The lesson I've learned is that even with a month and a half of trying to create these new habits, it took very little time to undo them. I know they are undone instead of just on hold because as soon as my son went to sleep this afternoon, I thought first of going to sleep myself, then to just replying to emails, then to reading blogs, and finally to writing my own post. Which I also haven't done since the 15th, but is much lower down on the task list. I feel a little guilty about it, but only just a little, which is the other reason I know my habits are undone.
One of my Guiding Principles is borrowed from The Happiness Project: Do what ought to be done. So what ought to be done right now? And why am I not doing it?
The answer to the second question is quite simple, really: a good book. A good book is the complete undoing of every resolution I have of accomplishing anything.
Today's was The Tipping Point, and I cannot stop thinking about how I wish that I had access to testing like they do for the show "Blue's Clues" before I taught my lessons to my students! If I just had several hundred sample students, I'd know how best to deliver every nugget of crucial information to those ten-year-olds. It would be a wonderful sight to behold. Alas, I don't, but I surely wish that the extensive educational research that has been done weren't so difficult to easily find and apply. It also usually boils down to the notion that it all depends on the individual teacher. Great. More pressure on me to be fabulous. Anyway, I have lots of thoughts about this excellent book (thanks for the birthday present, Renee!), but they are too numerous to list here.
The next book on my list is another break from my Newbery Project because I simply couldn't put it down at the bookstore. It spoke to me, just like The Penderwicks did a while back, and many, many other books. You can see why when I show you the cover:
It has 500 pages and a sequel.
I may not be getting anything done all week.
Posts
wow! I love your posts and have been trying very hard to post a comment as I read each one but have let other things pull me away. This post is great because you stopped me in my tracks with "what ought to be done right now?" I thought, ok - I get it! I'm going to take the time to write a comment right now! So here are my thoughts on a few of your posts which I love (did I mention that already?).
ReplyDeleteI love the sink trap because I really identified with it for a good part of my marriage. I have, as of lately, been re-evaluating my position both in my marriage and in my immediate family. Feeling like I've worn so many different hats along the way that my head should be the size of Texas, I have tossed a few of them which have landed on other family members quite nicely! They have accepted them with more kindness than I expected and that is a huge learning exp for me. While I still feel as though this house is mine to take care of 99% of the time, the trade off is the three car washes U.Steve takes care of in his spare time. He has stepped up to the plate when I've asked for more help and I too have made more runs to the car wash when he couldn't. Some days it's all about compromise for physical or mental balance. Other days the scales are tipped heavier in one direction or the other. The kids are still learning their place but it's coming along better than it was before! It is okay to feel good asking for help because it leaves you with more energy to do the things you have to do yourself. It also leaves those helping you feeling good that they have made a difference in your world. Isn't that what life is suppose to be about? Aren't we suppose to be helping each other along the way whether we are teaching someone or learning from them?
I also liked the post about being different but similar. When my kids were younger I often pooled myself with the other moms from school but fought the idea of driving a minivan because I didn't want to be anymore like everyone else. Then I gave in for the practicality and cost and realized those other moms had something going with that idea! I still feel a part of the "mom" world but my child-rearing ideas aren't quite the same and my ideas of family life aren't the same as theirs, so I've come to realize we are all similar in many ways but luckily we are also different. Once again, that's how we can learn from each other. We are all fortunate in that we teach, we learn, we grow from one another. Your posts have really hit home on a number of issues for me - thank you for teaching me to learn and grow!
You are awesome and I'm very thankful you are sharing your life experiences through your site.
Miss and love you -
Aunt Julie