Ugliness turned beautiful

I was out with my best bud Em Foor today. We ventured into old Corona to Little Bitty Prints to get our baby girls' handprints immortalized in pottery wall hangings-a fun and overpriced tradition that we carry on because their hands are that tiny only for a little while. Anyway we drove around a fairly sketchy part of town that kinda looked run down in the rainy gloom to find it. We went in and shopped the gently used merchandise of the second hand store and when we walked out this is the beautiful rainbow that greeted us. All the sudden the ugliness of the run down neighborhood was shining beauty in the sun after rain. The weeds looked bright green and the mud a vibrant dark brown. The street was littered with beautiful old churches with steeples that I had missed before because I was distracted by the mismatched storefronts. As we slowly walked to our car the world seemed breathtakingly beautiful. Isn't it funny how that happens. Some days all I see is bad fashion choices and awkwardness in people and things and other days I see such beauty in the world and people's faces around me. It is probably all in my perspective. Life is what you make it.

Avoidance and Procrastination

Do you ever avoid doing responsible things? Sure you do. Everyone does. I am doing it. I have to write Learning Records for the State about what my students have done over the last month. They each take about 45 min. and I have 6, count them 6 to write before bed tonight. It is 9:50, my kids are fast asleep and we are sitting on the couch with laptops. But, what am I doing? Blog surfing. I really avoid these Learning Records like the plague. I'm pretty responsible usually, but these just kill me. Why do I do that? Why do we do that?

Wish I would have...

We all have "wish I would haves" I suppose. One of mine came up in conversation with my husband about one of my students. It seems most of us rush through life, esp. when we are young. I graduated from high school and went straight into a four year school. I had already done AP tests and community college courses to enter at mid year sophomore. Then I took 20-21 units a semester, plus summer work to graduate with a BA in 2 years. Why? I wish I would have slowed down and enjoyed the experience. Now at my reunions I don't see the people I entered with. I didn't have time to cultivate relationships with dear friends. It was such a rush, all I remember is reading philosophy all night (I damaged my eyes and now wear glasses because of the over reading) and stress, stress, stress. I have a student now who is determined to graduate High School and have an AA at the same time. Why rush? Slow down and enjoy the experience. Be young. I want my girls to spend at least a year traveling before they enter school full time. I want them to find themselves, have relationship and experience every moment of life. I want them to be at peace with themselves and love God. I want them to treasure the day they are in and not rush to the next. I want them to value this before they are 30 like me. Just take time today to experience your life, whether it hurts today...or it is a glorious moment of serenity. Just be in it, don't rush to the next goal or milestone. I wish I would have...but at least I do now. One day at a time...