Eli Khamarov

When I drop Pip off at Daisytree pre-school two mornings a week, it provides Fig and I with a two-hour chunk of one-on-one time.  During the week-long Spring Break, Fig demonstrated a few negative, attention-seeking behaviours [...]]]> “The best things in life are unexpected – because there were no expectations.”

Eli Khamarov

When I drop Pip off at Daisytree pre-school two mornings a week, it provides Fig and I with a two-hour chunk of one-on-one time.  During the week-long Spring Break, Fig demonstrated a few negative, attention-seeking behaviours and I wondered if she was missing our mother-daughter time.  Our first week back at school, I was really looking forward to being able to focus all of my attention on Fig for awhile. I drove the girls to Daisytree, we walked Pip into the school and hugged her good-bye, and then I asked Fig what she wanted to do for our ‘date.’

“Play,” said Fig.  She didn’t want to leave the wonders of the Daisytree environment.  She wanted to stay with Pip.  I tried to entice her with a trip to the park, to the muffin shop, to the playground, but Fig didn’t budge.  She liked looking at the worms in the kiddie pool that was in the pre-school’s back-yard.  After about fifteen minutes of worm-watching, I told Fig that we had to go.  I tried all of the tactics in my arsenal to convince her to leave peacefully, but in the end, I had to pick Fig up and carry her to the car.

I always hate having to physically remove my kids when they’re not cooperating.  I feel like a bully:  ”Okay, you’re not doing what I want, so I’ll use my size and strength to overpower you.”  I know I wouldn’t like to be hoisted under someone’s arm against my will.  I do it as a last resort, but it never feels good.

Fig became so upset with me, that she cried in the car for the next fifteen minutes.  When we arrived at her favourite playground, she calmed down and we proceeded to have a great time.  We played hide and seek, slid down the slide together, told knock-knock jokes while Fig was in the swing, and had a tender cuddle when she fell down a couple of steps.  Then it was time to leave.  Once again, Fig wanted to stay right where she was.  There were more tears, and her general dissatisfaction continued for the next hour.  She didn’t want her shoes removed, she didn’t want to wash her hands, she didn’t want me to put her down, she didn’t like the lunch I made, and she didn’t want to nap.  You’ve been there.   Clearly, this was not the idyllic mother-daughter time that I had anticipated.

My expectation was that Fig and I would have a glorious morning together, and in reality, there were probably as many minutes of crying as there were non-crying ones.

Last weekend I had my first newborn photo-shoot.  The New Mom had told me that her week-old bundle of joy slept so soundly in the afternoons, we would be able to place her on any prop and she’d slumber peacefully.  With the parents input, I set-up about six different scenarios for the baby-shoot.  I even borrowed a bike with a basket, hoping to capture some great ‘baby in the basket’ images.  Both the parents and I had very high expectations, but the baby had other ideas.

She was awake for the entire photo shoot, and she was definitely not happy about being placed, naked and alone, upon strange new surfaces.  Who could blame her?  She wanted to be clothed and swaddled and cuddled.  Isn’t that what all newborns want, and deserve?

And who could blame Fig, for that matter?  No-one.  Fig is a normal two-year-old, making sense of the world and trying to make her wishes known and respected.  She is asserting her independence, and it’s a healthy, encouraging part of her growth.

Both situations have me examining the whole notion of ‘expectations.’  This is not a new theme for me.  Sometimes it’s helpful to have high expectations, because it encourages me to achieve wonderful things.  When they’re too high, however, the disappointment can alter the enjoyment of the experience.

If I look back on these two experiences and erase my expectations, I feel hugely satisfied.  The photos captured during the newborn shoot are precious.  I love looking at them.  The beauty of this little family is overwhelming.  (www.pantusophotography.com.)  Likewise, being at the playground with Fig was a lovely experience!  She adored having all of my attention and we shared a lot of laughs.

It brings to mind the wonderful Ekhart Tolle books (that I need to re-visit) about living in the moment.  How can I be bothered with expectations when I’m fully present in the now?  It’s one of my biggest challenges in life.  To simply live in the moment.

I’m up for it.

Sharon Lee

Pip singing, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," for parents, teachers and friends at her pre-school's Christmas party. (Thanks to Lori for snapping the photo)

“Pip, you need to put some clothes on,” is [...]]]> “The moment you say ‘I know everything’ is the end of your growth.”

