Monday, January 25, 2010

The Givers And The Hoarders

I have decided that there are two kinds of people. First, there are the ones who want to help you and pass on any of the life lessons that they have learned. They have found some great website, or store, job posting, or recipe, or place and they want to share their find with you. They want to save you time. Here’s the info, so you can be spared the leg work that I had to do. Second are the “hoarders”. They don't share information or stuff because in doing so they think that they are giving you an unfair advantage. They had to work hard, or research or search for something, so why should you get it for free?
Unfortunately, I have come across a lot of people who fit into the latter category. Since I work with primarily teachers, a lot of these “hoarders” that I have run into lately have been teachers. I find this highly ironic. Teachers are the ones who teach social responsibility. They are the ones that you find constantly droning on and on about sharing and working together. And yet, the reality is that a lot of teachers are hyper sensitive, hermit types who hoard all their ideas and lessons and resources to themselves. They don’t share.
Thankfully, there are also those who fit into the former category. Teachers who offer you books, and lessons, and music and even entire units. Teachers who clean out their bookshelves and donate extra books to you. Teachers whose support you can count on.
Teaching to me is (or should be) collegial. Teachers should be engaged in an ongoing conversation about practise and theory and ideas. Teachers should be role models of sharing and communicating and working together.
So, last week I was faced with a dilemma. I had gotten some cool units on the Olympics from an awesome teacher friend. Should I share them with my colleagues? Normally, this would be a no-brainer, but these were colleagues who had never shared with me and had in fact gone out of their way to exclude me. Should I be the bigger person? Should I act according to my beliefs or according to what they deserved? I decided (begrudgingly) to be the bigger person and share. May I never become one of "those" teachers who forgets that everything I need to know (about sharing) I learned in kindergarten.
PS. The teachers did not so much as glance at the units I offered. I am wondering whether perhaps the hoarder-types are also all-knowing and not in need of any help from anyone?

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Life Lessons

I came across these life lessons (written by Regina Brett) on the net and decided to share them, since I thought there were some good ones there:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Happy New Year!!

Well, it’s that time of year again when people make resolutions. It’s January 1, 2010. I used to think that New Year’s resolutions were stupid and flaky, but I’ve changed my mind. I think that anything that causes people to stop and reflect, evaluate their life, and/or aspire to be better, cannot be bad. No one picks resolutions like “I want to be meaner”, or “I want to drink more heavily” or “I want to spend less time with my kids/friends/loved ones”. Even if the resolutions are broken by the end of the first week, it is still a healthy process to reflect on your life and think about where you want to make improvements.