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The minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years are flying by on the calendar. Is it after Thanksgiving? I wonder. It feels like only yesterday we were leaving for summer vacation. I met with the graphic designer for my logo and website for my new company, Greenlight Global Research. We had our first guests at the LaLa via VRBO and they were wonderful. We’re gearing up for the week of back to school for Tin, T1 getting ready to head to Europe, and the holidays. That’s right, another year is about to slip under the twilight, and I here wondering if it is better to be still or be all.

I bought the url Bayou St. John Conservancy because I wanted to create a clearing house for all the disparate entities that communicate about the bayou to speak to each other instead of over each other. In the meantime, someone else put up a site to do the same thing. As much as I do not have time for one more thing coming across my path, the bayou, well, it’s important.

So now that we are post Thanksgiving and pre Hanukkah, my thoughts are about how to have it all, one at a time, and slow it down, bit by bit. Is the impossible, possible?

Buddhist saying:

In the world of truth, there is no East, no West. Where then is the North, the South? Illusion makes the world close in. Enlightenment opens it on every side.

I was thinking of this as I lay in bed this morning and realized that there is no joy reaped from taking control of an outcome that has yet to occur, better to leave things to chance – to leave space for improvisation – because only then does life seem more patterned and unpredictable at the same time.

Name:   Tin                       Date:_11/21/11__________

Choices in Play/Style of Play (inside and outside):
Tin loves to play and interact with the other children.  While playing indoors, Tin loves prefers to build (mainly the superdome), make a “house” using the silks and play stands, rally his friends to form a marching band, and cook breakfast for his friends.  Tin greatly enjoys interacting with his peers and rarely plays alone.  Outdoors, Tin is very active.  He loves riding the bikes and has recently mastered bouncing on the jumping balls. 

Relationship with peers/participation in groups:
Tin absolutely loves his classmates.  It is evident that Tin looks forward to seeing his friends each morning and greets each child upon arrival.  Tin is extremely charismatic and has a wonderfully upbeat attitude, making him well liked by his peers.  His challenge is learning how to wait his turn.  He often snatches toys from other children and has a tendency to knock toys down if he cannot participate.

Ability to handle conflicts/resolutions:
Tin needs teacher guidance for handling conflicts.  In order for Tin and a classmate to resolve a conflict, a teacher must address the situation and model the appropriate behavior.  Once modeled however, Tin does correct himself.

*This behavior is absolutely appropriate for his age.

Relationship/response to teacher:
Tin is generally great at following directions.  He is extremely loving towards his teachers.  As he gets more comfortable in the classroom, he is beginning to test authority.  He will often times do the opposite of what his teachers ask him just to elicit a response.  However he does respond well to consistency and apologizes after being addressed.

Initiative and independence:
Tin is a very independent child.  He separates from his parents easily in the morning and is very self confident throughout the day.  He wants little, if any, help with personal care (putting on his shoes, jackets, bathroom needs) but is gracious about accepting it when needed.

Circle participation and transition:
Tin is wonderful during our circle time.  He is very drawn towards music and loves to participate in singing songs.  He also shows great concentration on learning new songs, stories, and fingerplays.  Tin also transitions from one activity to another with ease.  He is always excited to learn and do new things.

Focus:
Tin has great focus, especially for his age.  He pays very close attention to songs and stories and often picks them up much faster than his peers.

Free time observation:
Tin is self-directed during free play.  He is extremely creative and can turn anything into a musical instrument.  He is very engaged in what he is doing and draws the other children into his play with him.

Self-esteem:
Tin is a risk taker.  He certainly thinks outside of the box and is not affected by what his peers are doing or thinking.

Gross/fine motor development:
Tin’s motor development is exactly where it should be.  He is very balanced on his feet and able to run, jump, throw, and kick with ease.  Tin’s fine motor development seems to be improving rapidly.  He is now able to put on his shoes by himself and striving to button his own pants.

Difficulties:
I do not see anything that will hinder Tin in the future.  All of Tin’s difficulties (sharing, ability to handle conflicts) are due to Tin’s age and maturity level.

