Downcast, But Never In Despair

I woke up at 5:30 this morning, got ready for the day, and was driving to Caribou coffee at 6:15 with the goal to put the finishing touches on my upcoming lessons for the next few days. I knew I'd have limited prep time with my many meetings and agenda items ahead, and I wanted a quiet hour in the morning to complete them during the time I do my best work. The starry skies blinked their still visible constellations as I traveled my early route.

But I drove across town with a heavy heart, my mind linked, and yet at the same time, detached from the lessons I had to finish for my classes.

We just spent four weeks reading The Diary of Anne Frank. Year after year of teaching this nonfiction work of literature, there is always one student who says, "It isn't fair that Anne had to suffer because she was different. That's not kind." I spend weeks teaching tolerance. I spend weeks teaching my students that while it's okay to disagree, it is not okay to be unkind. We spend time researching how one person influenced millions to believe that some people were not fit to work, fit to live, and ultimately, these people were sent to die. 

Always Strong, Always Determined

I have been mulling over the topic of this post for weeks now, unsure how to proceed or even if I should write about it at all. Indeed, this post has been collecting dust in Certainly Candid's "drafts" folder, so the examples are not immediately current but nonetheless still relevant. That being said, I chose to publish anyway. Identity is a topic that, in many ways, is so overused. However, I will proceed by stating it simply:

I do not understand why others place one's identity on the hardships he or she have faced.

So Much Of What I Do

I don't write a lot of education posts, because this isn't an education blog. But today, I'd like to try something different.

Today I stumbled across this article entitled 6 Facts People Should Know About Teachers. It couldn't be more true. So much of what I do is for my students, or the students of our state that I have yet to encounter.

10 Lessons From A 20-Something

Soon to be 26, I just realized that my twenties will be over before I know it. I mean, the last 5 years went in a blur from college to the professional world. This post is for my fellow 20-somethings! Here are 10 things I've learned so far about being a 20-something (note: I tried to title this "Coffee Solves Everything" but honesty wouldn't allow it and after all, that's only 1 lesson. But coffee does help!).

1. Keep It Real

I'm an idealist. I'll be the first to admit it. But in all honesty, it's important to have a healthy dose of realism. I had a lot of things I wanted to accomplish by the time I turned 25 - some of which haven't happened yet! I'm still working on these things, and that's okay. Dream, but keep it realistic!

Toaster Waffles Make Everything Better

Toaster waffles make everything better.

I'm sure some of you are now thinking, yes, Olivia has officially lost her marbles - and at such a young age too. After all, the first post in over a month, and she starts out with toaster waffles?! But wait! Let me explain!

Slow Down You Crazy Child

Slow down you're doing fine, you can't be everything you want to be before your time. - Billy Joel, Vienna

It has been 23 days since my last post. Between theatre rehearsals, coordinating programs outside of work, teaching (with all the paper grading), and the holidays, having a life has been pretty nonexistent. That includes any sort of writing here at Certainly Candid until today.

Can Music Save Your Mortal Soul?

Now do you believe in rock and roll, can music save your mortal soul, and can you teach me how to dance real slow? - Don McLean

I was recently at Barnes & Noble (yes, I know, big shocker there) and thanks to my current nonfiction reading interest, I picked up a new title: This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of A Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin. I am just starting it (book review to come in a few weeks), but it is making me reflect on my own musical upbringing. I figured, what a unique and different topic for Certainly Candid! So here I am writing to you today. As I know I have many musically inclined readers out there as well, I present my own background:

A Case Study, or, Can Music Save Your Mortal Soul?

Music has always been a big part of my life. While I played many instruments, piano has always been my first love since I started private lessons at the age of seven. It is a versatile instrument that can shine as a solo or accompany others. In high school, I would spend my study hall time down in the music department. I knew which practice rooms held the pianos that were out of tune, or had sticky keys, or the coveted new replacements for ones that had finally broken down. Nine times out of ten, I could be found in front of the black and white keys with my sheet music.

It did not matter what I played. It often depended on my mood. Sometimes it would be the rigorous classical pieces my piano instructor had assigned. Sometimes it would be jazzy Broadway tunes. If I was in a contemplative mood, it would often be Lorie Line arrangements.

Pure Imagination

"There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be." - from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

As children, imagination is at the heart of what we do. We all liked to play make-believe as a kid, imagining that that red towel off the clothesline was a cape that would make us invincible to the world and a hero to its people.

