Monday, September 6, 2010

What I Learned This Summer

It is Labour Day and I am afforded a break from a steady, busy summer to relax, reflect and regret going to bed at 2:30 am...

In bullet form and in no particular order, these are some of the things that I learned during this summer of 2010:

•  Ontario is a fantastic place to live and if I never flew on another plane, this province could keep me occupied and amazed until my dying days (thank you to Oliphant, Kingston, Camp Lake, Sauble Beach, Fisherville, Wiarton, Thornbury, Toronto's Harbourfront, Southhampton, etc.)  So very much more to see - so little time!

•  In my 50th year, my heat tolerance is almost nil - like my reading vision.

•  Engaging in Craigslist efforts is very fun!

•  Blended families don't always blend - and that has to be okay.

•  Truth and honesty are my life-blood.

•  Some people are sociopathic and we all need to guard ourselves accordingly.

•  I really dislike playing host to parasites - of the insect and human variety.

•  We should all heed the warnings of raising teen-agers.  They are truly humans in transition.

•  Learning to text has its advantages.

•  Mothers need the emotional support of other mothers.  They are truly the only ones who 'get it'.

•  Good books and good movies make the world a better place.

•  Facebook is fun.  Connecting with friends and associates from other life stages has so many unexpected rewards.  It is a tool to be used only as one sees fit and connects us with little energy strands to the people that enhance our lives.

•  Bringing a new baby hamster into a home filled with teens and adults is a delightful thing to do!!

•  Kahlil Gibran is right:  our children are not our children...they simply pass through us on their way to the future and we have a duty to guide them, not own them.  But guide them we must - even if they have no interest whatsoever in our hard-won wisdom and experience.

•  Being a teacher on summer vacation loses something when everyone else in the family is heading to work every morning, often leaving me wishing that I could just head off to work too - especially since I am fortunate enough to really enjoy my job.

•  Even at age 78, my mother has shown incredible resilience and adaptability in recent months as she has been buffeted by the physical and emotional ups and downs of so many people that she cares about!

•  The lives of others have reminded me this summer that I am really thankful not to have had an expensive car accident, not to have been broken into and had all of my valuables stolen, not to have a parent in a care facility recovering from knee surgery, not to have parents and siblings struggling with cancer, not to find myself existing in a loveless marriage, not to be unemployed, and not to be chronically worrying about my children.  This perspective is of great importance.

•  I don't have to be "nice" to everyone.  Neutral is okay if there is no reciprocal relationship.  I have only so much energy and I need to budget it wisely so that the needs of all I have a duty to are met. 

•  busy, self-absorbed, distracted teen-agers still love their pets - even if they don't show it.

•  Summer is wonderful but it's really nice to anticipate fall!

Wondering what you learned this summer - would love to read some comments from any and all who have thoughts to share.

Happy 'New' Year!

Wondering Woman (who can't wait to meet her new little kindergarten students this week!!)







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2 comments:

  1. I just read this for the first time. If it was facebook I would click "like"

    ReplyDelete