All you need is Love

ThreeThingsILearnedThisWeek…

 

1. I had the opportunity to speak with a retired teacher this past week, who said the most wonderful thing about teaching… She said she didn’t teach from the textbook, she taught from the heart. I Love that, and I think most of my teacher friends do the same thing.  Wouldn’t it be great if everyone lived from the heart everyday, it sure would make the world a better place.

2.      Speaking of wanting to make this world a better place, last week’s Millions of Women’s march certainly showed that if you work from your heart, there can be millions of people in one place, at one time, who can assemble peacefully.  Well done ladies. If you wondering how the march came about, and how it went worldwide, one only needs to look to social media. I heard it started as a Facebook post…. Btw, at the Social Media Marketing workshop I attended this past week, I learned that over 83% of women report being annoyed with a friends Facebook posts.  Guess it wasn’t true with the march.  
3.  As far as Facebook goes, there are 1.8 Billion people on it. There is someone out there who named their baby Facebook (seriously) and also one who named their baby Hashtag. (google it if you don’t beleive me) There are more people with digital devices (cell phone, ipad, laptop etc) then who own toothbrushes.  The exponential growth of Social Media is mind boggling.  Check out this very cool video about social:  https://youtu.be/zxpa4dNVd3c  … when your done watching that and want to really be astounded, look this one up http://www.internetlivestats.com    Imagine the change if we all posted from the heart too.

#Imaginethat, #Allyouneedislove

Elevation and Inspiration

Three Things I Learned This Week 1/21/17

 

1. That there are standards and there are goals.  You cannot have one without the other.

         I got to hear a fantastic speaker this week, a former Marine who survived a helicopter crash.  He spoke about a lot of things,  one of which was leadership and team building.  He said that there are two things that define a good leader.   One,  were the goals accomplished, and did they take care of their team.  He said that a leader is only as good as his team – and that the team needs to have standards in order to achieve its goals, and that they look out for each other.   As it is only the second day with Trump as Our President, it is too soon to tell.  I hope he does well by our country, and I hope our country does well by him.  Speaking of him, I learned that ..

2.   behind every great man is a great woman.  Melania’s look, tone, demeanor and style were stunning yesterday, and she reminded me of Jackie Kennedy.  I learned that a woman can elevate a man. (I never thought I would say or think that, or the opposite for that matter) But, to my mind, she elevated Trump into appearing a lot more Presidential, and I found that oddly reassuring.  Kudos to Ralph Lauren for not caving to the “I won’t dress her elite” because he’s not My President.  I think she is going to make a fantastic first lady.
3.  That my elevated man, Rob, ;-),  has coined a new term, PMOS.   Whats a PMOS you ask?  A productive member of society.  So, if you start seeing this term somewhere, you know a PMOS grabbed it and started using it…  you heard it hear first folks.   Till next week, I’ll be PMOSing.

Smile for the Camera

Three Things I Learned This Week 1/14/17

 

1.  New use for an old term. Years ago I was acquainted with a set design firm whose moto was “Good enough is our very best”.  It was sort of an inside joke with those who worked in the biz, as that’s really all sets needed to be –  good enough for the camera.  I’ve hijacked that term and made it into “Don’t let good enough be your very best”.  I’ve lectured many a student on that subject. Speaking of not letting good enough be your very best, you can look your very best  with the second thing I learned this week…
2.  FaceTune.  Now you can look your very best with this handy little app (shout out to Joe Racc who shared this one with me) Lets just say its like AutoTune for the Face.  Yep, you can now download your very own digital makeup kit, and improve every photo your take… your selfie, your snapchat, your FB uploadable portrait.  So, if you’ve got a blemish, just touch and swipe.  Presto, gone.  Want to whiten those teeth a bit?  How about a lovely glow?  Brighten the eyes?  It’s all there at the touching and swiping.  Now you know (or don’t) how everyone looks so good…geesh, whatever happened to the good old days when what you saw is what you got.  My guess is there are a lot of Tinder users wondering the same thing.
3.  Finally, on the subjects of good enough being our very best, and what you see is what you get, I have only two words for you. Trump and Hilary.  Yes, the election is officially over, but for some it hasn’t ended.  For the sake of all of us, can we all just get along.  Please. #stopthepresses, #stopthenonsense,  #allyouneedislove, #letsmakeamericafriendlyagain,  #fingerscrossedforagreatfouryears, #GodblessAmerica

The art of Comfort …

1/7/17

      Three Things I Learned This Week….

