while the kinders
happily watch and cheer them on
from their side
of the playground fence
the big kids play soccer
on their side of the fence
made happier by
the enthusiastic audience.
“throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow.”
-norman vincent peale
commuting
to and from school each day
is always a bit of an adventure/misadventure
depending upon one’s perspective.
it’s not unusual for me
to get a hands-free text or call
from one of my teaching partners
in response to something going on in the road ahead:
an animal crossing, tire blowout, accident, truck spill, something on fire,
weather delays, political motorcade, funeral procession,
waving mascots, emergency vehicles, pop-up detours, construction,
or that old standby:
unusually heavy traffic due to the no-reason reason.
at this point
i turn up my music or book.
whoever happens to arrive first
will let our office know that the other
may be on time,
or
10 minutes late,
or
will arrive at a yet to be determined time before school lets out for the day.
fortunately we work with a very understanding administration.
the only thing i’ve learned to expect
is that
with each curve of the road
there is the very real possibility of a new surprise.
—
“all you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.”
– earl nightingale
—
image credit: tokyoweekender
bare tree at rest in early winter.
—
“people don’t remember each tree in a park
but all of us benefit from the trees.
and in a way, artists are like trees in a park.”
-yoko ono
—
kerrytown courtyard, ann arbor, mi, usa
on the first day
after a long winter break
the kinders (and we) are back at it.
—
“well it’s life, back to the salt mines.”
-sadaf zahra
—
image credit: life on purpose movement
the early days of laugh yoga.
—
i recently received an email
from a local group looking for members
(some of you may remember the ventriloquist’s group who tried to recruit me?)
well, this group is into laughter yoga therapy.
all i could think of was the memory
of my mother in assisted living
one of the only verbal (and opinionated)
people in her group.
one day when i was visiting
a therapist came in
telling them they were going to try a new thing:
laugh yoga therapy
she rolled her eyes but went along
once it was finished they asked her what she thought of it
her response:
“that was the stupidest thing i’ve ever done.”
i’m not sure it had quite the effect on her that they’d hoped for
but her comment gave more than one of us a very good laugh.
—
The Concept of Laughter Yoga is based on the scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter~ Everyone wants health and happiness in their lives. But instead they are getting stressed out , depressed, getting less sleep, more negative thoughts and feeling isolated. Does this sound like you? Are you someone who wants to move on and bring more laughter and joy into…
—
“if people never did silly things nothing intelligent would ever get done.”
-ludwig wittgenstein
—
image credit: wnyc
when dropping off donations
at the local salvation army
i was met by
friendly, happy workers
who have struggled
had challenges in their lives
listening to opera music
it clearly brought a lot of joy to them
there was no way to avoid
getting taken in by the music.
—
“everybody is always in the middle of their own opera.”
-greta gerwig
spending the day off
with a couple of grandies and their neighborhood friends
lounging around
staying in pajamas
watching ‘the dark crystal’ ( 80s sci-fi movie)
having snacks
and
just enjoying life.
—
“it is nice finding that place where you can just go and relax.”
-moises arias
“what is the most important thing you’ve learned in your life so far?”
I didn't have my glasses on.... 