Crude oil, baby!…

I celebrated success today! My work from the past six months paid off, and I lived to see and share my dream. This must be what a parent feels at their child’s graduation: immense pride, lots of relief, and a little sadness.

I started back in January with something that all around me called impossible. Was it the fact that they had no faith I can do it, or maybe merely to prove them wrong? I don’t know, but I fought each battle, every day, with one simple thing in mind: my kids will be happy when all this is done! And so they are! And the grow-ups for that matter! Today, at the ribbon cutting ceremony, a class full of officials from all areas of my district, businessmen, community leaders, and board members played together happily with the fruit of my work. And had a blast. Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Seeing people of all ages enjoy the comfort of a Mac, learning about software they will most likely never touch, and coaching each other, was more rewarding that all the congratulations that I received in my whole life!

And the best compliment of all came from the most unexpected person, with a wording that amused me, flattered me and made think of back in the day….when our name was our reputation. I was called crude oil…insinuating and seeping through everything quietly, constantly … and unstoppable! I’m still laughing, but, boy, was this a good comparison!

Things to learn from my experience: it may take longer than you expect, it may be tougher than you thought, it may be more annoying than you ever imagined…but at the end of the road there is light. Bright and clear as a spring day, warming your heart and healing all the battle wounds. It’s worth it!

The grass is greener at home…

This is my other choice for the photo challenge. I was hiking there many years ago….nothing has changed! That’s one of those places where one builds their memories and strengthens their principles. That’s where time has no meaning, and life as we know it has never happened. One day…one day I will see it again!

 

 

Top of the morning to ya’!

I love a challenge! But the truth is, this one is so hard to pic for! So I will delight you with more than one…you know, since I can’t make up my mind which is best…

 

 

somewhere over the rainbow

It’s just the beginning of another hot day in Texas…yesterday I saw a lot of pelicans splattered on the causeway; I had to swerve quite abruptly a couple of times. At least I didn’t see them falling! Although I can’t think of something that might have caused the demise of so many of them… I think they were suicidal, or they had a war of some kind…this heat is getting to all of us! The whole picture hit me like a punch in the stomach; I guess I’m too humane for these times…

As I always do when something like this happens, I ran to find my happy place. As I was digging through thousands of memories, this picture became as vivid as the day I was there the first time. And as cool and soothing as the quiet up there..

I wanted to share this image with you, in case you needed a break from the heat.

Top of the world, ma’!

There is a top of the mountain, in a faraway country, that bears the thought of a man.

It’s not a nursery rhyme. This is the sphinx. It’s high up on the Carpathians, and the climb to it is rough, long and tiresome. The wind is strong, the air is sharp, the sky is deep and the time stands still there. The feeling you get is more like a heart attack, than a reverie. You get so filled with it all, and your lungs can’t cope with the thin air, your chest gets all tight, you can’t breathe, and your brain feels too large for your skull; you can feel it popping and cracking…You try to breathe, but there isn’t enough air to fill your chest, and you start seeing everything brighter, the noise is dim, and any scream that you may muster fades into the deep below you…

I’ve been there a long time ago. But I remembered it because today I felt these things again, only this time it wasn’t the hight that made them happen. This will be a short post, as my oxygen ran out, not due to the lack of it, but to the kind of day that this was…Enjoy this view!

And don’t forget: you have a place that makes you feel like this; send me a picture…my kids are coming in two weeks, they want to see the world through your eyes! Share your treasure…

Truth or dare

We hear this a lot from our kids, and we know they’re looking for the dare, not the truth; it is more fun to do crazy things and find some enjoyment, than to stand by whatever you did, and you know you did it, and post it on your forehead in front of an audience. It takes strength or a dose of immaturity to blurt out THE truth.

On a hot day like today, when the anger spikes through the roof, it helps to take a dare and find some fun, rather than tell the truth and be mauled. But you also have to have the brain to recognize this, and the strength to do it! I was driving along the seawall today and the waves were inviting, and I really wanted to jump out of my work mode and into the cool, foamy waves. My meeting was going to be filled with knives anyway, why torture myself? The music was blasting through the speakers and the lyrics were such and inviting dare…So tempting…I turned the car around and snagged a parking spot on the side of the beach; at least let my car enjoy the view!

I slithered in and waited for the meeting to drag on and the hostility to subside to hunger…the poking stopped at some point and I could feel my brain reconnecting its synapses. The meeting finally finished and I was ready to bid my farewell and throw my shoes so I could catch a wave. But I just had to ask the question…How have you been? Such a simple question. Such a hard question to avoid. Such a dare if you’re smart. Such an excruciating pain to respond in all truth… The answer came like a hammer on my windshield. Crack! I stood there not knowing what to say…my common sense and the “training” I got from my parents for special circumstances took over. I found myself giving hugs and words of encouragement, and offering my support….

