We ARE More

So pleased with the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremonies!

For me, there were many highlights. The animation of the orcas with blow holes, the aurora borealis, the leaves, the fiddling, the tap dancing, k. d. lang. But I think that the highlight of the entire night was Shane Koyczan's recitation of his love poem to Canada: "We Are More". The poem was delivered in a way that helped the audience to get excited about our wonderful country. Projecting many ideals and stereotypes of Canada, Koyczan didn't apologize for any of them, rather, he celebrated our uniqueness! This will be a poem that I share with my students on Tuesday during our Reader's Workshop. Hopefully, Koyczan will inspire some of my students to think about the fortunate position we are all in as Canadians.
Shane Koyczan: for the love of our country!

Thank you.

Library Card

So, I have been missing my Library Card for quite some time. I decided it was time to give up the search and purchase a replacement card. Yesterday, I headed down to the local public library and discovered that it was $5 for a replacement, a fair fee, I thought. I was head of the line with a few patrons behind me. The librarian was having a challenge with the new computer system and was unable to over ride my old Library Card. After a few attempts, she asked me if I would mind stepping aside and allowing the other patrons to be served. I had no problem with that at all. I looked around the small library for a short time until the counter cleared. Not having found anything that I wanted to check out, I told the librarian not to worry, that I would get a new card at the main branch. Actually, she told me, she had figured out how to over ride the old card. She gave me my new card. I was taking out my debit card to pay and she said not to bother and thanked me for my patience. She gave me the card without charge. A small thing but a kind thing.

Hawk

It was a bit of a challenge today to find only one small thing. But I think that I have narrowed it down to the hawk I say on a wire on my way home from work. I love hawks. I love to see them soaring. I love to see them using their hawk eyes to discover prey. But the main reason that I choose the hawk as my one small thing for the day is because of the hawk's location. I discovered him on a quarry road. Both sides of this once quite road are now taken over by large machines with wheels the size of buildings. Pits have been dug so deep that when they are filled with water one would like that it is a small lake. The destruction of the surrounding land has not completely stopped the natural life around. The hawk, today, represented to me the will of nature to survive no matter what human beings do to destroy. One small thing.

Clouds...

On my way to work today I saw a cloud that made me happy. The cloud was in the shape of Scotland. I love Scotland. I took a trip to Scotland during the summer of 2008. It was the best thing that I have ever done for myself. I took a solitary trip. I decided to go on my own so that I could step out of my comfort zone. I learned a lot about myself from that month away from home. I learned that small things are not worth worrying about! Seeing a cloud in the shape of Scotland reminded me of the trip and the things that I learned about myself. The cloud made me take a deep breath and enjoy the moment - which is all it was since the cloud shifted rather quickly into something unrecognizable to me but hopefully meaningful to another. One small thing.

The First Small Thing

The first small thing is that I am starting this blog. My goal is to become more present in my own life. I want to make sure that I don't miss the small, glorious things that occur each day just because I was too busy or unaware to notice them. In my daily life, I am going to try to focus on a small thing that occurs. This small thing can make me smile, cry, recognize that I am present in my own life. So starting this blog is my first small thing.