Sharon Lee

Pip singing, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," for parents, teachers and friends at her pre-school's Christmas party. (Thanks to Lori for snapping the photo)

“Pip, you need to put some clothes on,” is a phrase I find myself uttering, not just in the morning, but several times a day.  My daughter simply prefers to be naked.  Oh, we insist on underpants, but that’s about all we can get her to consistently wear.  It doesn’t help that we have a toasty warm fire burning in the living-room fireplace throughout the day.  When we arrive home from pre-school, or some other daily outing, Pip strips down to her underwear, takes either a toy or books into the living room, and plops down on the carpet in front of the fire.

She says that clothes are ’scratchy.’  Thus, we only buy ’soft’ clothes for her.  My sister hands-down the most wonderful jeans and chords from my niece, but Pip will not wear them.  She doesn’t like tags on anything; even stuffed animals.   Pip doesn’t like people close to her wearing ’scratchy’ clothes either, and she won’t hug me when I’m wearing my favourite wool sweater.

Pip is a sensitive soul.  From the time she was only a few months old, I knew that she was an observer.  I remember taking her to a baby music class when she was about 10 months old and being surprised at the fact that she didn’t want to participate.  She loved music!   We sang and played instruments at home all the time, but during the music class, she just wanted to sit on my lap and watch what was going on around her.  This behaviour continued week after week and by the end of the session she had just started to feel comfortable enough to take part, but even then, it was only the familiar activities that she enjoyed.

My husband and I have never wanted to label Pip as being ’shy,’ but new people in her life will often say, “Are you shy?” or “Don’t be shy,” if she doesn’t engage with them right away.  I don’t like it, because I feel that she is being misunderstood.  She is a confident, happy little person, but she likes to observe people and situations before she acts.  She’s also incredibly empathetic.  If a child is upset on the playground, or if her little sister is out of sorts, Pip’s eyes will well up with tears.  Empathy is a wonderful trait, but it must be exhausting for Pip to take on the emotions of other children.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?  It was only recently that it all made sense to me and I came to a new understanding about my daughter and myself.  Last summer, my insightful cousin Sheryl read a book about ‘Highly Sensitive People.’  She said that it made her think of me and Pip.  It took me awhile to get around to it, but I finally looked at the author’s website.  I read through the checklist for ‘Highly Sensitive Children,’ and Pip exhibited almost ALL  of the character traits.

I had many, ‘Aha,’ moments as I sifted through the information on the website, because it turns out that I possess  many of the adult ‘HSP’ traits.  It was enlightening, and also incredibly comforting.  Especially this bit:

• Your trait is normal. It is found in 15 to 20% of the population–too many to be a disorder, but not enough to be well understood by the majority of those around you.
• It is innate. In fact, biologists have found it to be in most or all animals, from fruit flies and fish to dogs, cats, horses, and primates. This trait reflects a certain type of survival strategy, being observant before acting. The brains of highly sensitive persons (HSPs) actually work a little differently than others’.
• You are more aware than others of subtleties. This is mainly because your brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. So even if you wear glasses, for example, you see more than others by noticing more.
• You are also more easily overwhelmed. If you notice everything, you are naturally going to be overstimulated when things are too intense, complex, chaotic, or novel for a long time.
• This trait is not a new discovery, but it has been misunderstood. Because HSPs prefer to look before entering new situations, they are often called “shy.” But shyness is learned, not innate. In fact, 30% of HSPs are extraverts, although the trait is often mislabeled as introversion. It has also been called inhibitedness, fearfulness, or neuroticism. Some HSPs behave in these ways, but it is not innate to do so and not the basic trait.
• Sensitivity is valued differently in different cultures. In cultures where it is not valued, HSPs tend to have low self-esteem. They are told “don’t be so sensitive” so that they feel abnormal.

The author’s name is Elaine Aron and her homepage can be found at: www.hsperson.com/index.html

I don’t know if this information is of interest to people who aren’t highly sensitive, but this learning experience has reminded me, yet again, what incredible teachers my daughters are and how much I have to learn.

I’ve come to a deeper understanding about Pip, as well as myself, and I’ve found a great resource for both of us.  I’ll be better equipped to help Pip when her eyes water because some child on the playground is crying.  I’ll be more tolerant when she refuses to wear a new shirt.  I’ll also be easier on myself.  (Thank you, cousin Sheryl!)

In the end, I think it all comes down to acceptance.  Acceptance of our kids, our spouses, our parents, ourselves…not judgement, but acceptance.  Amen to that.

