Journal tidbits

I’m not one who can force myself to manufacture something when the inspiration isn’t there. Hence, why you will find I don’t post in a more regular fashion. I’m of the belief that I’d rather not create something just for the sake of generating content for building an audience. This works directly against me probably ever truly building a large following but I’m ok with that because it feels true to myself. That being said, I felt bad about not having posted anything for a while, so I decided to cheat a bit and share some random excerpts from my daily journal. Listen, I never said the inspiration had to be great it just had to be there, ok?

I have been preparing myself and my family for our road trip. We leave in two days and will explore some National Parks, with the Grand Canyon being our big finale. My oldest just finished her 4th grade year and the National Park Service does a cool thing where they allow 4th graders and their families entry into all National Parks for free.

(by the way, here is a link to that information if you know any families with a 4th grader Every Kid Outdoors)

An Annie Leibowitz exhibit recently opened at our local art Museum and I am looking forward to checking it out upon return from our family vacation.

I was talking with a friend about life, her relationship, and the town she lives in. She would talk a bit but always book end things with ‘It’s ok though” or “It’s fine” or “It is what it is”. I commented that she seems like a very optimistic person, but, I get the impression she is trying to convince herself more than anyone else that all that is true. She didn’t even hesitate and simply replied “A thousand percent yes”.

I sometimes forget I am not 20. I will chat with someone approximately half my age thinking that we are peers. Then I catch a glimpse of a white bearded, middle-aged man in a reflection. Right, that is who I am now. They aren’t chatting with me so kindly because they see me as a peer but rather just somebody’s friendly, old dad.

I recently saw a photo of Fred Durst, bald and white-bearded. I’m not sure at what point we started looking like each other but here we are. He at least has a more fashionable sense of dress than I do. He is more hip in his clothing choices. I, on the other hand, am approximately a dozen years younger than him and I dress like a farmer.

My daughter’s will often call out “…but, mom!” when they need her or have something additional they want to say. My wife always, instantly replies with “I’m not your BUTT Mom!”

There is a heavy metal band called Slipknot. I listened to a song of theirs called “Duality” one day and I told my wife I felt it could be about teaching. There is a line that goes “I push my fingers into my brain/it’s the only thing that slowly stops the ache”. She looked at me and exclaimed “How BAD was your day?”

Towards the end of the school year I had to miss half a day so I had a sub covering my class. This particular group of kids has struggled more than any other with substitutes. They don’t listen, follow directions, and are generally disrespectful to them. After returning from my morning away, the substituted filled me in on how they were. I apologized to her and sat my class down in a circle to talk about my frustrations with their behavior. It was truly only about 6 kids that were the biggest issue, but as anyone who has spent time in a classroom knows, 6 kids can do a lot of damage and influence the rest of a class significantly. I told my class that they have to learn to stop treating every person as their enemy. Many of my kids come from very rough backgrounds and I get their distrust of adults, I truly do, but I want them to realize that doesn’t have to be their default. Just as people may not know THEIR story, they did not know hers. She was an old woman. Maybe she has traveled the world, been in a war, or suffered the loss of a child. Imagine what you could have learned if you had just led with kindness and tried to get to know her. I wanted them to understand that the greatest thing they are missing out on are the stories they could hear, and it is a shame.