That quote

Y'all have heard that quote about they came for Jewish people, it was not me so I said nothing...and it goes on and on ending with; when they came for me nobody was left to speak for me. I need to look that up, it's a powerful piece of prose. Over the past years, in our own country so many people have struggled, just trying to survive. It is in times such as these when people start looking out for themselves. The conspirator in me ponders are those in power  dragging their heels. Like the song says; "United we stand divided we fall." is it possible that our House and Senate, or whomever pulls the president's puppet strings, is it possible "they" want to divide us? In splintering us "they" can better control us. In the mandatory crisis management/physical containment class we are mandated to take, (by we I mean those of us who work with populations who may become violent.) in this class they repeatedly tell us when there is a fight identify the aggressor and contain him/her first. So I ask myself, "self, are "they" wanting to dig a canal between the have's and have nots?" Homo-sapiens are after all animals. Pushed into a corner it is flight or fight. When we reach the hanging by a thread place - we will do one or the other. Looking up from the bottom of a sewer, well that is just no place any person should be. I should have been born in another era. Back when folks looked out for one another. Back when people fought for equality. Back to a time when faith, family, and country were what people stood for. In the book, Shock and Awe or The Shock Doctrine; Friedmen, the author hypothesizes the government uses natural disasters, wartime, or 09/11 to pull a bait and switch on the American people. During such crisis, "they" pass laws that reduce our freedom. We willingly go along because we are in shock. It is not until much later we realize we'd been duped. So, by this theory the government is attempting to bypass both the Constitution and The Bill of Rights. "They" are in fact looking to divide us in order to control us. (no wonder I always get the x-ray machine and a TSA note, informing me my baggage had been searched.) In dividing the citizens of the U.S., racism, bigotory, biases come back - front center. For the life of me I don't understand why, but I believe it could be true. Lyrics from another song just popped into my head: "You've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything." during this recession illegal immigrants have endured much hate. Why those illegals are taking jobs legal citizens could do. Really, then why are the jobs available? You know, we must think about the consequences of our choices. We must think about who we are, who we want to be - When you look in the mirror who do you see? Has the person looking back at you a person you like. During this election time there is so much BS. It seems no one can be trusted.  It is all just so much rhetoric. I don't know what to believe. Who can we trust? Is our government working for us or against us?  Scary isn't it! Who will speak for you?

Nuggets Of Wisdom

Don't back up more than you need to

No matter how hard you work, they won't erect a statue of you out front

Better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission

Do not ask questions if you don't want to know the answer

When you pass a water fountain - take a drink, so little is free these days

Conduct yourself as if TV cameras were capturing your every move

Go forward, not straight

If someone asks you for a dollar, give it to them

Look people in the eye

If you walk in a room and it goes silent, yes, they were talking about you

Beware of the words you choose, words have power

Is that what your mother would want you to do?

It is not hoarding if yo are going to use it

When you buy a new shirt, give one away

Remember, we are all doing the best we can

Do it now you will feel better about yourself

Do not mistake activity for achievement

Meandering is just fine

This is your journey

Faith, Hope and Charity

Put your oxygen mask on first, before attemting to help others

No matter where you go, there you are

Free Write

In honor of my cliched English Professor we shall start the day with a free write. "Siri, please set the timer to 15 minutes.

"15 minutes and counting."

