Going Down the Rabbit Hole...

It has been ages since I have read Alice in Wonderland, but this past Friday, I definitely went down the proverbial rabbit hole.  No, it was not drug-induced (although a few glasses of red wine may have eased the journey), but perhaps the surrealism of having a date night with my husband in pre-married, pre-parent fashion simply added to the experience.

We attended Public Dreams 25th Birthday Party, held at the old Storyeum venue.  The #8 bus to Gastown was it's own event, with interesting characters chatting us up, offering us beer and having to listen to another young couple screaming at each other while drunk.  Bus drivers on the route have such an eventful job.

After getting off the bus, we were almost scammed by a homeless person who gets unsuspecting strangers to buy him his 'breakfast' at the upscale Nesters in the middle of a rundown area, and then sells the milk and cereal on the street to support his habits.  While waiting outside the Nesters, I saw another person running out of London Drugs with random, presumably stolen groceries, stashing them and going in for more, like a relay race.  This all occurred in this beautifully gentrified area, pristine and decorated with beautiful works of environmental art.

Finally we arrive at the event itself.  I wish I could find some pictures.  Funky drumming troupe, interactive paint spray board, upbeat Brazilian live music, and costumes everywhere we looked.  The most interesting were the balloon cocktail dresses the 50-50 girls were wearing.  We had a great time, and to cap off the evening, we won igloo-building for 4 at the silent auction!  I know, very random.  But somehow, I can't wait.

Here is to odd and interesting evenings...

For Today...September 20, 2010

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Day Book, I try do a reflection on my day at least once a month.  Here is mine for today...

Outside my window...the street is dark and quiet, and the sound of rain is lulling me into bliss

I am thinking...how I need to sit in candlelight more often.  It feels so relaxing and peaceful, even when I am working

From the kitchen...veggie ground round tacos for dinner, Lemon-Pear Breakfast Bread cooling on the oven for tomorrow morning, and a hot pot of peppermint-camomile tea in my country rose tea set

I am thankful for...quiet nights, actually feeling awake at 9:30 p.m., inspirational and creative blogs.  They make me want to slow down and make things by hand more often...

I am wearing...of course, jeans and slippers, a striped shirt (Kai saw it this morning and said "Tigger!" excitedly), and a secondhand, cozy, zip-up hoody (Thanks for another bargain, Stef!)

I am creating...a plan to complete my graduate credits by January 12th, while still working on maintaining balance and peace, and spending some time with my boys, my friends, my family...with a little 'me time' mixed in

I am going...to get excited about October weekends already!

I am reading...fun blogs, IRPs and graduate study articles

I am hoping...to have more evenings as relaxed as this one

I am hearing...my husband puttering, my computer softly humming and the creaking of our almost one hundred year old house

Around the house...a clean kitchen, Thomas the Tank Engine stickers plastered everywhere, and random toys

One of my favourite things...having time to write

A few plans for the rest of the week...print out a cape pattern for Kai, starting the new Zumba class with Jill and Pia

For the Love of Playdates and Video Snuggles or The Little Things

After a long day of work yesterday and not enough sleep the night before, I picked up my little one from daycare feeling exhausted.  In my head I was praying that one of my neighbours was looking to play.  Thankfully, my prayers were answered.  So many wonderful little things happen on a daily basis, and today I am going to take a few moments to be thankful for the many that happened yesterday.

• Upon sitting in the driver's seat of our car, I found a pastry waiting me on the passenger seat.  Aahhh, the little things.  Thank you, my thoughtful husband.  It was just what I 'needed.'
• Incredible neighbours - thank you for bringing your little ones to play outside your houses at just the right time, and for both cleaning up after K's bead- and book-throwing incident and playing chase with him up and down the sidewalk while I collapsed to sit on the grass.  Bless you!
• My son is not one to sit and cuddle.  He is ALWAYS busy and on the move.  Thank you K for keeping things interesting.  
• And thank you for childrens' videos that provide me the opportunity to snuggle up with my child while he is still little and gifts his mama with moments of stillness.
• Appreciation notes.  I received a few words of kindness from my principal, which made my crazy day melt away.
• Awaking to clean dishes on the rack, even though I didn't do them and it is my job.  I love a clean kitchen in the morning.

It's always the little things...

"May today there be peace within.   May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.  May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.  May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.  May you be content with yourself just the way you are.  Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.  It is there for each and every one of us."