Pip wanted to play with her cousin last week and I explained that she was having a sleep-over at Grandma P. and [...]]]> “In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.”
– Ann Landers

Pip wanted to play with her cousin last week and I explained that she was having a sleep-over at Grandma P. and Grandpa R.’s house.  That was all it took.  The seed had been planted; Pip wanted a sleep-over.  We called Grandma P. to arrange a date and Pip started counting the days.

Now my parents are only a ten-minute drive away, but it was a big deal for Pip to sleep away from home.  My husband and I haven’t gone on any trips together (yet) without the kids, and any time my mom has baby-sat for us, she has come over to our house.  The plan was for my mom to pick Pip up at 2:30 pm on Friday so that they could enjoy the afternoon together, before having dinner.  Pip would spend the night with her grandparents and we’d pick her up Saturday morning.

My mom had said to me on the phone, “Now this could be a huge success, or a complete disaster,” and I agreed.  Pip had surprised me with her independence before, but she had also cried Thursday night after I left her bedroom because she missed me.  One never knows how these ‘firsts’ are going to go.  I had told Mom that it would be nice to say goodnight to Pip on the phone, but we agreed that Mom should  initiate the call instead of me,  just in case there were any rough patches.

I’ll tell you right now, the sleep-0ver was a huge success; for Pip.  What my husband and I were not prepared for, was how much we would miss her!  I’ll never forget the look on Big Daddy-O’s face when Grandma and Pip drove away from our house.  I was standing at the door with Fig, trying to ignore the ridiculous tears forming in my eyes, and my husband gave me a look that I’ve never seen before, and I’ll not soon forget.  It was a surprised, emotional look that said, ‘Can you believe how hard this is?’  He yelled up at me, “She just left and I already miss her!”

It felt so strange to be a family without Pip.  Both my husband and I have been away from Pip for at least one night before, but it was a different experience to be at home, going through our normal rituals as a family without our eldest daughter.  Of course we enjoyed our time with Fig, and  I must say that she was in her element.  She didn’t mention her sister once, she just lapped up all the undivided attention we were showering upon her.

When Fig was in the tub, both Big Daddy-O and I were in the bathroom with her, and I said, “I hope Pip calls soon.”  My husband laughed.

“I bet we’re going to be saying that a lot when she’s fifteen.”

“Seventeen.”  I countered.

Pip did indeed call shortly thereafter, and her voice sounded small and happy.  It was pretty special for Pip to have Grandma and Grandpa all to herself.   It was also special for our second child to have her parents all to herself.  In the end, I think everyone benefitted from the sleep-over.  It’s a brilliant feeling to know that there’s a place, other than home, where your child feels safe and well-loved and happy.  Thanks Mom and Dad.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Lately, it seems that many of Pip’s sentences begin with, ‘I want…’  We’re not sure where the ‘May I pleases,’ have gone, but we’re determined to find them. [...]]]> “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Lately, it seems that many of Pip’s sentences begin with, ‘I want…’  We’re not sure where the ‘May I pleases,’ have gone, but we’re determined to find them.  Changing Pip’s syntax is a matter of training; with consistency and diligence, we’ll get her back on track.  The more difficult issue at hand is ‘the wanting.’  I’m not talking about general requests like, “I want to go outside,” or “I want a snack,”  I’m referring to the greedy, self-absorbed variety: “I want to go to the store and get a new pony,” and “I want ballet slippers,” and “I want a bike like Tia’s.”

I wonder how best to teach my daughters to appreciate what they have instead of focusing on wanting more.  I want to teach them to shift their focus to the needs of others rather than themselves.  These are lofty goals, I know, but well-worth pursuing.

In my experience, it has been the children who have very little who are the most gracious.  I’ve written often about my host-family in India, and I will tell you that I have never met more generous, altruistic, gracious little children than the ones I met in Jejuri; and they had next to nothing!  I don’t think that Baby, the three-year-old daughter, had one doll.  Comparatively, my daughters have an extraordinary amount of toys, and yet we don’t feel as though we spoil them.  Isn’t that interesting?  I once read that you cannot spoil a child if you are giving of your own free will.  It’s when you give to appease the “I wants” that you end up spoiling children.

Which brings me back to Pip.  She has been ill, and although it’s probably not the best time to start cracking down on her ‘wanting’ behaviour, we’re doing it anyway.  One rainy afternoon when we were all feeling sick, Pip, Fig and I sat down to ‘The Yoga Game.’  It’s a fabulous, cooperative game that was handed down to us by our friends, and we love it!  Fig is really too young to play successfully, but she wanted to be included, so we gave it a whirl.