make a list of things to do today if i have a list i am more likely to complete it though it is really cold out how did i write for fifteen minutes remeber the days of typing your research papers one mistake then you had to start the whole page over or trying to use carbon paper so you could get to copies for the price of one that never worked so wellI should go to the post office mail back the jacket and boots for Zuko the jacket was too small he really is an odd size medium is too small large is too big he is a special dog i think one day he is going to speak words he gets so excited when eileen comes home he dances and dances eileen is Zuko's girlfriend seriously how did we ever get by with a typewriter for my graduation gift mommie bought me new typewriter I don't remember the brand what was a typewriter brand the most common one I mean I can'trecall in high school I took atyping class my long narrow fingers fley across the typewriter at the end of each line you grabbed a lever and pushed it back to the beginning anybody remember those shucks now i will be thinking about that all day well better to think about that than to chase the thoughts racing in my head hard morning to get up and out and darkness comes early by seven it is pitch black when we turn the clocks back it will be dark before six that is crazy can't think can't think what amuses you the hiccups amuse me of course when someone else has them when i have them they are straight out annoying but to watch a grown adult hiccup hiccup hiccup that is funny you know that feeling when your leg falls asleep and you have to move it or slap it so it will wake up that burning in your leg this is what my body feels like in the morning my entire body has fallen asleep while i s;ept then to awaken it i must move and slap it my whole body on fire not such a great feeling oh shucks i forgot to get peanut butter yesterday i did buy eggs though think i will make some egg salad today if I have olives Mr. Johnson was taught typing I think he also taught business math that is the math for people who are not good in math math was the only subjects I didn't earn a regents in therefor it prevented me from earning a HS regents diploma geometry was mine enemy three times i took the class went to summer school had tutoring the last time i took the test my grade wa 64 always believed that teacher whomever graded my paper could have found one point somewhere so i could pass whatever score you earned on your regents you earned as your final grade for that class oh that "crazy" english teacher in high school she did not care for me one bit gave me a failing grade then i scored 98 on the regents English is my first language after all so i failed the class took the regents earned an A but that teacher was one unhappy camper amazing what teachers got away with back in the day having parties providing alcohol and drugs to teenagers hitting belittling demeaning these were the things people did with the shoot lost my train of thought easier and easier to do as you get old though i am not old i am well worn but not old when you are 13 30 seems like a really old person then your 29 and thirty is young turning 30 feels like over night your body changed very bizarre feeling i am in my fiftieth year of life i dont feel old i am just well worn i like that phrase i think i will keep it i could have soup for lunch or left over spaghetti and meatballs don't much care for the meatballs i like the flavor of meat in my food not the actual meat biting into a lot of meats is just wrong except turkey breast from a fresh roasted turkey i like it dry that texture and taste doesn not bother me wonder how many typos i have comitted and no spell check who knows who can understand I am reading a book "Just Fine" it is the story of a trained psychologist oh that fifteen minutes whent fast enjoy the ride

 

 

