The Adventures of Paisley
Blue
Unbelievable how time has flown by. Last week I felt well enough to return to work. Each day I worked hard but it took a while to readjust. Monday evening I was asleep well before 10:30 which is very unusual for me. All the way through Wednesday I worked extra hours in an effort to get caught up.
Thursday was a welcome respite because after work I joined several coworkers in an organization-wide bowling tournament at a bowling alley in Ballard. There were around 40 of us there, divided into teams of five. My team came in dead last, receiving a pink ballerina trophy for the "Most Fouls." Something to be proud of, eh?
Friday was a wonderful day. I was very ready for the weekend. I did go to the karaoke show and had a great time, leaving somewhere around midnight, I believe. Saturday night I did something entirely out of the ordinary, staying at the bar until it closed. It was just so much fun. There were interesting conversations, impromptu karaoke, joking around, and we even watched a movie on television that was really good.
Sunday was a drag show at the bar, and during the show I met an interesting transvestite(?) who is going through "the change." She's been on hormones a short while and we got to talking about the life-changing decisions she has to make. When I tried to get up to leave, she begged me to stay, offering to buy me another drink. She said she really needed to talk, and I was so easy to talk with - and I stayed.
Last night everybody ate tacos for supper, and during the night and early morning, each of us who had eaten them became ill. I did not realize that at the time I was trying to get ready for work, though. I just knew that the first thing I did this morning was get sick... and so I called in, because if I had that e.coli again, I didn't want to spread it around.
Turns out that I did feel horribly nauseous all morning and went back to sleep for a nap that lasted around six hours. This evening I feel better, though, and fully intend to be at work first thing in the morning.
Over the last week or so, it seems, the computer has been busy, or else has been under repairs. Depends on what hour it is. *giggle* Mechanic was hard at work trying to figure out what needed to be done, though. His dogged perserverence in doing so was amazing to watch. Often he said he was pissed off and irritated at it, but he still kept working and working.
Now everything seems to be working just fine and I eeked out a few moments to create a new journal entry. It feels good to be writing once again.
Lancelot returned from his travels last week but then promptly injured himself in a home accident. We did get together for lunch last Friday. It was nice to sit with him and visit. I feel like I learned some pertinent things about him and about us that day.
We shall see what we shall see.
Today I was thinking about the things that I have accomplished with my life and what is left to be done. I was thinking about where I'm at, and what's going on in the different facets of my life. I was thinking about the various relationships in my life - friendships, romance, family - and what I still wish for, crave, and desire. I was also thinking about what I have to offer to the world - not necessarily to make a lasting impact (like build the pyramids) or achieve fame (like having some big monument named after me). It was more along the lines of how I can give something beneficial to mankind.
Nothing big. Ha!
I think if I were to do that, it would be in one of four ways, or perhaps a combination of them. 1) My talent for writing. 2) My talent for art. 3) My talent for teaching. 4) My talent for web design. I believe my life's purpose has something to do with those four things.
The problem, it seems to me, is that there are so many different avenues that could be pursued. I can think of a million different ways that those four things could be combined into interesting and positive results. Now I am not trying to say that I am "all that" in any of those fields. There are certainly better writers and artists, better teachers and better web designers. There are certainly more trained individuals in each of those fields. However, I feel that I have a unique way of communicating through those mediums.
It's something I have been slowly learning over the years. The best way I can express it is through example. For instance, in 1988-89 I served as a Sunday School teacher for 12-year-old boys and girls back in Arkansas. There was a teacher's handbook with lessons outlined for each week. I did follow those lessons, and designed my lessons around the objectives. However, I usually combined the suggested materials with some original stuff...
... and the amazing thing is that this group of over a dozen rowdy preteens would come to my class eager and willing to listen, read, learn, and they had fun in the process. I supplemented my lessons with handouts, artwork, games, contests, and music in such a way that they were stimulated and challenged. I did not talk down to them. I did not mash the content into an easily digested pulp. I treated them as adults, with respect, although there were consequences for their actions, whether good or bad.
I expected them to take personal responsiblity for their actions. If there were special circumstances surrounding something, I was fair. However, when they failed to reach my expectations I was not angry or showed the other emotions that they had come to expect from adults. Instead, I showed my disappointment but also showed continued love and support, telling them that I knew they could do better next time if they wanted to.
When I was given that class, I knew that they had drove several teachers away in a short period of time. In the last six months they had never had a teacher last more than four weeks. They were noisy, unruly, rude, and not interested in learning, according to the Sunday School Superintendent. However, I told them I would take the class.
They didn't stick around long enough to wonder why I took it. They gave me the manual and I was on my own.
It was precisely that freedom that allowed me to combine my talents with the curriculum -- but there's something else, another ingredient that made it work. Hmm... okay, I think this is part of it. I was able to come up with the right kind of examples and methods of teaching that reached them.
I translated the material into something that they could relate to - yes, that's it. I found a way to make them care. I found a way to intrigue them, to spark their curiosity. I inspired them to learn.
When the year finished and it was time for these youngsters to move on, each and every one of them cried. There were hugs and a surprise card for me signed by each of them. We took photographs... and I gave them my last lesson. From the shyest of the shy to the most obnoxious of the bunch, each had transformed into a respectful, friendly, more tolerant individual. I was so proud of them.
The new kids, the next batch, were eager to be my students. Children of every age wanted to be in my class, but unfortunately only the 12-year-olds were allowed. We jumped right into becoming a tight-knit little group, but as happens, my life changed and it was time for me to move on. I will never forget how lucky those students (and their parents) felt at the idea of being in my class... and how sad when I announced that I had to move to another state and wouldn't be able to teach them.
I feel like that is an example of what I am capable of - only I see it being possible on a much larger scale. I'm still evolving and growing, as is this idea. However, one day, I believe I will be given a chance to do incredible good in some similar fashion. How it will happen I do not know. I'm just curious about what's around the corner...
~Paisley Blue
|
|