Once the board was all set-up, Pip picked up the dice and said, “I want to go first!”  Here we go.

“Actually, Pip, the rules say that the youngest player goes first, and Fig is the youngest player.  Please give the dice to your sister.”

“But I want to go first!” repeated Pip.

“You can go right after your sister, Honey.”  Pip’s lip started to quiver as she gave Fig the dice, then she exploded into a crying heap on the floor.”  I chose to ignore the behaviour and focus on Fig.  Fig rolled the dice, then we counted the dots and moved the bumblebee around the board.  We both had to make a tree pose and I giggled at Fig’s adorable attempts at yoga.  She earned a flower for her posing and planted it in the garden.

By the time it was Pip’s turn, she had snapped out of her crying fit and was able to enjoy the game as though nothing had happened.  I decided not to ‘de-brief’ the incident.  It required no further explanation.  I took my turn, then it was Fig’s turn again.

“Mama, I’m not going to make a fuss this time,” said Pip.

“Oh, that’s fantastic, Pip!”  I hugged her and kissed her, which was probably a bit excessive, but I was just so proud of her.  I was also delighted that my decision to take issue with Pip’s ‘want’ paid off.

It’s going to be a long road, and I’m sure we’ll be teaching the same lessons, in a different context, when the girls are well into their teen years, but they may be the most important lessons we ever teach them.

Christopher Morley

I’m not sure if Pip has sensed that I need her to be ‘low maintenance’ lately, but she has been an angel.  (Possibly because she doesn’t usually get to watch back-to-back episodes of ‘Blues Clues’ while Fig naps!)  She has also [...]]]> “We’ve had bad luck with children; they’ve all grown up.”

Christopher Morley

I’m not sure if Pip has sensed that I need her to be ‘low maintenance’ lately, but she has been an angel.  (Possibly because she doesn’t usually get to watch back-to-back episodes of ‘Blues Clues’ while Fig naps!)  She has also been helping to ‘parent’ Fig.

Last Sunday we were driving home from the ferry and Fig had reached her limit; she was ready to get out of the car.  We were still thirty minutes away from home, and my husband and I had exhausted our supply of ‘things to occupy your kids on a road-trip.’  To make matters worse, every time I tried to sing a song or even talk, I’d launch into a coughing fit.   Just when we thought Fig’s whimpers were going to progress to full-on cries, we heard her laugh!!!  Pip to the rescue.  I don’t know exactly what Pip was doing that Fig found so funny, but it worked!

And then today, the girls were eating lunch and I noticed that Fig was using her fork instead of her hand, so I said , “Wow, good eating Fig!”  Pip looked at Fig and said,

“Fig, can you say thank you to Mama?” and Fig looked at me and said,

“Thank you, Mama.”

It’s nice to know I have back-up when I need it.

Andrew Jackson

For some reason, Pip uses the phrase, “Alls I need…”  My husband never says, ‘ALLS,’ I’ve never used it, and I haven’t heard anyone else use it around Pip, so I have no idea [...]]]> “It’s a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word.”

Andrew Jackson

For some reason, Pip uses the phrase, “Alls I need…”  My husband never says, ‘ALLS,’ I’ve never used it, and I haven’t heard anyone else use it around Pip, so I have no idea where she heard it.    In the past, grammatical errors have been easily corrected with Pip, but  the dreaded ‘ALLS’ continues to pop up, despite my repeated corrections.  The other day I tried a new tactic; to be more specific…

“Pip, you’re saying ‘ALLS’ instead of ‘ALL’…there’s no ‘S’ after the word ALL.”

“But I like S’s Mama.”

“I like S’s too, Honey, and we can use them in lots of words, but everybody who speaks English says ‘ALL,’ they don’t say ‘ALLS.’

“But it doesn’t matter what everybody else does, right Mama?”  Right theory, wrong application, but how to explain this to a three-year-old?

“When we use words to speak to each other, we want people to understand what we’re saying, so it’s important that we use words properly.  If you say ‘alls’ instead of ‘all,’ people might not know what you mean.”

Yet again, words were coming out of my mouth that I didn’t really believe.  Pip must think I’m an idiot sometimes.  Of course people will understand her if she says, “Alls I want to do is read.”  That one little ’s’ isn’t powerful enough to alter the meaning of her sentence, it’s simply incorrect grammar, and it drives me nuts!

