people

I was talking so some of my students the other day, asking them some questions about themselves and their lives. I was reminded of the disparity that lies between different groups of people.

-Jose was just one student who told me that his family had no car, that the only way they ever used a car was by borrowing their uncle’s friends car.

-Maya was just one student who told me that she has never known or met her father.

-Erika shared that the pressure to have a baby at a very young age (14 or 15)is tremendous because it is seen as a rite of passage for her and her friends.

-Ricardo told me that he wanted a gun, so that he could protect himself better one day.

I know that alot of you probably think none of those things are unheard of… which is very true, but the fact is, how often are we surrounded by people who think and feel this way? Not very.

The only reason I am sharing this info is because that same night I went to dinner with some friends and a discussion ensued at the dinner table that made me sit up and listen, bristling with anger.

It was a political discussion, but the political part was not the part that caught my attention. There came a point when we were talking about the low percentage of people (about 3%) that control a large amount of the money in our country. One of the people in the discussion said that he felt that was an impossible statistic because everyone he knew was doing relatively fine financially. And it struck me how little I, and probably most others who were brought up not lacking necessities, know about the true people of our country and the world. How out of touch can we get with people?

And then my mind went another way…  is that wrong? To insulate yourself against the uncomfortable or the unknown? Is it good to look out only for your own interests, and not include the interests of others in your worldview?

How do we become more in touch not only with what we or our close friends need, but rather with what all people need?

I am not saying I am in touch with what people need, but I know one thing… after talking to my students and my friends, all people need to be listened to… with love.

slipping into the future

I am really struggling with a certain something right now. I am really struggling with what seems to be a relatively simple task. Every day I wake up, tell myself I am going to do what I want to do, but then, same old tune, I don’t do it. I instead, do exactly what I do not want to do. Sound familiar? Well, this is all too familiar territory for me. I am struggling not to wish time away. I am struggling to live as fully in each moment as I can, enjoying, slowly savoring the time I have been given. Just because I seem to be displeased with certain areas of my life (work stuff) I struggle to not let that tide of dissatisfaction wash over me. I wish I was a little less obsessive, or maybe critical, or less sensitive, or whatever it is that prevents me from living in the moment. Oh wait, I wish I was less human.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Or something like that.

Hail yes!

It hailed in Houston over the weekend. It was marble sized and coming down with breathtaking force. We were in the car when the storm began and when we got home I snapped a few pictures. Ben kept talking about the “snow” and I didn’t have the heart to correct him. Poor deprived southern kids.

3/17/09

fried oreos + kettle corn + frozen lemonade + two stuffed animals won from carnival games + one carnival ride = PRICELESS.

Yes, we went to the rodeo today.

because I love kelly

Kelly, this one is for you. I did the “tag” thing. She tagged me. I posted. And this is what it was. First picture. First folder.

Denver, CO. Sometime in 2002. Rockies game. Great photo with lots of action. I think we had a lot of fun that night… but wow, it was 7 years ago. Good times, good times. Now I get to tag some peeps… Little Jen, Jen in Africa, Audrey, and Dave B. (yes, you Dave!)

stage 1

This house thing is interesting. It is not something that I aspired to do. It is not something that I sought out. I think it chose me. (Or maybe my husband chose it for me.) I swore after the whole cabin renovation in Colorado that I would not put myself in this predicament again, but here I am, again. This time around it is a little more fun. I am not living in the crazy mess of a house and I can come in and leave as I please. (Translated… I am not waking up with drywall in my hair.) But stage 1 has begun of operation “it chose me.” Here are some photos.

It’s way too big for us… I am actually embarrassed about this.

Knocked down a wall. Well, I didn’t but Davy did.

You did  not want to see the pool before it was drained and powerwashed… I will say it was disgusting.

Kitchen before… we’ll see what happens here.

We’ll start with that. There has been so much progress already. I didn’t even have time to take the true “before” pictures because this all started so fast. So, here’s to operation “it chose me.” Stay tuned.

 

Goggle man

Too cute not to post.

apologies, apologies

My apologies that there has been a lack of activity on the site. I have been a combination of things, unmotivated to write, and in the process of renovating a house. And oh yeah, I am still busy teaching those students of mine. And yes, still raising my two munchkins. And yes, still bathing. And supporting my husband. And sleeping when I can. So, I aspire to greatness when it comes to literary matters… but there are times when I just can’t follow through. Now is one of those times. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.