sweet kinder
creates a beautiful and comfortable bed
for the rhino with the broken foot
so that he has a place to lie down
and recover in peace.
—
“as great scientists have said and as all children know,
it is above all by the imagination
that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.”
-ursula k. le guin
kinders experience the world hands-on.
—
“the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”
-anne frank
kinders climb up high to do the dishes
after a busy morning spent baking.
—
“sometimes you need to give dishes a nap.”
-jose andres
there is so much strength and emotion
packed into this 70 minute little film
i am left not knowing exactly what to say.
directed by claude bars
a joint swiss/french
stop-motion animation creation
later re-voiced in english
with unforgettable characters
so tiny
yet larger than life
their huge eyes
mirror their huge troubles, emotions, lives
their fight for survival
and their desperate search to find a way
to open their wounded hearts once again.
it is a testament to the resilience of the human heart
and the power of love and friendship in the face of adversity.
—
(French: Ma vie de Courgette; also titled My Life as a Zucchini), was screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. This is the second adaptation of Gilles Paris’ 2002 novel Autobiographie d’une Courgette, as there was a French live-action television film adaptation called C’est mieux la vie quand on est grand which aired in 2007. The film was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Film at the 89th Academy Awards but lost to Zootopia. It was also selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards, making the December shortlist.
—
“the empty swing set reminds us of this–
that bad won’t be bad forever,
and what is good can sometimes last a long, long time. ”
-jacqueline woodson
—
note: while this film is animated, it may be too emotional and scary for young children to experience, due to some of the characters and issues addressed within.
—
credits: universal studios, wikipedia, cannes film festival
me – “can you tell about what you wrote?”
kinder – “look up at the top.
the brown part is the idea mark.
all the rest are the ideas.”
i thought this to be brilliant
and perhaps should be our newest form of punctuation.
move over semicolon; the idea mark is here to stay!
—
“words are but the signs of ideas.”
-samuel johnson
when i was 7 or 8 years old
my father came home
from his job at the ad agency
with a new pet for our family
and it just happened to be a baby alligator.
he was not more than 9 or 10 inches long
in a small box and cute as could be
i was really excited
and pictured myself playing with him and his friends
(just as in the vintage postcard above)
i thought he would just fit right in
with my family
in our colonial house
in the suburbs
though, there were a few ‘glitches’ with this scenario.
i had my alligator for a few days and i was very excited to have my friends in my class meet him. when the big day came for show and tell, i carefully carried him in his little cardboard box, climbed onto the bus, and jerry and i headed off to school. i remember it was a bit chilly that day, but i didn’t know anything about natural alligator habitats, so i didn’t think much of the weather. i was bursting with excitement.
i put my box on my desk and when i was called up for the big reveal, i opened by box, only to find that jerry lewis had passed away on the way to school and was now stiff as a board. i couldn’t believe it and i felt so sad for him. looking back, i’m sure that any baby alligator given away in a promotion, was not long for this world, but i had hoped that we would be together for a long while. my teacher was very nice about it, and helped me wrap up his box and i rode home that day on the bus with jerry, ready to have a funeral for him. i learned so many life lessons from my short time with jerry lewis. – r.i.p.
(not me, or jerry, but how i imagined us at show and tell)
—
” i go where the action is.”
-jerry lewis
the kinders begin the process of digging out their cars
and clearing the road after the storm.
—
“it is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”
-lucius annaeus seneca
grandies m and f
recently took part
in a super mario kart gaming competition
at our local library.
they were moved on and matched
based on wins.
above, is a picture of f (wearing blue)
in the finals
holding his own
along with his competitors.
one of these guys is not like the others.
—
“move fast. speed is one of your main advantages over large competitors.”
-sam altman
how lucky am i
that there is a veterinary hospital
right in my very own classroom
and a doctor from that hospital
ready to ‘doctor me’ and to offer a diagnosis:
“you do not have a heartbeat and you have a very small cavity.”
i am thankful for this
and now that i understand
what is causing my foot to hurt
i know exactly how to make it all better.
“if you get a diagnosis, get on a therapy,
keep a good attitude and keep your sense of humor.”
-teri garr
one of the sweetest cards ever –
created by one of my kinders
who “read” it aloud to me:
“I really, really, really hope that your foot feels better very, very soon.”
(complete with a picture of me with one foot in the giant boot. )
—
“if you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment.”
-carlos santana
I didn't have my glasses on.... 