I don’t claim to be a Grammar-Guru, but there are examples of poor English all around us.  One of my personal pet peeves is the use of ‘there’s’ instead of ‘there are.’ Example: “There’s a lot of leaves on the ground,” is grammatically incorrect, yet you hear it all the time.  If you take away the apostrophe, you’re really saying, ‘there is a lot of leaves on the ground,’ instead of , ‘there are a lot of leaves on the ground.’  Once again, the meaning isn’t altered by the poor grammar, but it’s still wrong!

I’m sure that I make errors in my writing and my speech,  and when I do, I would like to know about them!  I will humbly thank you if you point out a grammatical error of mine.  I want to know!  I hope to instill the same desire to learn in my children, which is why I’m not going to give up on the eradication of ‘ALLS.’

Although I wasn’t satisfied with my ‘correct usage’ explanation, Pip seemed to be, and I am happy to report that ‘ALLS’ hasn’t been uttered in quite some time.  If and when it does reappear, I’ll have to be ready for it.  In the end, alls I want is for my daughter to speak good.  (Cringe.)

Ambrose Bierce

My daughter is a furnace.  It’s Fall; people are starting to wear toques on their heads and Pip still wants to wear shorts and a t-shirt when she goes outdoors.  She doesn’t like the feeling of clothes on her [...]]]> “Sweater, n.:  garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.”

Ambrose Bierce

My daughter is a furnace.  It’s Fall; people are starting to wear toques on their heads and Pip still wants to wear shorts and a t-shirt when she goes outdoors.  She doesn’t like the feeling of clothes on her body.

I remember the type from my teaching days.  I’d have the students all lined up to go outside for recess and there would be one or two kids without jackets.  I’d insist that they gear-up for the weather, but when they returned to the classroom twenty minutes later, I knew they’d be coat-less.  I remember one young boy explaining matter-of-factly, “I’m hot-blooded Miss Pantuso, so I don’t need a jacket.”

Now it’s my daughter who refuses to wear her jacket.  She likes the feeling of fresh air on her skin; even if the air is chilly.  People have said things to me like, “Oh, kids are so active, they run a lot warmer than we do,” or, “She’ll tell you if she’s cold.”  I suppose those things are true, but right now my daughter is sick.  She has a cold.  She’s coughing and sneezing and requiring nose-blows every other minute, so am I being a responsible parent if I let her go outside in a light sweater when I’m ready for a parka?

My husband frequently reminds me that one doesn’t get a cold by being cold.  (He’s another furnace, by the way.)  I understand that you catch colds from viruses and bacteria, but isn’t your immune system compromised if your body temperature drops?   I know that there have been times when I’ve felt a chill and the next day I wind up with a cold.

Truth be told, I’m a rather cold person to begin with.  My body never felt better than when I was living in the tropics.  I like heat.  My muscles relax, my shoulders open, and my neck grows an inch.  I’m a turtle; a tropical turtle.

I like to think that the saying, ‘cold hands, warm heart’ was created especially for me.  I certainly use the phrase enough when people shake my hand and announce with horror, “My goodness your hands are cold!”  I’ve come to realize that the reason I’ve never been a fan of winter sports is because my appendages freeze so quickly!!!  My husband cannot believe how cold I get.  He finds it refreshing when my hands touch his face.  ”Forget the cold compress, honey,  just touch me.”

So perhaps my daughter and husband have more efficient circulatory systems than I.  Perhaps I should listen to my daughter when she says that she’s warm enough.  And perhaps it will be a long and challenging winter.

Rebecca Krook

I was inspired by my sister yesterday.  (It’s not unusual, I’m frequently inspired by her!)  She’s home-schooling my five-year-old niece as well as working part-time and mothering [...]]]> “When kids play they remember, they may not be aware that they are learning, but they sure are aware that they are having fun.”

Rebecca Krook

I was inspired by my sister yesterday.  (It’s not unusual, I’m frequently inspired by her!)  She’s home-schooling my five-year-old niece as well as working part-time and mothering a younger son!  She has always been extremely organized, so I wasn’t surprised when I saw a timetable of children’s activities on her kitchen bulletin-board.  She schedules physical activity time, unstructured play-time, structured learning time, and off-campus lessons into her days with the kids, so that all bases are covered.