What if that was me answering the question? What would I pick? would I go through the pain, or would I take the blow to the face without a blink? One never knows if it will be truth or dare until faced with the question, I guess. But that rock fell so close to my feet, almost crushed my toe…and I knew. It is always easier to learn from other people’s experiences, but always a forgotten lesson! I did remember it today, though! I tried to use it, too…it almost worked. I’ll try again tomorrow. Practice makes perfect.

Whatever rocks your boat!

I came home to a boat today. Really! There was one just floating at my pier, doing nothing. It looked suspicious, like a teen that just bumped your car last night, and looks all innocent hoping you’ll think it was just some parking lot misfortune….The police was called. They came, they looked, they left. They’re not taking the boat. Their answer to my “and what am I supposed to do with it?” question…”we’re not craigslist. if you lost something, we’ll find it; but if you find something, we don’t look for who lost it.” Suuuure. That makes a loooot of sense! Thank you officer!

This is like one of those annoying dreams, where you’re trapped in the plot and can’t get out. There’s nothing wrong with you; you’re not scared, but you just can’t shake it off…. So, now what?! Tomorrow I’m gonna find the engine? And who knows, maybe the day after, there’ll be a person coming with it, right? Then, what? …and this was just that kind of day too…woke up too early for my own sanity, worked too well for the amount of caffeine in my blood, and my body started acting out without my brain being present…like in that dream that I was talking about…I once heard that you can die in your sleep from any dream because there is so much more intensity than in reality and your brain just fries, or your heart stops, or something along those lines…I guess somedays this happens when you’re awake too…’cause it sure feels like I’m dreaming, but I’ve been bruising my arm quite heavily, and I’m in the same state of mind…wired.

Is it bad, good, interesting, funny, scary, sad, ridiculous? Yes. To all. But I guess that each of us has the right to have one of those days. And to you, poor boat owner who lost your boat, I hope you come find it. I’ll leave it right where it is; won’t move it! But if you just tried to get rid of it, mission accomplished, I hope you’re happy …well, whatever rocks your boat!

To tech, or not to tech…

There has been talk for a while now about technology and its impact on us. Should it be used in schools? Is it here to stay? There were pros, there were cons, there were those who abstained, but were intrigued…aaaand there were those, like me, who were simply confused. Since forever, evolution was about growth, change and problem-solving. Nothing has ever been invented, only to turn back the time and use last century’s stuff.

When the video tapes were invented certain people didn’t see the purpose…you could go to the movies and see it on the big screen, with popcorn. Who would buy these movies to play on the tiny screens we have in our homes? Well, the TV makers heard that and made the TV bigger, and slimmer, and louder, and added instant movies on it. No, it is not like the movie theatre, and, no, you don’t have the “social” factor anymore. Should we give all TVs back and go to the movies?

When phones went wireless some people found them very amusing and completely obsolete. You are within reach of a phone anywhere, on the street, in your home, in the store, at the office….why carry that huge thing with you? The phone makers heard that, and made the cell small, cute, easy to use, they put your favorite songs on it, your computer, your secretary, and your movies. But they took away the “social” factor, the interaction with other human beings, the “looking in the eye when you say thank you”. Should we throw away all cells and try to find a public phone when our car breaks down in the middle of the highway, in a stormy night? Or maybe we should teach everyone sign language so that people who text because they must, find a more “interactive” way to communicate…

When the computers became “personal” the IT guys thought that it was the end of an era. Computers will become toys and will make it really hard to create anything progressive. The computer makers heard that and made the computers small, fast, and put on them everything you need to simplify your job, help your child learn, educate yourself, build things, express your creativity, create music and film, not to mention the industry computers that would make life impossible for us had anything happen to them. BUT, they took away the “social” factor. Should we discard all computers? I’m sure we can write a letter instead of an email and find a good designer to draw a poster for us, and find a composer to write our music, and so on. But what about our children who would miss exploring all this directly? How many of these people will they have the possibility to meet, and how many of the ones they could meet can actually teach them the tools of the trade?

We miss the “social” factor….but where is the effort to reconnect? Walt Disney said once “If you can dream it, you can do it!”. So should we all stop dreaming now because our dreams have no future?  Who decides what dreams are worth dreaming, and which are just a waste of time?

So where are these ideas coming from? For example: are we going to use the iPads in schools? Do you think they will last? Maybe not! Nothing is certain or stabile. It’s called progress; you create something new, and you keep improving on it until other, better, new things that can do much more are invented. But do you want to take that learning curve away from your children? How will they be able to think further? Don’t they need to know what is out there? Who would want to limit them to what’s in front of their nose? Who wants a world without dreamers? And how are these kids expected to dream in color, if the only thing they would be offered is black, white, and the gray in between?

I say the question is not if technology is here to stay, but are we willing to let our kids use it?