We liked to imagine that the blanket fort we built in our living room was a castle, and we were the knights waiting to slay the dragon. We liked to believe that jumping out of a tree would give us wings, if only for a little while.

Don't Climb Too Far Or Turn Too Sharply

"The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as long as we live." -Mortimer Adler

Let's mix it up today. We'll start with a quiz! I love quizzes, so now you do too. I'll keep it short, I promise. Answer the following questions:

1.  What is the definition of the word learn?
         a. To blindly do something, mess up, and never do it again.

         b. To do something by trial and error.

         c. To acquire new skills you may or may not ever use.

         d. Is this a trick question?

2. Scientifically speaking, at what age do you stop learning?

         a. 22, when you graduate from college. Goodbye, rip-off textbook prices!

         b. 30, after you've finished your Graduate and Ph.D degrees (if you're lucky).

         c. 60, when your kids are done with their degrees that you paid for.

         d. None of the above. 

3. What is the definition of the word grow?

         a. To increase in size and form.

         b. To expand one's horizons.

         c. To arise as a natural development.

         d. Can I select more than one answer?

The end. Told you I'd keep it short. After all, 3 is always the magic number: 3 books in a trilogy, 3 wishes in fairy tales, 3 strikes at the ballgame - you get the idea. As for the answers, you guessed correctly: it is a subjective quiz. That means there is no correct answer to any of the above questions. In retrospect, I probably should have led with that information. Oh well. I'm sure you understand. I'd like to break the "rule of threes" by asking a fourth question. You will need some scratch paper to answer this one. Give yourself 4 minutes (because 3 minutes is breaking the rule). And go:

Serendipity

serendipity (noun): an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident

I am firmly convinced that every child loves to dig for treasures in the dirt. I was no exception.

Living in the countryside provided plenty of ample opportunities to treasure hunt. With my friends, I would scour the long shelter belts around our property, looking for things that could be considered to be of value. Our various hangouts around the property never gave any indication of having hidden treasures, but it was always fun to imagine.

If not now, then when?

When I started this blog in April of 2013, I had big plans for it. I saw it as an opportunity to take a baby step back into something I love: writing. Eventually, however, my timeline and goals pertaining to this blog fell through with my justification that I would do it "someday." 

We always say that "someday" we're going to get something done or accomplish that dream. I am no exception to this. Someday, I am going to write a novel. Someday, I am going to get my graduate degree. Someday, I am going to take a road trip on Route 66.

You get the idea. 

twinkling lights hanging from backyard trees

Today is a different kind of post. We all have things we love. Simply put: our favorite things. Without further ado, here are some of mine:

twinkling lights hanging from backyard trees

candlelight in power outages

multi-colored polka dots

"good morning" greetings on your way to work

monogrammed stationary

mangos & creme scented lotion

peppermint mochas

falling rain outside

music that feels as though it is part of your soul

bubbles in the air

laughter echoing in the house

finding a quotation that describes you

letters arriving in the mail

new books

rainy days with a cup of tea in hand

warm clothes out of the dryer

the smell of cinnamon

friends who love you unconditionally

family shenanigans

crunchy autumn leaves

sunny blue skies

lazy days watching movies in your pjs

the sound of the wind in the trees

wearing new clothes the day you buy them

friendly conversations with passerby

red rainboots

finding your purpose in life

having faith that all works out

fluffy pillows

seeing your favorite band play live

new paintbrushes

christmas carols overheard on snowy streets

overcoming long-time fears

Cassiopeia and Orion

old photography

peanut butter m & m's

conversations with people in coffee shops

countryside that goes on for miles and miles

bustling cityscapes

long lost (and found) family heirlooms

playing board games

having the confidence to do something unknown

coming home

used bookstores

waves crashing against the shoreline

puddle jumping

the sound your phone makes when you get a new text

finding pennies on the ground

seeking out a new adventure

the colors of a stormy sky

vintage cars driving on gravel roads

What are some of yours?

Nothing Gold Can Stay

"So dawn goes down to day / Nothing gold can stay." -Robert Frost

Today is a short post, fellow bloggers. I will try to be more in-depth as my schedule calms down for the summer. Here we go:

My family moved many times while I was growing up. I got so accustomed to seeing brown cardboard boxes and clear packaging tape that it became second nature. I would watch the moving crew come and transport all of our worldly belongings not once, but many times over the course of my life. I'd stand by warily, watching them lift our heavy piano, and think, Please don't drop it. I'll be crushed if you do. I remember saying goodbye to friends, each time harder than the last. Each time wondering if or when I'd see them again. It's made goodbyes very hard for me over the years. I'm not good at them. I never have been, and I doubt I ever will be.

