Reflections during a quiet moment

It’s early….it’s quiet….it’s peaceful…I’m alone….but not alone…we’re never totally alone….My mother left yesterday to go back to live with my aunt in Northern California. We had a good three weeks together. Spent some quality time together, listened to a lot of country music, went for walks down the street together each morning, and sat in the swing and soaked in the warm rays of the sun each morning. Got a lot accomplished around the house, cleaned and decorated three bedrooms, and completely overhauled the living room. I’m tired, very tired, but a good kind of tired. Feel good about what I have accomplished and have created. People need creative outlets, otherwise a part of our soul becomes lost and we simply become another cog in the big machine of modern life. Much of the emphasis in modern life is about consumption and while I enjoy consumption as much as anyone we also need to give and create. Our soul needs it, our neighbor needs it, our community needs it, and our world needs it. I’m convinced it is an important aspect of why we were created. Otherwise, why would we have the ability and motivation?

Called my principal up yesterday and told him I would accept the transfer to the new high school. Still a little anxious about the big move but I’ll do fine. I’ve been doing this gig for 18 years now and the skills one learns along the way can certainly be transferred from one place to another. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me moving all my stuff from one school to another. I’ll do a little bit this week and do the rest when I get back from vacation. I have always wanted to be a part of a new school. New bright and shining clean rooms where everything is “hopefully” is in working order. I’ll be taking my action figure collection, tapestries, posters, music collection, and other “stuff” to the new school….The word on the street is that things are a bit stiff and too regimented at the new school. My music collection alone should provide a little razzle, dazzle. Pearl Jam, Staind, Moby, Santana, Dave Matthews, Led Zeppelin, and friends should help raise the blood pressure up quite a bit for both staff and students… I’ll try to keep a low profile but I don’t intend to make any major changes to the way I do things. It’s worked for me and my students for years and I feel proud about what I have accomplished up to this point in my career. Ultimately it’s about the kids. They need motivation, inspiration, guidance, creativity, stimulation of their senses, and a lot of patience and that’s what I am going to try to provide for them.

Vacation….I’ll be taking off for vacation on Saturday. We’re going to Redwood National Park and the Oregon Coast this year for three weeks. I hate hot weather and Northern California and the Oregon Coast is the only place I know, outside of Alaska and the tundra climate above 10,000 feet where the weather is constantly below 70 degrees. I love the Redwood National Park. It’s one of the few National parks where there’s not hoards of people. It’s very quiet and peaceful and they have North America’s best campgrounds, IMHO. Great campground programs for the kids and the showers are better than the one’s at my house!....I’ve been up and down the Oregon Coast a few times but have never really spent a lot of time exploring all the sights and sounds. We will be there for ten days exploring the various State Parks, and the towns of Newport, Astoria, Cannon Beach. Astoria is the oldest town west of the Mississippi and the stomping grounds of Lewis and Clark. I’ll bring back plenty of pictures….That’s it for now. Need to get out and get some exercise before the heat descends upon my neck of the woods.