Creative Writing

My sophomore year of college I took a Creative Writing class. See, I had a dismal 1.00 GPA. If not for being an EOP student I would have been kicked to the curb. The University had to give me a a second chance. My counselor stacked my first semester sophomore year with "easy" classes - Creative Writing, Astronomy, Volleyball, American History, Business Math - If I earned all "A's" I would move my GPA up to a whopping 2.00. This would at least keep me from a lifetime of burger flipping. I looked forward to Creative Writing. Writing has always been my "go to" method for dealing with life's realities. I didn't fancy myself as the next great author, I enjoyed writing. First day of class in walks the catalog version of a college English Professor - speckled gray hair, corduroy jacket (complete with patches on the elbows), corduroy slacks, loafers, a well worn leather messenger bag. Immediately I pictured him sitting at home in a recliner reading great works of writing - or sitting at his desk pecking away at a typewriter, completing his own great work. Then he began to speak. "There are thirty of you in this class. I can't begin to read every writing assignment. You will present your assignments to the class. Your fellow students will grade you. On occasion I will read some pieces of work and give you my grade." Dang I hit the jackpot! If the bulk of grading was coming from classmates it was an easy "A." Fellow students would certainly give one another an "A." That was not the case. Turns out my fellow students took themselves as serious writers. They did not go lightly when it came to evaluating the work of their peers. I was baffled by the cold-hearts that left some students in tears, running out of the room never to be seen again. The class was creative writing. In the process of creatively writing there is not really a place for criticism. You put your thoughts on paper. If you do that well you have met the assignment. Not so much the thought process of these "budding authors." Actually, it was too bad. Writing has been a gift I could open any time I needed to-having all this frustration ripping apart my gift was disheartening. Anywho, the beginning of each class was a fifteen minute "free write." We were to open our black composition notebooks and for fifteen minutes write whatever thoughts were mingling about our heads. If we hit a block we were to write, "block" until it passed. Given that at any given time I have twenty thoughts banging around my head "free writing" was an easy task. Then the professor asked a few students to read their "free write" and the rest of us were to evaluate it. That is really silly. You cannot evaluate a "free write." It is the ramblings of a person. No punctuation and no self-editing. Of course when we found out we might be called on to share our "free write" students did self edit. The assignment was no longer creative. Students wrote hoping to impress our "out of the catalog" English Professor. One essay writing assignment, we had to write a piece comparing ourselves to an inanimate object. We could not name the object. Through our writing the object should become obvious. Each student read their piece in front of the class. The other students guessing what the inanimate object was. When my turn came around, I stood and read my piece. When I finished several classmates correctly identified my inanimate object. It was actually a piece my peers did not rip to shreds. They did not need to - Mr. Cliche English Professor did it for them. In my piece the inanimate object was a tree stump. I compared my self to an old tree stump - (The Giving Tree is one of my favorite books so I reckon my inspiration came from there) In his haughty tone, Mr. Cliche told me I was not old enough to be comparing myself to a tree stump. "You are not old enough to have the wisdom or life experiences that make you worthy of comparison to an old tree stump." Respectfully, I begged to differ. He could not possibly know what my life experiences were. (Back then, you 'member, when I looked 14 until I turned thirty. Yes, there was a time when I looked fourteen. But WOW, when thirty came, overnight I looked Forty!) We argued back and forth a bit. My classmates quickly turned on me. I was not going to back down. I met the guidelines for the assignment and I was not going to let some brown nosers and a frustrated cliche' run me out of my "A." I needed the "A" and besides I was right! Through out the semester, in-class, the voice of my peers was harsh. Outside of class many stopped me to express their true feelings. Fearing the wrath of Professor Cliche, they went with his lead. I do not like hypocrites. If you have an opinion or feeling you should stand by that. Two faced people make me angry. It worked for me anyway, this me against the class. I had felt that way so much of my life - me against the world - it was comfortable. Always good in a crisis I ended up thriving in the battle. Another piece of work we wrote about an experience using only adjectives. Again the class had to identify the experience based only on our writing - I chose an LSD experience. Mind you I have never used LSD or any other such drug. As a post 60's child I read and heard a lot about these "trips." The thought of not having control over my body or mind, along with fear of dying or disappointing Mommie - No, drugs were not my thing. Well neither were they Professor Corduroy's thing. He boisterously expressed his "Just Say No To Drugs" philosophy. (Must have loved President Reagan) The Professor said he would not give a passing grade to a paper about the use of drugs. After class he even had the audacity to pull me aside, offering me places I could go for my "addiction." Oh goodness I laughed. Not in front of him, all the way home I laughed. Ended up he did give me an "A." Actually, I earned that "A." The class was good for me. It was an artificial environment where I could practice "My Voice." Having spent so much of my youth being and seeking silence; that class, forced me to speak. Defending my position to others was good practice for me. I still do "free writing" exercises. It is a practice I used in my own classroom. For students who have learning disabilities writing is the most difficult of assignments. If you don't see words in your head it is difficult to write. Free writing does not require correct spelling, punctuation, or grammar. If students wrote the letter "X" ten times that was fine. As students began to express thoughts they also began to find their voice. At first no student would volunteer to read. Given time, one by one, each student wanted to read their free write. Their page might be blank but their souls had much to share. Students would stand up and read a three minute piece of prose off a blank piece of paper. Eventually, the pages were not blank. Students put their thoughts on paper. The practice definitely helped each student develop writing skills. Oh Professor Smoking a Pipe in your patched elbowed corduroy jacket - your teaching has helped hundreds of students with learning disabilities become tree stumps or take LSD trips. You should be proud!

Rambling