Jim Hare classic posts Archives

For Daylight Saving Times...

...they’ve sent a cool, fresh hour of dawn off into the evening to
become a redundant, dusty add-on hour to a day long since spindled.
I'm prejudiced.

AM – Anticipation and Magic

PM – Post Mortem

The soul of afternoons somehow became lost in oppressive hours of
clock watching and energy sapped sacrifice on the cultural altar of
duty and survival and diversion, twiddled away; a life adrift on a great
metaphorical sea…a flotsam raft...at least they have in my life.

Now, with retirement looming in my life, comes the coveting of a
humble desire, the hoping prayerful entreaty to the "Great Whatsit" to
be allowed, to be able (read: brave enough, awake enough), to make
the rest of life a worshipful act of fulfillment. No more excuses: the
grass is greener…just around the corner…it’s always something…if
only…when my ship comes in, because, because, because…

Plainly failure
Lie on lie
Weakness anguish
Why, oh why?

Gnashing teeth,
Rending reason.
Rueful doubts
In the dying season.

Damn the thoughts,
Rights and wrongs!
Judgment dirge,
Lamenting songs.

But souls have eyes,
Hearts have faces,
Touch has memory,
Loving traces.

Spirit living each through each
Touching life as though to teach.

What but matters
Thought can’t see,
The whole enchilada
In “thy” and “thee”.

Namaste´

* * * * * * * *

What is your destiny? Who can say? But I can tell you this; it will look
like the faces of those you have served.
Diego Fontana (no relative to Vince)

In the Dignity of Wonder

One day, I went into a classroom to talk to a colleague. He had just
started his students on a writing assignment, so I sat waiting next to
his desk in a student chair (second grade), knees nearly up to my
chin. When the room quieted, we begin our conversation.

There wasn’t much of a chance that a talk would last long before we
were interrupted, I knew that. Second graders demand lots of
attention. It is a myth that teachers at this level have leisure time in
the classroom. Sure enough, it was only a moment before Brian
approached, pondering his paper as he walked. He looked up only
after he stopped next to us.

"How do you spell e?" he interrupted.

There was a lesson coming, but what would it be? You see, Brian had
not raised his hand, he was out of his seat without permission, he
was interrupting two adults talking, and it really was a laughable
question. I have seen teachers dress kids down for any one of these.
Would it be a blow to Brian’s innocence? How would the moment play
out? I waited.

"E?" the teacher looked puzzled.

"Yeah, e."

"Well, I’m not sure. Use it in a sentence so I can understand what you
mean."

"You know," Brian said, "Like ‘They didn’t like e chuther.’ I can spell
the ‘chuther’ part, but I can’t spell e."

The teacher smiled, and his eyes twinkled. Brian was so proud and
confident in his innocent ignorance, so sure of what he thought he
knew and needed to know. Oh the beauty of a Bambi-eyed child
standing there in the dignity of his wonder! Did my friend’s eyes
seem to sparkle because of the little extra moisture in his eyes or
mine? I’d say it was that both our tear-loosened hearts were
touched.

"OK, Brian, you see, the problem is with the ‘ch’ sound," said the
teacher, in his best deadpan earnest voice. "Sometimes those darned
‘ch’ sounds jump from one word to another. Like, in this case, it
jumped over to the word ‘other.’ That’s why it sounds like ‘chuther.’
So, what you have to do is put it back on the ‘e.’ Oh, and don’t forget
to put the ‘a’ in between. Here, I’ll write it down for you." And he
carefully wrote "each other" on Brian’s paper.

Brian studied the sheet intently all the way back to his seat, weaving
his way unerringly across the room, never looking up once. The
teacher went off to answer another question, and I totally forgot what
I was going to say anyway, so I just quietly slipped out the door with
a silly grin in my heart, and probably on my face as well, thinking we
should always treat ”e chuther” so well.

Re: For Daylight Saving Times...

Re: For Daylight Saving Times...

Re: For Daylight Saving Times...

Thanks Ann...

Re: For Daylight Saving Times...

Neither the AMA...

Thank you, Tammy...

Re: For Daylight Saving Times...