I watched a movie the last couple of mornings while I was in my basement exercising before school...I know, I know, I watch way too much TV, but at least I was exercising at the same time, right!?! Anyway, the movie was called, The Map of All the Tiny Perfect Things...I don't want to spoil the movie if you decide to watch it, but it centers on the idea that mixed in with all the broken parts of life, there are many, many, tiny perfect things that happen too. The movie reminds the watcher that if we focus only on the negative, we might miss the tiny and perfect. It's those perfect things that get us through - tide us over - when the hard parts seem to want to take over.
So what kinds of tiny perfect things do I mean?
Think...
A flower growing through a crack on a sidewalk, belting out, and nailing, the lyrics of a favorite song, a perfectly shaped cloud in the sky, looking at just the right place at just the right time to see a whale breaching in the wide ocean, or The last slice of apple pie a-al-mode on a summer afternoon!
Tiny. Perfect. Things. I want you to watch out for them over the break! In fact, make a list, keep a journal, or simply make a mental note. Bring me back some gems after the break. I want you all looking for perfect things among the hard ones and I want to hear about how they help you see the beauty of this sometimes challenging life.
A former CBMS parent posted a song on social media that I listened to yesterday and I felt like it matched this idea of life's beautiful things mixed into everyday normalcy. Have a listen.
"Cover me in Sunshine...shower me with good times...tell me that the world's been spinning since the beginning, and everything'll be alright." So don't forget, bring me those good times, those "perfect moments" after the break! I want to hear about all your little things!
For today's last Black History Month Spotlight, I want to bring your attention to two individuals I think you should know about. (Since I didn't do a spotlight during my busy day yesterday I am glad to highlight two today).
William Henry Hastie was an accomplished lawyer who was one of the first African American members of the President Roosevelt Administration, serving as a race relations advisor. He was the first African American Federal Judge, appointed in 1937, and as was the first African American to hold the post of governor of a U.S. territory, (The Virgin Islands). Hastie had an esteemed career and held many other important posts, both political and academic. He certainly helped pave the way for others to follow in his footsteps.
In 1967, another African American lawyer and Judge, Thurgood Marshall, became the first black man to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court as an Associate Justice. He was appointed by President Johnson and became widely respected as a Judge who stood proudly as a champion for civil rights. During his time on the bench in the highest court in our nation, and in his 30-year career prior to that, he was passionate about civil rights for all Americans.
This afternoon, as we close our formal celebration of Black History Month, we send a silent (or maybe a loud) thank you out into the universe to all those unsung heroes of our culture and history that we didn't have time to touch upon here in these blog posts. We remember that it is on the shoulders of those that come before us that we ride. I hope that as a society we live our lives in such ways as to make them pound and to not let their hard work be in vain.
Have a great vacation everyone! Stay safe, and have fun!
Good Morning Students, Staff (and other loyal readers), If you've been following along, you'll know I have not posted in a few days. My lack of posts recently can be attributed to the final crunch, obviously, but also to the reality of full-time in-person school days. It became much harder to write each day with so many of you fully present. Also, because you were all present, I could see you more often, and hopefully offer the same pearls of wisdom in person rather than in writing. And so it seems, the purpose of this particular blog has come to an end...but not without a few more final reflections. First I'll say, I have absolutely loved writing this blog. Long before the pandemic, I had toyed with the idea of writing. This dream of publishing something "someday" materialized as I became a reader in high school. I found that I very much enjoyed reading books that documented the lives of real people in real situations. Here ar...
Good Wednesday Morning to you All, As I returned home after dropping my children off at school, this morning, I heard a story on National Public Radio about an Elephant named Kaavan, who was once dubbed the world's loneliest Elephant. You can hear about the story from BBC News here . Kaavan had been living in an underfunded and ill-equipped zoo in Pakistan for 35 years. He had become isolated and even more lonely in the last 8 years since his companion elephant died 8 years ago. Four years ago Kaavan acquired some champions - a veterinarian named Amir Khalil from Four Paws International, and international music superstar, Cher. It has taken Four Paws over four years of work to finally get Kaavan relocated from Pakistan to a sanctuary in Cambodia where he will be able to live and roam with over 600 other elephants. Read more about Kaavan, and the effort of Cher and Four Paws International here . What made me feel inspired by this stor...
Happy Tuesday Everyone, Over this last year, it has become very evident to most folks who the important people are in our lives. The important people have become evident because they have been the people that have been closest to us during the pandemic. They have been our rocks (think parents, siblings, children, and other immediate family members). Also, folks at school who we have been lucky enough to connect with since last September have become part of our close circles. Because of imposed distance, our eyes have also been opened to those who are most important to us that we haven't been able to physically connect with. We've had the chance to understand the value that these folks add to our lives and how they change us for the better. For myself, because I haven't been able to see some folks for an extended period of time, I have been able to reflect on just how much they mean to me. I so look forward to reconnecting with them, ...
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