Punting Pigeons

There is a gang of pigeons that gathers in the courtyard of the school where I teach. Some mornings, when I'm walking from my car to the dance room, a few of them cross my path. And do you know what I think?

I wish I could just kick that pigeon.

I wonder how far it would go.

Isn't that one of the most awful and inhumane things you've ever read? What did pigeons ever do to me? Well...they do poop on my car, make their homes where they don't belong, carry disease, walk around all proud and pompous, and Mike Tyson loves them. But despite any obvious offenses, it simply wouldn't be right to go around punting pigeons.

Sometimes thoughts like this cross my mind, and I think... Am I really the type of person that would go around kicking birds just for, well... kicks? Luckily, an experience earlier in the week helped me answer this question.

I was out in the courtyard with my students, cleaning up after lunch, and the pigeons were plentiful. They were walking around, enjoying the spoils from that day's spills, especially a spot occupied by a squashed muffin. I stepped very close to the muffin--only about a 6 inches away. The pigeons, startled at first, moved away quickly. But the fear didn't last long because they really wanted that muffin. One pigeon in particular. He meandered back to the treat, just inches from where I was standing So there I was--one foot away from a muffin-occupied pigeon, and I thought: Now is my chance. I could kick that pigeon.

I didn't, and I feel good about it. I just thought about how someone in the world loves pigeons, (besides Mike Tyson) and I need to respect that. I'm still not proud about my violent mental wanderings, but as the saying goes, "You are what you repeatedly do," (Aristotle...out of context, but still applicable) not necessarily what you think. (Otherwise, by now, I'd be a Jazz singer on the weekends.) Life is all about action.

Do I still think about wanting to punt a pigeon every once in a while? Yep. But I won't. Because I'm better than that--and so are they.

I was serious about that Mike
Tyson thing. It's an issue.

The World According to Mr. Rogers

I read a terrific little book just a few weeks ago... It is a compilation of quotes and thoughts by Fred Rogers and is entitled: "The World According to Mr. Rogers: Important Things to Remember." I loved it, and I wanted to share a few of the thoughts that impacted me the most, plus a little personal commentary...

"Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and channel them into nonviolent outlets. It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about our feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it." (There is so much value and importance in sharing how we feel in an effective manner, and letting people know what we want and expect. As someone who has a hard time expressing her true feelings, I really appreciated this thought.)

"It's not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life that ultimately nourish our souls. It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is firm."

"One of my wise teachers, Dr. William F. Orr, told me, 'There is only one thing evil cannot stand and that is forgiveness.'" (So profound.)

"Mutually caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain. We need to accept the fact that it's not in the power of any human being to provide all these things all the time. For any of us, mutually caring relationships will also always include some measure of unkindness and impatience, intolerance, pessimism, envy, self-doubt, and disappointment." (I think most people in the world today think that a loving relationship should just come easy, and that if work is necessary to maintain the relationship, you should just move on. That's a problem. Anything that is worth having, will take work, effort, and dedication. I used to be one of those people, who would just move on when things got hard. But I have since learned that my strongest non-familial relationships stand today because there was struggle involved at one point or another. There is only one exception that comes to mind, but I believe kindred spirits like that are few and far between.)

"The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self."

"When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong along with the fearful, the true mixed in with the facade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way." (I know this is factual. I feel that my love for others increased when I realized that I am imperfect, and I can't expect others to be more than I am.)

"As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has--or ever will have--something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression." (Amazing, that there is something inside you, and me, that is unique to ALL TIME. I believe it.)

"As different as we are from one another, as unique as each one of us is, we are much more the same than we are different. That may be the most essential message of all, as we help our children grow toward being caring, compassionate and charitable adults."

Oh, the wisdom! I'm overwhelmed. I don't care who you are--we can all learn a little something from Mr. Rogers, whether it be how pianos are made, how to play make-believe,  or how to be a good neighbor. What a guy. Thanks, Fred. Thanks for everything.

Halloween Highlights

I've never been an avid fan of Halloween. There is no magic in it for me. Maybe it comes from a traumatic incident in my childhood I've buried deep inside; such is the case for most adult tendencies. (I may or may not be referring to the amount of times I had a less than mediocre costume... and maybe one time in particular when I felt so self-conscious I refused to go on the class parade around the school. I just sat in my chair, tears in my eyes, watching everyone else file by in their store-bought ensembles that were oh-so enviable. Memories from an 8-year-old...) Or maybe I just think Halloween's pointless. The world may never know.

Due to it's mid-week location, my Halloween was pretty much a normal day, except for a few highlights:

1) I watched Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (I'm talking the full 10 minutes) at least four times. I can't say it enough--I love my job.
2) My commute was more entertaining than usual, despite the horrific holiday traffic. I took the surface streets (for a looooooong time) which made it possible for me to observe people driving in opposite traffic... so many serious faces with hair and make-up pumped for a good time. Loved it.
3) Last year on this day I had Valley Fever. This year I didn't. Win.
4) It was my dad's birthday, so my mom pulled out all the stops for his birthday turkey dinner. This means that pumpkin pie was included. I'm always in the mood for pie.
5) I got onto Facebook and saw this little gem at the top of my news feed:

The newest member of the Mecham clan, Dallin. Only 2 months old, already so distinguished.

I'm grateful for the little things that made my Halloween enjoyable. I'm also glad it's over, Now we can move onto more important holidays. And more delicious food.