Ramblings of an EdMan

Weather is a tease.
Especially in Maine.
March the month of lion and lamb.
Cold and thaw.

Today, 45 and sunny. The snow is melting, the jacket left in the car.
Feeling Spring is near, the cold is abating.

But, the lion is not ready to sleep.
In March and April it is always lurking.
A beautiful day, hides the coming snow. Winter not ready to leave.

Teases of Spring
Melting snow, puddles, sunshine.
Reminders of winter, snow, frost, heaves, potholes.

The slow thaw is a beautiful season.
A bridge between Winter and Spring that comes every March and April.

The Spring is coming,
the Green Ones are returning.
you can feel it today,
But be reminded of frost tomorrow.

Enjoy the the winter trees,
enjoy times of contemplation,
Winter is almost gone.

The crocuses are coming,
the flowers will bloom,
the birds slowly returning.

The Spring and Summer teasing us.
Winter not quite gone,
Brown to white to brown to white to mud to green.
Blessed be.

I’m very proud of the posts I have made on this blog and that I was able to post every day from Thanksgiving, 2001 through mid April 2013. Looking to reblog some of my favorite posts the next few weeks.

I have been looking back at posts today, and there are a lot I am proud of.

Writing and expressing yourself is a good thing. Write on!

Deep, cold February.
Harsh winter
Feeling the cold on my face
Seeing my breath.

Snow coming,
Clouds ready to dump moisture.

SD Warren’s Sappi stacks
Blowing their smoke.

My lungs blowing
Out their smoke.

Contemplative, walking,
Waiting for the bus.
Cold, frozen butt on metal.
Single digits.
Feeling it in my nostrils.
Clean winter air.

Boys kicking icy snowballs.
Fun.
A winter’s day.

The keys blur
Unfocusing
Letting vision cloud.

Not trying to see the world
Perfectly.
Letting it all drift.

Often hearing better,
Smelling better
touching better.
Vision tends to dominate.

Letting the spirit world come in.
Make it’s magic.
Hearing, sensing
Spirit, meditation
Closed eyes
Drifting.

There is magic
In the world.
Everywhere.

But you need to unfocus
Unsee
Feel
Believe
Be present.

Aware
Sensing
The mind and heart can see
Even when eyes are closed.

Meditate
Unfocus
Turn off the world.

Our society is obsessed with college.

NextGen programs at 1 college. Guidance counselors college. You want to succeed college.

But what is you are just not ready? It’s a lot of money.

Spending tens of thousands of dollars to go to school to “find yourself”? Why not actually see a different place in the world besides your hometown. Do something crazy like the gap year many young people take. In the Mormon Church this time is literally part of their missionary work, and I bet a lot of them learn more in those 2 years away in a white tie, black shirt, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints pen, than college.

If you go to say Venezuela for 2 years. You probably know Spanish really well. You have seen how different people live in other countries, and maybe you aren’t pressed into the disease of more. You realize that by having a house, a partner, a job and friends that’s enough.

Not many people do. They are obsessed with salary. Obsessed with prestige.

You have been under your parents roof for probably eighteen years. Been dreaming of leaving for probably five years. Find some friends, find some roommates, get a job. A McJob. Retail, dishwasher, office, call center, it doesn’t matter. Especially if you really want to drink beer, get stoned and play Halo or Skyrim. You don’t need to pay tuition for that.

I found I did much better in college when it was my own money being spent. I felt like I had ownership. I wasn’t ready for the challenges of the University of Chicago at 18. I was smart but emotionally very young. Wasn’t really even dating, although that was mostly shyness. The Internet is a great thing for that.

I liked living at home and going to Rutgers. Making some money in the summer to pay tuition. Avoiding loans. Sad how much tuition and especially student loans have gone up since the mid 90s. Was paying like 2000 a semester then. I think it’s closer to 5000 or more now. Madness.

Do now wish I didn’t go for my MBA. Have hardly touched the debt 12 years later. If I could have would have erased it when I declared bankruptcy around 9 years ago now. Think “Fight Club” may have been right to blow up the credit reporting. The government owns Sallie Mae now. If you want a really quick economic stimulus just end Sallie Mae and admit virtually unlimited student loans for “aid” is a terrible failure.

I wish looking back to 1992 that I took a gap year and traveled. The United States is seperated from much of the world. 1000 miles from Des Moines, Iowa is mostly the United States maybe a little of Northern Mexico and the prairie provinces of Canada. 1000 miles from Geneva, Switzerland is almost all of Europe, North Africa and the Arab world. Many languages spoken, many cultures, easily the most cosmopolitan place I have ever been including New York and London.

Everyone seems to push almost all high school kids to college these days. Many are unprepared or disinclined to go. And they end up paying a lot to drop out within a year or two with often thousands in debt.

Maybe giving students a small mortgage and tens of thousands in debt shows strange priorities.

I wrote this for an Improv Slam at Rhythmic Cypher in the fall.

_______

Tea is amazing
Tea is ancient
Tea loves honey
Tea loves sugar

Tea loves hot water
Tea loves to be iced.
Tea warms you up
Tea cools you down.

Tea is of a place
Tea.has terrior.
Tea wants to be steeped,
Tea dries in bags.

Tea helps you create
Tea allows conversation
Tea leaves are different all over the world.
Tea houses in England,
Different than the Arab world,
Different in China.

Sent all over the world.

British East India company.
Colonists of the world
Tea party
Revolution.

Doilies, scones
Honey, sugar, milk.

Warm, delicious
Cold, refreshing
Tea.

Typing
Quick responses

Texting
Need to respond
Can’t make them wait
It’s too important
Can’t let them wait

Hey
What’s up
Nothing
Watcha doing
Driving
Where?
The interstate.
How’s the road?
Busy.
How fast you going?
75.

Seriously stop texting.
Don’t feed the beast.

Drivers if you can’t avoid the beep,
Have to respond
Turn the phone off
Use airplane mode
Your friends can annoy
Someone else.

Hey I hit a semi.
Bummer.
Feels like I broke my leg.
Ouch. How’s the car?
Totaled.

Stop it.
Driving is hard.
Driving takes attention.
Phones don’t make you smart.
People can wait.
Patience is a virtue.
And there is an off button.
Use it.