Tag Archives: enthusiasm

Aug7

merry sunshine.

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this is not me,

but we do have a similar level of excitement upon waking up each day

just to see what is going to happen,

 as we’ve both discovered over time,

not everyone shares this same level of enthusiasm for the new day. 

when my children shared a house with me,

I loved waking them with a ‘merry sunshine!’ in the  morning,

which did not always go over as well as the spirit in which the greeting was intended. 

there is still time for it to grow on them.

here is Ralph’s take on the situation:

—

‘there is one topic peremptorily forbidden to all well-bred,

to all rational mortals, namely, their distempers.

if you have not slept or if you have slept or if you have headache or sciatica

or leprosy or thunder-stroke,

I beseech you, by all angels, to hold your peace and not pollute the morning.

-ralph waldo emerson

 

 

—

image credit: instagram

Jan12

enthusiasm.

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 in the neighborhood

 seeing bits of festive cheer

 brings light to the day 

—

“indeed there is an eloquence in true enthusiasm that is not to be doubted.”

-*washington irving

*washington irving was an american short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. best known for his short stories, including “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.

 

Apr1

foolish things.

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on april fool’s day and most any day

live life with gusto

even if not everyone is quite on board yet.

 

 

—

“you will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.”

-*sidonie gabrielle colette

*Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, best known as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her 1944 novella Gigi, which was the basis for the 1958 film and the 1973 stage production of the same name.

 

 

 

—

image credit: a. thomas, redbook magazine

Aug28

enthusiasm.

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found these two hanging out amidst the clover

 seven+ months until st. patrick’s day

 they started celebrating a bit early

while they look a little worn

it doesn’t seem to matter.

—

“years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”

– samuel ulman

 

Sep1

baby vs. unicorn.

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my money is on the baby for the win .

—

“the world belongs to the enthusiast who keeps cool.”

-william mcfee

Jun8

a wish for my students on their last day.

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“there is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything.

negative people find their walls.

so never apologize for your enthusiasm.

never.ever.ever.

-ryan adams

 

may you all live like this forever. and ever. and ever.

love, your teacher

(who lives like this too)

Aug9

enthusiasm 2.

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free movie night at campus martius park in detroit

safe, distanced, well-planned

the little one soon had her own plan

 drawn in

she moved right up front by the screen

enthralled

 laughing, dancing, twirling

throwing spells along with elsa from ‘frozen 2’

until she became a part of the movie. 

—

 

“true enthusiasm is a fine feeling whose flash I admire wherever I see it.”

-charlotte bronte

Mar27

of age.

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not me, but someone in my age range with a similar level of enthusiasm

 

—

on my maiden voyage

into the world of

the senior grocery shopping hour

60 and up’s

i was

looking raggedy

with the

pallor of someone

who’s done hard time served in quarantine

 i was met at the door 

by a customer helper

who wiped down cart handles

as we each took one

in an orderly way

i was happily headed in

when a worker at the self-checkout

shot me a disdainful dirty look

i chalked it up to her being forced to be here under duress

 i shopped

carefully

moving among the others

mindful of age

and

people with less obvious challenges

trying to be happy and friendly

 as i was getting ready to leave

a fellow shopper approached me

saying,

“they really should check i.d. and you know what i mean!!”

it finally hit me 

that both negative reactions 

came in response to them doubting if i was really a senior

 i had to laugh and take it as a compliment

 thought back to my younger days

when i falsely tried to convince people i was ‘of age’

by using my oldest sister’s license as fake i.d.

funny how things change and stay the same. 

 

—

“none are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”

-henry david thoreau

 

 

 

—

image credit: animal planet

May18

team.

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so fun 

to watch grandie j

and his team

 just at the beginning

of learning skills and strategies

but they all try really hard

accept each other just as they are

and have such a light-hearted team spirit.

—

“with an enthusiastic team you can achieve almost anything.”

-tahir shah

Jun12

dollar for dollar.

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when one local dollar tree store closed

my favorite enthusiastic manager

moved to the new location

and judging by my recent visit

he has not lost one bit

of his dollar store fervor and expertise.

this was a conversation between bob (the manager) and evelyn (my cashier) as i was checking out:

E: “bob, you’re really good at remembering all of the balloon numbers to ring up and knowing each one of them without looking.”

B: “well, i’ve been doing it a long time. once in a while a number will change or a new shape will come in, like a unicorn, but it’s part of my job to keep up with it.”

E: “when i worked at the grocery store, i knew all the prices for the cucumbers, the peppers and tomatoes. the easy ones”

B: “some are trickier, like avocados, and for some of those things you only see sometimes it’s harder to remember the all the plu’s.”

E: “it’s really a skill, bob. to be able to do that.”

customer john interrupts:

J: “hey bob – so this is where you’ve got up to – how are you liking the change?”

B: “hey, john. good to see you. it’s great. every day is great. i’m so lucky to be here.”

and how lucky is dollar tree to have bob as a manager?

a man who truly loves his job

 takes pride in all of it

is always smiling and helpful

knows exactly where every item in the store is located

and who happily learns the number for the new unicorn balloon.