Sums up my weekend...I was so content just staying home with my boys and letting time pass.  Inside play, outside play on the front porch while drinking hot tea and listening to the rain, folding laundry, Marc cooking dinner, a lazy afternoon nap...couldn't get much better.  And on top of all that, I got to see my mama friends at our little ones' second annual group birthday party and have an impromptu day with my niece Lizzie.  I love the luxuries of fall...

Creativity

I recently watched Sir Ken Robinson's video from TED talks which delves into the idea that schools kill creativity. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

It was an interesting and thought-provoking video which made me think about the role creativity plays in my life, and in my teaching.  I would never say I'm an artist, but I love to create.  Scrapbooks, collages, poetry, abstract pastels and paintings - these are my outlets and personal expressions.  Did I do well in art in the public education system?  No.  Do I still love it, yes. But I do if for myself now, rather than for assessment.  Assessment can be scary.  It really makes me question giving a grade in Fine Arts at all...what is the point?  (Most days I wonder what is the point of assigning grades to any subject or skill, but that is a whole other topic.)  Back to Art...who am I to judge how skilled others are, in techniques that I myself would not excel in?  I can teach skills and be a guide on the journey to discovering the joy in expression in all forms, but beyond that, again, who am I to judge?

I remember in high school when a certain Art instructor was attempting to help me improve my painting, but he took the pencil and brush in his own hands and went over my own work with his ideas and 'improvements.'  I don't remember it being traumatizing, but it definitely had an impact.  Perhaps this is why I cannot bear to call myself an artist...

Creativity - if we were just all allowed the freedom to explore art in its various forms for pure enjoyment.  I see my son dipping his brush, the same one, in multiple paint colours <gasp> without cleaning off his brush in between <double gasp> and throwing (sometimes literally) paint on the paper without planning  or worrying about what it will look like.  He sometimes does one brush stroke and is done.  Other times he sprays paint on for 10-15 minutes at a time.  When he is done, he stops.  Is it a picture that I can decipher? No.  Did he enjoy himself? Absolutely.

We could all do with more time to explore our creative side.  And yes, I do believe we all have one.  We spend so much time, as Sir Ken puts it, on one side of our brain.  Society rewards it.  Let's play more and celebrate our whole selves.


To do this more often, and encourage it in my students, I have recently picked up a new book (see below) that I am so excited to use on my own and with my students, soooo!...off to play

The Journal Junkies Workshop: Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict

 

Wealth

This is defined in many ways by different people. I am in the midst of a very wealthy weekend.  A massage. Tea with a friend on her new back porch.  All day canning 350 pounds of tomatoes with an amazing team of great people.  Drinks with the neighbour gals.  REAL conversations.  A sense of community.  A husband who took care of our son while I took time to do all this. A son who ran and gave me a hug when I returned and enjoys popping bubble wrap for long times.  And shortly we are on our way to Point Roberts to spend the day playing with friends and exploring the beach...The weekend is barely half over and it is already filled with abundance.

The spaces in-between...

I first came across this poem in my Literacy course and made so many connections to my teaching, and the balance between teaching and home life. As I sit here, in a quiet moment after dropping Kai off at daycare and before errands begin, the words come back to me:

Fire

What makes a fire burn
is a space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight
can douse the falmes
almost as surely
as a pail of water would.

So building fires
requires attention
to the spaces in between,
as much as to the wood.

When we are able to build
open spaces
in the same way
we have learned
to pile on the logs,
then we can come to see how
it is fuel, and absence of the fuel
together, that make fire possible.

We only need to lay a log
lightly from time to time.
A fire
grows
simply because the space is there,
with openings
in which the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way.

-Judy Brown

Although it is not January and it is not the traditional time to set New Year's resolutions, I am going to do just that right now.  I will take more time to find and enjoy the spaces in between.  I hope you can do the same.

Another beginning...

I LOVE beginnings...they make me excited, overwhelmed and energetic all at once.  As another summer ends, I am getting ready to head back to work, do my last semester of grad class, and put my son back into full-time daycare.  I have so many journals, scrapbooks, lists of things I want to do and see...I am hoping by creating this blog that I will have a place to express myself without having lists posted all over my room.  It is for me, but perhaps someone out there will gain something from reading it as I have gained from reading those of others.  Enjoy!