My point? Times change. People move on with their lives. Friends move. New career paths are discovered and old ones left behind. Nothing gold can stay. It is a part of life, moving on. Just like the physical act of moving from one place to another.

One of Robert Frost's lesser known poems, "Nothing Gold Can Stay" still holds a lot of significance in our everyday lives. While the poem has a nature metaphor, it is easy to see that it is also about beginnings and endings. Beginning in one place and ending in another. Such is the ever-changing course of our world.

Even though Frost believes that nothing gold can stay, do not forget that like the seasons, there are always new beginnings. Perhaps some of those good "gold" moments have faded, but new ones will take their place in time. The cycle will always continue.

Nothing gold can stay.

Summertime, and the livin' is easy...

"Summertime, and the livin' is easy..."

Summer is great for a lot of things. Popsicles. Aviator sunglasses. Wiggling your toes in the freshly mowed grass. Endless starry nights. Beaches. Daisies. Having supper on the patio. Campfires. S'mores. Driving with the windows rolled down.

Or summertime is maybe simply a time to get out of the house and just go. Somewhere. Anywhere. A break from the normal daily routine of life.

In Spite of Everything

"It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them, because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery, and death . . . 

I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that this cruelty too shall end, and that peace and tranquility will return once again." -Anne Frank

The news channels never seem to get better. Every time I turn on the news, or read the paper, there's more destruction going on in our world. War. Hatred. Death. Despair. It feels as though it never ends.

Observations I make as I go about my daily routine help me restore my faith in humanity. A young man helps an elderly lady by holding the door open for her. A teenager soothes the cries of a child who appears to be lost. A simple smile exchanged with a stranger. Like Anne states, I think if we try hard enough, we can all believe "that people are truly good at heart."

The Rainmakers

"As long as the Great Circle remains unbroken, there are those who know that there will be a home for the children of Fear, and a place for the Rainmakers to play." 

- from The Rainmakers, a Native American story

I'm sure we've all seen children playing ecstatically in the rain. They put on their little red rain boots, a bright, slick yellow coat, and run squealing up and down the driveway as they jump gleefully in water puddles. Soon it becomes a competition to see who can make the biggest splash, or find the biggest puddle, or make the biggest mess. When I was younger, this was always a contest between me and my cousins.

Maybe you too were one of those children, once upon a time.

There's something freeing about the rain. The rain washes away everything, bringing with it a new beginning. As we grow older, we lose that simplicity of playing in the rain. The simplicity is replaced by the dread that we're going to get wet, or it's going to mess up "our good hair day", or that we'll be caught in a torrential downpour with no umbrella. Been there, done that, right?

C'est la vie

C'est la vie - a French saying meaning "such is life." 

Hello fellow internet users and bloggers,

I apologize for the delay since my last post. Life has been busy for me - as a teacher, I've been wrapping up the end of the school year and all that comes with it. I'm moving on now, to a new place and soon, a new position. It's strange sometimes to think of change and how it affects our lives. It is the choices we make as people that affect us. Sometimes it's hard to know if our choices will be for the better, but we can only hope that everything will turn out right in the end.

I struggle with making decisions. I think in some ways, we all do. Someone once said, "The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live." It's true. But oftentimes we don't know where those new doors will lead us.

Of Sardines

I've been doing a lot of reflecting and thinking regarding my purpose in life. Some days I miss my carefree childhood when my biggest ambition was to make a huge blanket fort in my living room so that I could watch Disney's Beauty and the Beast in peace.

Life's not so simple, is it?

So why "sardines" you ask? I'm getting around to that. Now, the sardines I'm talking about here does not relate to the fish. It's a game, a cross between hide-and-go-seek and tag. For those of you not familiar with the rules, here's the general idea:

1. Sardines is a group game (I personally think 5 people is a decent number).
2. To begin, one person is selected to go hide.
3. The rest of the group has to count to a given number, then they each go their separate ways to find the individual who is hiding.
4. When a group member finds the hider, he/she joins them. The last person to find the initial hider is the one to hide next.

The big picture is that you want to find the hider and not be the last one to do so. It's a fun game that is filled with lots of laughter. It's always a good ice-breaker activity.