1. That this self imposed process of reflection forces me to pay attention, look, learn, listen and question.  It is much easier to surface think… but that’s the lazy way of being. The last year or two I did just that, too much other stuff going on, but in an effort to work my brain,  I’m back at it.  Hopefully I will rise to my own standard and offer this up once a week.  No promises because I don’t need to create my own stress, because my new goal is….  
2. Hygee.  Yep, I aim to Hygee, just like the Danish do.  Apparently hygee (pronounced HOO-gah) is a state of being,pursuing one of comfort, contentment, and connection. The Danish have a handle on it, being one of the happiest peoples on the planet.  How does one Hygee?  Part of it consists of the pursuit of homespun pleasures, to quote the NY Times.  Its candlelight, fires, cuddling, fuzzy knitted socks, coffee, cake, warm blankets, and small gatherings of people.  Its going to become the new/old movement, you will soon see it talked about.   So, expect me to be Hyggelig (thats the active form of Hygee) alot.  What could be better then staying home, in your cozy socks, in front of a fireplace (okay, I need to work on that), with candlelight, warm coffee, cake, and cuddles.  Talk about connecting to comfort!
3. And speaking of connecting, I learned that we can help others as they are in the process of helping us.  My son’s recovery coach, John Brogan, recently recounted the story of Jared’s experience and how it had impacted him. I had no idea that our experience touched him so deeply.  John Brogan, hearing your perspective was profound, and I am glad that we touched your life too.  Thank you for all you have done.   

3ThingsILearnedThisYear

Three Things I Learned Last Year….

1. The meaning of “to get through it you have to go thru it” ….  They say we all have our time in the barrel, meaning life can be tough, and unfair, and sad, and scary and every other adjective you can think of that describes the moments in our lives that shake us to our core.  But once getting through it, you truly gain an understanding of happiness, and joy, and peace, and contentment …  And that barrel, that was so tough, transforms into one that is overflowing with ….Gratitude.
2. I learned that the meaning of gratitude can best be understood by looking at the merging of two words….  Grateful and Attitude. Its appreciating everything, all the time.  It is truly counting your blessings.
3. That Change is not always some big cataclysmic event that has a definitive beginning or ending, although it can go that way.  Sometimes the big events force a dramatic shift, other times it can bring about a slow evolution of changed feelings, behaviours and patterns that fade and transform into something new…   For me and my family, we have found this past year to be one of very tough times, but the outcome has brought  wonderful times, and together we  have evolved into a place that can’t be described, only felt.  It took getting through the barrel of life’s tough moments to come back to happiness, peace and joy.  And what a beautiful thing that is.  With Gratitude, I wish you all a Happy, Joyous, Healthy and Grateful New Year.

Serendipity

3ThingsILearnedthisweek …..  1.  That Facebook has Face recognition .. and that scares me!  I was considering tagging a photo, and scrolled my mouse over my face, my name popped up, which I kind of expected, but when I scrolled it over the person next to me, his name popped up – With the prompt, would I like to tag him, FB identified him, by name!!!  I am still floored over this.  2.  That serendipitous moments happen by accident. 3. That as much as I like change, and am impulsive as they come, I still have a hard time letting go of the way things were … old Bayville to new Bayville, selling my house, or a new hairstyle …  I move slowly towards change.. often it presents itself to us, not as a decision, but as a part of life.    As my kids have said to me, do you want the same experience your whole life?  True, but it seems like time is endless, and somewhere down the road I will ….  when we finally make that change we look back and say, why did I wait so long…. suddenly time becomes relevant.  So, to change, new beginnings, dreams, and much to be thankful for, Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving.

#Timing is Everything

3ThingsILearnedthisweek……    1.  That time is becoming more and more of a precious commodity -it seems like each day goes faster and faster, with more to do, and less time to do it in.  It seems like everyone you talk to feels the same way. I haven’t learned the why behind it,  but it would be great to learn the how behind it … And somehow make time expand or compress as we need  it to be.  2. That there is this thing called sriracha sauce, which has a cult following.  It just seems so cool to be a part of the sririacha set – I want the Cookbook and t shirt too, even though I haven’t had it yet.  I would also like to see Banksy the artist, and put gum on a tree  in South Philly.  ( who knew. Lol )  Just because I can. (sEee below).  3.  That speaking in hash tags has become the latest thing.  Try it, it’s kind of  fun, like writing a poem in five words.  #timing #focus#resolve#dreams#achieved.   Shout out to David Schoener for the hash tag inspiration.

http://srirachamovie.com/post/65723013628/i-made-a-silly-mistake-with-my-last-card-order

((We all need a Hug))

