I’ve been sidelined as a blogger. By winter colds and final school projects and the novel I vowed to write this month, but most of all, by my own overwhelming feeling of so-busy-I-don’t-even-know-where-to-start.
The WordPress Writing Challenge this week is to write a series of 5 Haikus. Of course, I don’t have time to write anything new. But I just happen to have a series of 5 Haikus already written in my journal. Because I’m the kind of person who writes Haikus in her journal… you know… for fun.
I was inspired by Rhoda Janzen’s Haiku about her Mennonite tradition:
“Jesus lived in peace!
Let’s give it a try! It helps
to have hot prune soup.”
There is a clarity that comes when distilling a complex concept into 17 syllables. It’s a good exercise. And fun… really!
I’ve grown up in a handful of faith traditions. Each of these churches have left their mark on me, and I’m grateful for their unique approaches, even if I no longer practice Christianity in the same way.
The Brethren
Wear hats to Meeting.
Breaking bread on Narrow Roads,
holding nothing back.
The Chapel
Teaching feeds the soul,
so handle the Word with care.
Holiness matters.
The Community Church
Grace is in serving.
We’re family more than creed.
There’s no ‘I’ in church.
The Baptist
Repent, we tell them
for the Bible tells us so.
Now, it’s time to eat.
The Emergent
God, bigger than us
so join the conversation.
Seek love, not answers.
So here’s me, a devout, Jesus-following, Bible-reading, socialist, feminist, pacifist, environmentalist, sometimes-wrong, often-confused, but always-grateful-for-where-I-come-from woman.
One of the first stories I heard in my “Just For Kids” bible, at my parent’s knees, sitting criss-cross-apple-sauce in a circle on Sunday morning. The Tree of Life, of the knowledge of good and evil, the one tree in the Garden of Eden humanity was instructed to preserve. Of course, we didn’t. We’re not good with boundaries.
God could have chosen any symbol. A sacred cave to steer clear of. A word to remain unspoken. Instead, it was the fruit of a tree. And we ate what wasn’t ours, beyond our scope; not for sustenance (which was well provided for throughout the garden), but for greed. We became takers.
Over the years, we began to preach rights, not responsibility when it comes to nature. Instead of giving and receiving care from this world we are a part of, we strove for dominion. Environmentalism earned a bad rap in most churches – a lesser virtue, if even one at all. As if we deserved to rape, pillage and plunder the entire earth to feed our own appetites. As if this was without consequence. As if this wasn’t sin too.
We should remember, it started with a tree.
So here’s my rambling free write, on the prompt “Tree” as part of lisajobaker.com’s Five Minute Friday linkup.
If I’m completely honest, the first tree that came to mind was Yggdrasil from Norse mythology (and Marvel’s “Thor” ’cause I’m a dork like that). It exists somewhere between symbol and reality, a massive tree holding life and all the realms together. This interconnectedness speaks to me too, and sounds awfully familiar.
Dramatic headlines. Followed by a juicy sound-bite about small children forbidden to hug or even push their friends on the swings. Set up a camera across the street to film kids playing.
Et voila – a sensational story that goes viral in hours!
Of course, the real story. And the facts. And the true intentions of a diligent staff. Not so entertaining.
I’m a blogger myself, so… mea culpa, mea culpa. Sometimes we hear something that tweaks a rant we’ve had brewing deep inside and it seems like such a Great Opportunity to say something outraged and amusing important, we jump on it and gloss over the nuances.
Now I’m on the other side.
The purpose of the temporary no-contact rule was never to ban all touching amongst five-year-olds forever, nor to create an oppressive, over-protective atmosphere. It was simply to get a handle on an overly rough dynamic amongst one small group, so they can return to normal playground fun without injuries and fear. In the meantime, the kindergarten teachers are out there with them, hands-on, teaching appropriate touch, boundaries and respect.
This is something the staff felt was necessary. Would I handle it that way? I have no idea. But I’m not a kindergarten teacher. Parenting 1 or 2… or even 4 kids isn’t the same as managing a classroom and building a positive culture within it. They could just say “kids-will-be-kids,” shrug their shoulders and turn a blind eye. Instead they’re taking their job seriously. Whether you agree or disagree with their methods, I know that they care about the children and are doing their best.
You see, unlike all the other reporters and bloggers and opinion writers out there, I know Coghlan. I know the staff. This is my school. That’s me, and my children, walking in the front door on the local news last night.
The real story here is how quick we are to turn on the people who are educating our children. They don’t teach for the fame, prestige and huge paychecks, they do it because they love children and believe in education. As parents, it’s our job to back them up. And if they send a letter that is unclear, if they seem to be overreacting, if we don’t agree with their approach to a particular problem, it’s our job to talk to them, to clarify and find a solution. Not to bring in the media. Not to mock, belittle and misrepresent their efforts. No matter how sensational the headline.
I know the parents who were outraged by the letter that was sent home. They’re good parents, good people, and they’re trying to look out for their kids. They reacted to an admittedly poorly worded letter. Somehow the media heard about it and the whole situation snowballed into this ridiculous circus. Frankly, I blame a slow news week. This has only hurt people. It hasn’t helped anything.
