TGIF

Speaking of an avalanche of whoas, where did the week go? Whoa. Slow down. But it's been a good week--busy, productive, not too hassled. And the best part: I hardly have any homework to correct! That means, yes, you guessed it. I have time to rake the leaves. That might not sound so hot to some of you, but I've hardly been outdoors since September. Today, I walked the dog for the first time in about two months. It was a glorious sun-shiny day, which is remarkable in November in Michigan. I'm hoping for the same tomorrow.

An Avalanche of Woes

Did you ever notice when things begin to go wrong, how hard it is to get things going right again? It's like a little meter that usually points straight to "honky-dory", but then you get close to a "shit happens" anode and you can't get the little bugger to swing its arrow back around to happy-go-lucky again. The harder you try to restore the machine to its smoothly running purr, the more it coughs out breakdowns, puss and irritating little hassles. You turn to something else and that bolts into confusion, disorder and outright rebellion. By this time you're ready to kick somebody in the nuts, but there's no one available, or they don't have the appropriate body parts.

If you're in command of yourself at all by this meltdown, you will remember that you have a lovely assistant standing by: grace. She doesn't get bothered by stinky excretions or look for victims to assail. She doesn't use words like "shit" or "nuts", but calmly soothes the annoyances and coaxes the nerves to stop jerking like they're electrified. She is never out to lunch, but is standing quietly by, shaking her head in amusement that you have once again forgotten her.

There is always enough that can go wrong. If you are in an avalanche of woes, grace can turn it to an avalanche of whoas.

I Should Be Outside

Balmy November days are hard to come by. I did get outside for a few minutes, but it wasn't long enough. It felt good though, like getting dressed after a long illness and tottering around the house. You realize how much you miss small things when you've been knocked out for a while. I haven't been sick, but I have been way too busy--not taking time for inner renewal, although daily prayer is what keeps me going.

It makes me realize that it's not too late to enjoy today. So this is all. I'm going out before the sun goes down.

It Ain't Easy...

to be a Michigan fan.
to write poetry.
to be unique.
to juggle work, home life, recreation, and the unexpected.
to balance the budget.
to get older.
to take care of myself
--to eat right, to exercise regularly, to get enough sleep.

to cope with dreary November days.
to be creative.
to correct homework.
to remember birthdays, other than my own!
to find the perfect gift for someone I love.
to make a phone call when I don't hear well.
--not to mention watch a movie, follow a conversation, or keep the kettle from burning dry.

But I'm not complaining. Challenges are good.

This post ain't much, but my well's dry. See ya.

Lovin' Those Students

I made them write poetry this week. In iambic pentameter. One young man submitted a piece that was all "shoot 'em up" and blowing things to smithereens--in the land of Iamb. I made only one comment. See below:

You made me laugh!
You made my smile.
Your verse is half
Nonsense and guile.

(His poem made my day.)

Four Minutes and the Clock is Running....

Another dash around week. The kind where using the bathroom is what you do in your spare minutes, and you stop having hot drinks because you know you won't have too many spare minutes. And where you start deciding what just won't get done, instead of when it will get done. The kind where you pray that you won't forget to bring so much that you don't have enough to work with to improvise around the stuff you forgot. It's one of those weeks where each day is crammed so full, when you think back on what you were doing in the morning it seems like three days ago. And now I only have one minute left out of the four I decided to devote to my blog. Just enough time to proofread. Gotta go.

Reaching for the Sky

As I look out my window into the woods I notice a tree that has annoyed me for years. It was pushed over by a storm so much that instead of standing at a 90 degree angle to the ground, it is more like at a 45 degree angle. I was going to cut it down, but my kids begged the woodsman to spare the tree, since it would be great fun to run up and down the trunk. So I did. I don't know how much running up and down happened, but in the meantime it has tried to adjust to its new posture by sending branches straight up from the leaning trunk. The only real way to secure its future, though, is to send branches straight down that will root and support the lopsided hulk, banyan-tree-style. Its genetic code doesn't allow rooting branches, so it is indeed doomed to someday fall.

The tree is a good reminder to all of us to reassess our posture from time to time, to make sure that we are erect, not just physically, but mentally, spiritually, and even politically. The trick is the balance. Sometimes something pulls on us, and we lean the other way to resist being pulled over. When the pull ends, though, we must stop resisting what is no longer there and right ourselves again. Otherwise, we are in just as much danger of falling over as we were when the strain began. Like the tree out my window, when the wind stops pushing us where we don't want to bend, we straighten up as best we can and reach for the sky.