3ThingsILearnedthisweek…..   1.  That the image of ourselves created in high school is far reaching and ever lasting,  and maybe is a contributing factor as to who we turn out to be.  – not that high school is an indicator of success, but deep down I think we all still carry those feelings of who we are based on our high school experience.  Which is why no matter what your age, you may always feel like that kid on the inside, just with more experience and hopefully wisdom ….. although I am not so sure the folks in Washington possess either.   My guess is they are still trying to overcome whatever image they left off in high school with – still trying to prove themselves, still looking for validation and acknowledgement.   My acknowledgement is this – grow up, act like an adult, put our country and our future first instead of your own short sited need to be self important, and increase your effort- because right now your getting  an F for failure.  Epic failure at that.   Lets hope February see’s better results.  2.   That if you need a hug, you can now pay to get one. Just  go to a hugging center, where you can get your hug …. for a fee.  At the newly opened “Snuggery” in NYC, one can get a fully clothed  snuggled  hour long hug, for $60.00.   Reportedly this is taking off in California as well, and a few other states too.  Its sad and bizarre, but I guess a good thing for those who need one.  Apparently the old adage is true … you get what you pay for, but the best things in life are free.  3. That perhaps the educational system should put a little more emphasis on the human side of teaching,  and not just what can be measured and graded – because there is much more to education then student growth objective’s, learning goals and measurable data – which have become the new tools to measure teacher effectiveness.  What cannot be measured is the teachers impact, and that to me is more far reaching then what can be evaluated by improvement on a test score.   To use the hug shop as an analogy,  a hug that you pay for can’t be nearly as good as one that is real, with emotion behind it.  In other words,  the state can’t measure our impact on a student , and that to me is the mark of a truly effective teacher.   As Parker Palmer said, children may forget what you say, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.   A big thumbs up to that.

 

In la$t times we find first times …. we hope

3ThingsILearnedthisweek…..   1.  That the new 100 bill was released this week – redesigned with a few extra features to help prevent counterfeiting.  We all know that counterfeit bills have no real backing in terms of the treasury … but do our genuine 100 bills?   We owe China and Japan over one trillion dollars each.  The Government is shutdown. And the only guarantee we have for the worth of our money is the FDIC – which with the shutdown, is shutdown.  Really???   I wonder what Ben Franklin would think of all this.  2.  That boys will be boys, kids will be kids, and politicians will be politicians.  3.  That first times are always recognizable, but not always lasts.   Sometimes  we are lucky enough to know when a last time will be a last time, enabling us to relish the moment, have control or move on  – and that is usually decision based.  But the indecision displayed by our elected officials makes me wonder about when  the last time will be the last time.  I doubt our forefathers envisioned this moment as they signed our Declaration of Independence, and for the first time, created a nation that stood for something.  Our elected officials are fast destroying that.  In one fell swoop, they have damaged the credibility of the United States of America and  further damaged our faith in our nations capital.   Lets hope this is the last last time for a shutdown – and a new first time next November.

Sing your heart out ….

3ThingsILearnedthisweek…..   1.  That accountability has become a thing of the past.  In what one can only be described as you can’t make this up, an EX-NFL player, whose home was trashed by teenagers who broke in and had a party in his house while he was away,  is now being sued by the teenagers parents.  Why?  Because he found pictures of the party posted on instagram, and decided to copy them and post them on his own page.  They damaged his home, stole items from his house and left  a huge mess. He  offered the teens redemption, and wasn’t going to press charges,  if they came over to his house to help clean it up, and perhaps help with a picnic he was hosting for veterans.  Of the over 300 teenagers at the party, only 3 showed up to help, and they were with their parents.  Kudos to them, but shame on the other  kids, and bigger shame on their parents –  who are  now considering suing him because he posted the pictures that they took of themselves and put them on his website.  I really wonder how the courts will tackle this one.  I hope its a win for the EX-NFL player. 2. Speaking of tackling,  I think I need to tackle the fear of judged, or put another way, stop being so hard on myself. My thing (besides my golf game and a few other things) ) is singing in front of others – I can’t do it without feeling really self conscious . But when I was with a group of friends the other night, who all sing along to the whatever the DJ is playing, I was the odd one out….so, with some wine confidence, I chimed in – and discovered that singing is the next best thing to laughter.  I am not a solo singer yet, but am a proud to say I am now a blender.     3.   That I was never a fan of Journey, but think I have become one after viewing the Independnet Lens Doucmentary, Don’t Stop Believing, which features the story of Arnel, their new lead singer/front man.  The man’s voice is brilliant, and the story is compelling to watch. And for anyone who has ever had a dream, Don’t Stop Believing.  Worth the watch.  http://video.pbs.org/video/2365074693/