Mar 13, 2010

Time - A Precious Gift

If you could spend all the money in the world on your children, would you? If you could spend all the time in the world with them, would you? If you had to balance the two, what percentage would be time, and what would be money? Most parents are working hard to make more money. And that's ok, in balance. How much is enough to pay the bills, and how much is just to trade up for a better house, a better car, better clothes, better lifestyle? Kids, on the other hand, would rather have your time. The time with your kids only comes around once. When it's gone, it's gone. Once the kids are grown, you have lots of time to make money. You can always make more money. Where do you get more time? Lots of old folks are wishing they had to do it over again, wishing they could get that time back and build the relationship with their children that would last into their old age. You don't have to make all the mistakes yourself. You can learn from the mistakes of others. That's real wisdom. 

Mar 10, 2010

I Love Math

I love math.

There, I've said it. I set myself apart, as a small minority of geeky people who groove on numbers and statistics and calculations, when "normal" people should prefer American Idol and NASCAR races.

There is a certain prestige associated with teaching math. I have mastered concepts that others fear. We're not in the "awe" league that pop stars (and wannabes) have for Brittany Spears, or movie directors for Steven Spielberg, but there is a certain admiration for those colleagues who are a level above.

Math is absolute. There is no subjectivity when I grade a math test. The answer is either right or wrong. You don't get a better grade on a day when I'm in a good mood. I can't help you by giving partial credit for an almost-right answer.

There is no drama to math. In a school full of hormonal energy, where bffs are created and destroyed in a matter of hours, where jubilation is exchanged for misery on the hourly roller coaster of emotions, math is constant.

1+ 1 will always be 2. It doesn't matter how you feel about it. i = √-1 no matter what your friends think.

Math is something to count on, in more ways than one. What a breath of fresh air.

What is a constant in your life?

Mar 8, 2010

Perspective

For your consideration:

1.7 million people in the US have lost a limb.

1.3 million Americans are legally blind.

There are 2.9 million disabled vets in the U.S.

There are over one billion undernourished people in the world.

Almost two million died of hunger this year.

Twelve thousand people died of hunger today.

One and a half million people are homeless in Chile after their Feb 27th earthquake.

Hundreds of thousands in Haiti are living under a blue tarp on a dirt/mud floor after their January 12 earthquake.

4500 children will die today because of lack of access to clean water.

My cat drinks cleaner water than half the world's population.

I woke up in a warm bed, in a warm house, with all my body parts more or less working the way they should. The family members in this house love me to pieces. We all have education in varying amounts, plenty of clean clothes & shoes to wear. We have food and drinks in the fridge and in the cabinets.

We have clean water that arrives at the turn of a spigot. Today it was cold. Something's wrong with the water heater & we had no hot water.

All things considered, I have *nothing* to complain about.

What will you keep in perspective today?