Strengths:
Tin has an incredibly positive and infectious attitude.  He is instantly loved by everyone that meets him.  In the classroom, Tin’s eagerness to learn and untamed creativity make him a standout.

Tatjana read this poem yesterday at our Thanksgiving table and it’s only fitting that 3 year old Ruby stripped down to her boots to run around like a child of nature.

Patriotism

by Ellie Schoenfeld

My country is this dirt
that gathers under my fingernails
when I am in the garden.
The quiet bacteria and fungi,
all the little insects and bugs
are my compatriots. They are
idealistic, always working together
for the common good.
I kneel on the earth
and pledge my allegiance
to all the dirt of the world,
to all of that soil which grows
flowers and food
for the just and unjust alike.
The soil does not care
what we think about or who we love.
It knows our true substance,
of what we are really made.
I stand my ground on this ground,
this ground which will
ultimately
recruit us all
to its side.

Paradise (Old East Iranian: pairidaeza) is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless.

Key to any gathering are the who, when and where.

Thanksgiving Day, we were three for three.

Where: Bayou St. John in New Orleans [read: positive]

When: A gorgeous November afternoon [read: timeless]

Who: Free spirits who love good food, great music, poetry and laughter, and wine and each other [read: harmonious]

An Egyptian couple strolled by the festivities, and the man said, “This is a great place!”

Amen.

Last night, my neighbor could smell my other neighbor’s stuffing in the oven, and could see the neighbor besides her chopping the broccoli for the salad, and they called up to her that they could smell the bourbon pecan pies cooking and were salivating. Meanwhile, the deep fryer and 3 gallon peanut oil was taken to the driveway to prep for the next day’s cooking.

This morning, in Tad Gormley stadium we got our number for the Turkey Race and then it was on your marks, get set, goooooooo.

I forgot that I posted a how to on deep frying a turkey on the bayou. I had all but given up on turkey cooking after having two vegetarian Thanksgivings in a row. But tomorrow we’re putting two in the ‘url and boilin ’em.

Thanksgiving is going to be about giving thanks. A group of us are gathering on the bayou, potluck, to give thanks for living in paradise, for having each other, for surviving and for all the joy that we should be grateful for – among us, someone who has been sick who we want to get well, someone who deserves fame but has not received it, someone who wants someone to love but doesn’t have one, someone who needs a break but hasn’t gotten it – and others – and we will bow our heads in gratitude that we are here in New Orleans on a beautiful day on the bayou enjoying the fruits of our labor – friends, feast, and fun.

Glory Hallelujah – the truth keeps marching on.

I came across this quote today – “love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I really need it” and it probably goes hand in hand with any sort of toddler book you’ll ever read. I mean the teacher sent home some readings the other day and they were basically interchangeable for partner or child – you could scream, What the fuck are you doing? or you could say in a calm, measured voice instead, I really would like you to help me do this. Isn’t communication what we’re all seeking – talk to me, not the surface me, but the inside me.

So when you’re just acting up, outside of yourself, out of control and possibly trying to act like you are doing no wrong, someone to walk up and say I love you right then and there can be in and of itself strongly disarming.

I was thinking back to that film we just watched with Abby Lincoln, Nothing But A Man, where she continues to tell this man who is fighting as hard as he can to overcome the Jim Crow South and to be a man, that she loves him, even when he takes it all out on her – she was right though because in the end he needed her to love him the most when he was being the worst.

I went to the store in a semi coma from working all morning after taking Tin walking and muffin seeking and here’s what I decided:

I’m not buying Oprah’s magazine anymore because a few of her favorite things are a ridiculous waste of money.

So here’s a few of my favorite things:

MUJI’s 2012 VINYL CHLORIDE COVER R-PAPER MONTHLY WEEKLY NOTE – B5 – in sexy white (I had red last year)

Gap rainbow striped footy pajamas that Tin is wearing right now as he plays the clarinet.

Reading

Poetry

Butterflies

My God on Sunday playlist

Love

Mostly free – if you notice.