Midnight grass.

 Whoo, whoo, sounded an owl in the distance. The midnight air was moist, like swimming in sludge. Stars glittered above and reflected among the wet grass twinkling like silver moon fairies. A Gerbil stuck his head out above the grass, his fuzzy hair matted with the wetness. Whoo Whoo.He ducked down below and bolted through in cover of the tall moist grass. He had to get there, he had to. Timothy's life depended upon it. The elixir in his mouth slipped a little as his teeth struggled to grip the slick glass. Whoo. Whoo. Faster and faster the Gerbil bounded as fast as his tiny feet could blur. They went as blurred as the fancy fairy-lighted grass blurring about him like sound and fury rolling over stone. At last he bolted out into the clearing, the house before him, but he quickly backed up into the cover of the tall blades of grass. Whoo. Whoo. His belly touched the ground and his ears lay low. Just fifty yards to the door. Fifty yards exposed to the midnight gaze. Whoo. Whoo. Did he dare?

Hummingbirds.

The magic of a moment can be compared to a hummingbird.
by the time you've seen it, its gone. But its so fantastical, you can write entire novels about it.
or videos...

From a hottub in the rain, or walk through a thunderstorm, from canoeing lovers through lilypad glades, or dancing in nature or watching the stars with your feet in the water, from driving down the street listening to music, to a Midsummer's Night Dream, never doubt the power of a magical moment.

Teaching.

In case you didn't know. I have recently taken up a quest to become an elementary school teacher. 
Here are some things I have learned...

   1)Always befriend the janitors.

    2)Never do anything for a kid that he can't do himself.

    3)You're the boss, not a friend. Therefore, master your "you're dead" look.

    4) Teaching is 80% classroom management, including the rules, environment and daily routines. The rest is lesson plans. Blah. 

If I can teach them these three things in this order, they're golden. 

    1) STANDARDS: sadly, standards have to be the first thing they learn if they are to pass the tests. If not for their benefit, for mine.

    2) GOOD PEOPLE: give them a moral compass, teach them how to think, how to learn, and how to embrace the unknown. 

    3) INSPIRE: inspire them to reach new heights.

Even if it takes you your Entire Life...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY

Even if it takes your entire life. Its worth it...

http://paulslight.blogspot.com/2013/04/homeland.html
http://paulslight.blogspot.com/2013/03/zombified.html
http://paulslight.blogspot.com/2012/05/unknown.html
http://paulslight.blogspot.com/2012/04/know-thyself.html

United

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/boston-area-violence/index.html

What happened in Boston is living proof of what happens when America is united. If you think about it, America has never lost a war due to a lack of military strength. Historically, our biggest downfall comes when we are divided, whether its passing a simple bill on background checks for guns,the fiscal cliff and recession or the Vietnam war, divided, we fall.

But then, something like tonight comes along, when an entire nation is united to find one man, not only do we find him, we offer him a chance a little mercy and justice. Truly, united, we stand. 

crazy

My life has been crazy of recent.

The crazier the world, the calmer, stabler must you be. The more ambiguous, the darker the world, the clearer, brighter must you shine. 

I do not mean that the hardest stick survives the fiercest waves. I mean water is able to fit to all forms, because it never changes its basic properties. (unless you're poisoned, which just sucks.). 

Happy.

As a writer, Joss Whedon is another example that today's literature has transferred from yesterdays' poetry and novels to today's young adult fiction, video games and film.

 Shadowcat: Everything is so fragile. There's so much conflict, so much pain...you keep waiting for the dust to settle and then you realize it; the dust is your life going on. If happy comes along -- that weird unbearable delight that's actual happy -- I think you have to grab it while you can. You take what you can get, 'cause it's here, and then...gone.


She's right, the world is dust, sand, and we constantly try and build a sandcastle. But if we build it on something permanant, something greater than our insignificant selves, like an idea, a belief that can keep on sharing the light to future generations (think V for Vendetta)... now thats immortality. That is stone. Place our faith in the intangible, and your happy won't get blown away with the first bullet.

 

Homeland

As I have observed my homeland, I have come to find that at the heart of everything we believe lies this simple truth. There is a light of goodness in all of us.  We must let that light shine as we strive for the hill of our dreams, because in that venture our shine will scatter away darkness and beckon other lights to come. For it is in the PURSUIT of our life, our freedoms and our dreams that our nation and our world becomes a brighter place to live.   

There's gotta be a better way to say that...

Zombified.

I've met so many people who have the same response to the question of "What do you believe?" They simply shrug and say, "I don't know. Does it really matter?" or "The world is what it is." It's as if they're too lazy to dig deeper into the darkness of the unknown. They're safe and secure in this lazy kind of acceptance. But it also feels like they are underdeveloped somehow. They're 2 dimensional. Zombified. Just rootless dandelions floating in the breeze.  They don't realize, that in that painful, soul search for "Who am I? What do I believe?" lies an epic, roller coaster quest that adds roots, depth and zest to a life well lived...

The next time you pet your car...

My phone's name is Verity Loud. My last phone's name was George. My computer's name is Francis Lenovo. My brother's computer's name is Opal. Our car is named Christina, but we call her variations thereof ( Katrina, Chris, Christy etc). Yep. I live in a family that names their technology. But are we so weird? Why do we give stuffed animals and dolls to children? Why do we own pets?

The answer is simple. The ultimate way to learn is through scenario. Play is a form of scenario. By creating fake people in our lives, we are teaching ourselves social skills and more importantly... how to love.