Grief Has No Country

Good morning BET's!  Today I just briefly want to reach out to you concerning the South Korean ferry disaster.  Wow, the magnitude of this is something we don't usually see here in the states.  After nearly two days, there are still almost 200 people still missing and death toll has reached 28.

What really prompted me to post this is some news coverage I watched of the survivors and some of the parents.  For those of you that don't know, we lost our oldest boy, Garrison, over five years ago.  He was 19.  The grief and utter despair that we went through was so evident on the faces of the parents who were literally wailing over their children.  I saw their faces and I knew that pain.  There was no language or cultural gap to navigate, I just wanted to be with those people and hug them tight.

So if you have a minute today, say a prayer for those families and just keep them in your thoughts.  We all need each other today.  I am going to Jefferson Elementary again today for "Jogging with Jefferson", and I can tell you now, those kids are in for some serious hugs.  And I may just click my heals...if I can get off the ground.  Have a great day everyone!

The Art of Stooge Labor

Courtesy:  Insomnia Cured Here 2007

Now, before I get started...don't misunderstand the reference.  I am simply stating that, in my case, what I do could be considered such.  With the disclaimer posted, let us proceed.

Good morning BET's!  This morning I got to volunteer at Jefferson Elementary as a floating helper person.  Bren is subbing in the library, so I tagged along as a helper.  For those of you just tuning in, this is the school where I worked as an aide/media person/librarian...er...ish...niner.(thank you Tommy Boy)

I got to see all of those smiling faces that I have missed for the last seventeen odd months and I got enough hugs to catch me up on my hug deficit to about June '13, so still a ways to go.   I got to open doors for the kids as they got out of their cars in front of the school.  I also got to trouble shoot a few Mac tech issues and shelve a bunch of books that I forgot how much I enjoyed, like Amelia Bedelia and Skippyjon Jones.

About fifteen minutes into opening car doors it hit me like a ton of bricks...THIS is my skill set!  Opening car doors, elementary school small talk, hugs and pushing kids on the swings is where I belong!  I'm really good at it!  As this sank in to my innermost place of happy(sorry for the technical jargon), the beauty of this really became clear.  If you really think about it, these tasks require almost no knowledge or training...which is perfect for me!

Think about it.  Let's go down the list.

1.  Opening a car door requires very little skill other than maybe not having vertigo at the time: Check!

2.  Small talk is mostly, "Hey buddy!", or  "Ready for a great day?".  Motivational speakers have this skill so I know I can do it too!   Check!

3.  Hugs.  Good hugs require one thing:  Hugability.  I was recently tested on the Stanz/Verbode Hugability Scale or SVHS as we call it on the streets, and scored a 10, which I think is good...right?  Okay, so I'm fluffy too, which also applies:  Check!

4.  Pushing kids on the swings.  This requires force which relates directly to my fluffiness(See number 3 above):  BIG Check!

So, while this may not be a way I can make a living, it sure breaks up the day nicely.  I have to go eat lunch now, because I get to go back this afternoon.  I think I'll have Mac and Cheese, a fruit cup and a apple juice box. It's gonna taste like happy!