I thought of her schedule yesterday when I woke up to a wet and grey morning and was faced with the prospect of surviving a full day indoors with two sick children.   At 8:00 am, when both girls are usually in top-form, they were already melting down into a pool of discomfort.  What on earth were we going to do for the next nine hours?

When I was a teacher, I’d write an agenda on the board each day and call it, ‘The Shape of the Day.’  That’s exactly what our day needed: some shape!

After breakfast, I brought out the massive box of play-doh and assorted plastic accessories.  Pip and I taught Fig a few colours and shapes and we showed her how to roll the play-doh into a long snake.

Pip opened up a play-doh restaurant and prepared yellow and black spaghetti for us, then she made me a big black heart and said, “Here Mama, this is a big heart for all of your love.”  (I didn’t let Pip’s colour choice alarm me.)

The girls were happily occupied for almost an hour, and I enjoyed being their full-time facilitator.  Cleaning-up was great because Fig spotted the feather-duster and Pip wanted to use the broom, so there was some impromptu house-cleaning that took at least thirty minutes!

Next we got moving.  I put Peter Gabriel on the stereo, (he is one of Pip’s favourites,) got the ‘musical instrument basket’ out, and we danced for about fifteen minutes.  The girls then paraded around the house with their drums while I cooked lunch.

After lunch it was reading time.  The three of us cuddled on the couch and read a few books, then it was time for Fig’s nap.

Yay!  It was HALF-TIME , and everyone was in great spirits.

I won’t bore you with our afternoon activities, but I will say that structuring the day worked brilliantly.  I set aside housework, phone-calls and errands to create a completely child-centered day, and on THIS particular day, it was a wise choice.

It did feel a little bit like my days in the classroom, however, as a teacher, you dismiss your kids at 3:00 and have time to catch up on marking, prepping, making phone-calls, putting up displays and organizing the classroom!  Big difference.

It’s all one big balancing act, isn’t it?

Patty Lovell

I love places where books live.  The girls and I found a gem at our local library called, “Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon” by Patty Lovell, illustrated by David Catrow.  Pip was the one who spotted it;  she [...]]]> “Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you too.”

Patty Lovell

I love places where books live.  The girls and I found a gem at our local library called, “Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon” by Patty Lovell, illustrated by David Catrow.  Pip was the one who spotted it;  she was drawn by the illustrations, and when we later read it at home, I knew it would become a family favourite.

Molly Lou is short and clumsy, has buck teeth and a voice that sounds like a bull-frog being squeezed by a boa-constrictor, but she doesn’t mind.  Her grandmother dispenses wonderful bits of wisdom that serve Molly Lou well, even when she has to start in a new school and is picked on by a bully.

Here’s a sampling of Lovell and Catrow’s magic:

“Molly Melon had buck teeth that stuck out so far, she could stack pennies on them.  She didn’t mind.  Her grandma had told her, ‘Smile big and the world will smile right alongside you.’

So she did.”

Charming, right?   It’s a gift to be reading aloud to my daughters and hear words like, “Believe in yourself and the whole world will believe in you too,” coming out of my mouth.  After reading it every night for two weeks, I’m hopeful that the messages in this little book are taking up residence in my daughters’ minds.  (As well as my own!)

Chris Stevens from ‘Northern Exposure’

Does anyone remember the show, ‘Northern Exposure?’  I was a fan.  My girlfriend Desiree and I even took a small detour during a road-trip [...]]]> “Rain usually makes me feel mellow: curl up in a corner time, slow down, smell the furniture. Today… it just makes me feel wet.”

Chris Stevens from ‘Northern Exposure’

Does anyone remember the show, ‘Northern Exposure?’  I was a fan.  My girlfriend Desiree and I even took a small detour during a road-trip to Seattle to visit the town, (Rosalind,) in which the television show was shot.  It was a funky little place.

The show was beautifully written and I always had a notebook by my side when it was on so that I could jot down quotations.  (You see, I’m a quote-collector from way-back!)  At the end of one poignant episode, Ed and Chris, (my two favourite characters,) are trying to figure out how to comfort a lonely bird.  I think it was a crane.  They surmised that the crane was doing a mating dance and wanted a partner, so Chris suggested that they dance with it.  One of my favourite lines during that episode came after Ed asked, “How should we dance?”

Chris replied, “With abandon.”  The scene ended with the two grown men dancing with the crane in a beautiful outdoor location.

My daughters dance with abandon.  It’s a sight to behold.  In fact, they do a lot of things with abandon: play, sing, run…

What a great way to live.