We teach our children, when they have a problem, to go directly to that person and work it out. That’s how community works. We’re also teaching them to respect their teachers and the rules, even the ones they dislike. And if they ever have to keep their hands to themselves for a couple of weeks, it won’t be the end of the world.
After all, it’s a refrain my kids have heard from my lips on occasion. When things get out of hand on long road trips, we institute our own no-contact rule until everyone can regain some self-control. My parents did the same thing. I seem to be psychologically intact.
Coghlan is a wonderful school. Not a perfect school, but a wonderful one.
Flush with inspiration,
Basking in the brilliance of idea,
Success a mere breath away…
The blank page is full of promise,
destined for greatness.
Then the time comes
to force fantasy to reality.
Pen to paper,
Foot to pavement,
Rubber to road…
Instead I loiter on Facebook,
Reorganize my desk,
Clean the house,
Clip my toenails,
Answer old emails,
Print vacation photos,
Teach my daughter to sew,
Write a stupid poem.
The blank page is mocking me,
glaring with failure.
Every year seems to get more hectic (that could have something to do with us having more and more kids, but who’s to say). Here’s a few of the things that I’ve enjoyed in the past few months – maybe you will too!
Surfing
This is Nowhere – Written by and for fans of The Airborne Toxic Event, this website explores the music, the band members and the fan experience itself. This isn’t the kind of blog I’d usually read, but the writer is brilliant and good-looking and makes a mean grilled cheese sandwich. Also, he’s my husband. And a very talented writer, so it’s an interesting read for fans and non-fans alike.
Reading
This year I’m taking a Literary Journalism course. Yes, it is as intimidating and fascinating as it sounds. I’m learning a lot. And reading a lot. Two of my favourites so far… Martha Gellhorn was the first female war correspondant during WWII, sadly overshadowed by her husband Ernest Hemingway, because she is one of the most brilliant writers I’ve ever read. Wiliam Least Heat Moon writes about his travels across America, with such poetry and humour and insight, that I can’t help but reread sentences several times as I go.
For lighter fare, I enjoyed Rhoda Janzen’s sequel Mennonite Meets Mr. Right (also sold as “Does This Church Make Me Look Fat?”). Her first book is definitely my favourite, but her humour and delightful descriptions make it easy to enjoy this follow up about her return to faith.
Watching
Seven Up, Seven Plus Seven, 21 Up… – I’ve become quite enamored with the UP Series documentaries on Netflix. In 1964 a British filmmaker interviewed a group of 7 year-olds from different class and educational backgrounds. There is some repetition between each film, but stick with them. Each one is such an individual and I love to see how their lives unfold. This is my kind of realty show.
Marvels Agents of Shield – It’s not life-changing science fiction, but it’s a solid weekly adventure. I can’t explain the dorky appeal of mild mannered, middle aged Agent Phil Coulson, but I’m thrilled to see him alive again. So far, this has the bones of a decent series, especially for Avengers fans.
Digital Parenting
I’ve explained this little trick to so many parents, teachers and babysitters lately. If you are the kind of adult who is willing to hand your technology over to a child, Guided Access is a must. It allows you to open an app for a child on any iDevice, then lock it, so they can play it, but nothing else (no “exploring” your iPhone/Pod/Pad, no deleting apps, no making phone calls/texts, no cranking the volume up…).
Here’s how: Go to Settings. Under “General” you’ll find “Accessibility.” Turn “Guided Access” on, then choose your 4 digit passcode. From now on, when you want to start Guided Access, triple click the home button, then press “start.” When you’re finished, triple click again, enter your passcode and “end” Guided Access. Simple and it saves a lot of headaches.
Geeking Out
Am I doubly geeky for enjoying this? The Star Wars version of Myers-Briggs personality profiles. I happen to be Obi-wan Kenobi. Not Ewan McGregor’s version, but CLASSIC Obi-wan. Living a contemplative life in the desert, wise, gentle, parental, with enough life left in him to lob the occasional one-liner. I’ll take it.
If you’ve forgotten the categories are: Introvert/Extrovert, Sensing/Intuiting, Feeling/Thinking and Judgement/Perception.
Writing
I’ve taken the plunge. Right before the Oct 31st midnight deadline, I joined NaNoWriMo. No, that’s not another geek thing. It’s “National Novel Writing Month,” and every year about 200,000 writers (well-established to just starting out, kids to seniors, on every topic you can imagine) pledge to write a novel of at least 50,000 words, from beginning to end, during the month of November. It’s about digging into the process and actually finishing something. It’s rough. It’s intense. It’s exciting. Every year several authors polish up their draft and publish an actual novel out of it. This year, I’m trying. That’s it. I don’t even care if it’s complete rubbish, I want to dig in. Also, not sure how I’m going to fit it in, but I think it has something to do with not watching t.v. or surfing the internet (or vacuuming).
So here’s me, where blogging might be a little light this month, but that doesn’t mean I’m being lazy.
Linking up with leighkramer.com again for this edition of What I’m Into…
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