blessed to know that it is always there, somewhere. Yes, I go through the same emotions and such as everyone else. I just do so with a center of ‘it will work itself out if we do our parts and give it time’ – which I admit does seem to drive some people bonkers – which results in entertainment value at times for me. Whee! Now, there are times when the silver lining appears so stinking huge (at least in my eyes) that it overshadows the dark and dreary. These are the times when I am asked whether I ever get mad. Well, I get upset and angry, but I don’t lose control of my temper, even when I’m doing the angry vent. I work with my students to help them realize that losing control over myself would be handing control to someone else, and I’d rather remain in control – easier to do what I want, when I want. I try to not downplay anything that bugs me, but rather I do my best to not let it sink its teeth into me too far. It’s not always easy, but it’s so definitely worth it – no ulcer medicine!

Okay, I admit it, the earworms from Oklahoma!, and the other musical numbers that have decided to join in on the fun, are driving me a bit batty as I type this, so I think I’ll end it here and dig out my headphones so I can zonk out to something relaxing – and without lyrics. Maybe my dreams will be less…insane…this evening.

May your life be much like a musical: full of fun dancing where everyone knows the steps, great music and lyrics, and – at least in your case – a happy ending that makes your audience sigh in happiness and leave the theatre with a bouncy step.

JBB

No and Newsies

No and Newsies

Believe it or not, keeping in the mindset of the R.A.D. game I’m playing this month, my mind really went from Moon and Moments to No. You see, I’m one of those people who absolutely sucks at saying No, which decreases the Moments that I have time to experience.

I like to help people. I’m a major loner and an introvert, but when I’m around people – like at work – I like to help out. Sometimes I like to help out so much that I take too much on. I’m working on that. I even have friends at work who like to tease me whenever they see that I’m listening to a ‘pitch’ from someone that may end up adding to my list of things to do. I work toward balance in this area especially, because if I commit to too many things at once, I will miss out on so many moments. I see it as my saying No to one thing that I don’t necessarily need (or want) to do leaves me more time to say Yes to something I want and/or need to do…like listening the Newsies soundtrack and dance around whatever space I happen to be in at the time.

Newsies

I love me some musicals. I not only own up to that, I celebrate it – often with ad lib dance moves (yes, even at work – why not?). Newsies is one of my all-time favorites. Basic story that won’t give too much away…turn of the century, newsboys fought for fair treatment from the big publishing giants, fighting for themselves and more – and all to awesome songs with great dancing! I’ve only seen the movie version, but I love the music from Broadway’s show, and can’t wait to see that take on it.

Newsies represents so much to me – I’m a proud union member, I believe in fair treatment for everyone, I’m very into theatre, singing, and dancing – and there are definitely songs in the show that give me goose bumps. I absolutely love when a story, song, or moment in time gives me goose bumps. Those goose bumps mean I feel a happy ending, a sense of hope, or something like that. Sometimes, the reasoning behind the goose bumps isn’t always easily explained. In fact, there are often times I have no words for the feeling, but getting it still feels absolutely great!

What can we say No to that will let us have a Yes or two? What is your version of Newsies – what show or book or whatever gives you that goose bump feeling?

Thanks for your time! I hope you have a splendiferous day!

J

Moments and Moons

Moments and Moons

I love the Moon. The moon always changes, yet repeats itself enough to offer comfort during trying times. The Moon pulls at us, helps by providing a tide so young beachgoers have waves to jump (yep, that’s the reason for the tides, I’ve decided just today!) and surfers can hang ten, and it reminds us of days gone by, and the possibilities of those yet to come.

Last night was a full Moon eclipse – we had ourselves a blood Moon – and at work, you could definitely tell it’s a full Moon kind of day. The Moon pulls at the Earth’s waters, causing the tides to exist, and in education – especially elementary education – it also pulls at the students. Today there were far More issues involving emotion (something the Moon is said to effect and/or have control over) than anyone expected, and this kind of thing reminds me to appreciate my Moments. 

Yesterday, my internet decided to die, right as I was wrapping up my Blog o’ L. I was a bit frustrated, but decided to go to bed early and read – more of a rare activity than I’d like to admit, at least as of late – since my cable/internet provider was having issues and wouldn’t be able to restore service for a while. As I was relaxing with a couple good books and a couple of even better dogs, wondering if I’d end up staying up to watch the eclipse (nope, I zonked, and it ended up too cloudy to see, anyway), but I got a moment of comfy coziness in during that unexpected Moment of snuggling with book and pup.

The different phases of the Moon represent different things – waxing, or growing bigger, Moon phases represent times to think about what we want to bring into our lives, while waning, or shrinking, Moon phases are times to reflect and act upon what we want to remove from our lives. Dark Moons are times of fresh starts, and full Moons are times for protection…and sometimes perhaps a bit of extra romance, MMM? Just as the phases of the Moon differ and are for different types of reflections, so are the different Moments we have, and I try really hard to appreciate these Moments as often and as Much as possible. Whenever I am blessed to experience one. Example: I’m the testing coordinator at my school, and was helping a student log out of her reading test today. She was holding her breath oddly, so I walked out of the computer lab with her, and asked her if she was okay. As it turns out, even though she was the last one in to test during that session, she was trying really hard to follow the rule of not talking during the testing sessions. That rule was designed to help prevent student A from disturbing student B, or vice versa, but she was so determined to do the right thing, she held her breath as she walked out of the room. When I asked her why she held her breath, she told me she was so excited that the reading test was so much fun! She had been worried she couldn’t do the test, since she’s a lower reader, and told me that she hadn’t really believed me when I told her I knew she can (my Mantra for my students)…and then she said she believed me now, and SHE knew she can do it!  Then she squeezed me in a stomach-level hug, and pranced (I kid you not) off to class. That Moment of a student being so excited about believing in herself that she held her breath to make sure she still followed the rules – wow! It never ceases to impress me how considerate my students truly are when they flip that switch into awareness of others.

What Moments have you experienced recently?  I hope they are wonderful!

JBB