This is the typical end of the year, “What Did I Learn This Year?” note.
Well, frankly … too damn much! So much that, I will not share with you all of it because I will bore you!
I learned that our son continues to be a bad ass! Our son is a Lieutenant Junior Grade officer in the NAVY. From April to the beginning of August he was “At Sea.” Part of that time, PJ was sitting on a ship for weeks due to COVID19. Probably the most difficult of he being gone so long was the part sitting on the ship and being able to be in the apartment with this beautiful wife / son and dog.
To PJ’s credit, I did not hear much of what he did when he was at sea.
What I have learned is my wife (Diana) and I have raised a son who we can be proud of. A son who is ONE of the smartest men I know. (Just a little jab at a national leader). I have told PJ to avoid doing things that would cause me not to be proud of him or think he is one of the dumbest men I know.
If you want an idea of how special PJ is, here is one piece of “evidence.” Thank you Fox40 news… http://bit.ly/3aNhxaK
Our daughter continues to grow into an amazing / strong woman! Katy’s epilepsy has gotten a little more “serious.” I am so proud of how determined she is to have the discipline to live with her epilepsy. Her diet is impeccable. Her exercise regimen is disciplined. When sharing her ideas / values with her friends who are going a different direction, I love how she is developing her self confidence. We are very proud of Katy!
Our marriage? Wow! Ummm … that continues to humble me. We are a team. We are growing together as a team. A team has wins and losses. For sure! Diana and I have experienced our share of both this year. I am so grateful for her support and continued patience with me! Since my job has changed from award winning high school music teacher to sub-par zoom meeting leader, Diana has allowed me to be depressed and also celebrate small number of personal “victories.”
My job? Sad … “why?” Because, it is a job. I have hope my job will return to being my passion, but for now … it is a job and I will be very good at doing my job!
What is the difference from passion to job? COVID19! Well, really … the response to COVID19. In my profession (public high school music teacher), I have never seen this level of division! We (students and adults {parents / legal guardians / teachers / administrators / campus staff) are divided. Some people in direct contact with education strongly believe, our returning to campus places lives in jeopardy. Some people in direct contact with education feel like NOT returning to campus places livelihood in jeopardy. I sometimes feel like a cat chasing a light around a living room. Up. Down. Left. Right.
When a teacher states either (on campus teaching / distance learning), that teacher runs the risk of being shamed for the rest of their career. Not too much hyperbole there, at all! Try it. See how many folks run to you or away from you when you choose a lane. Enjoy that moment (sarcasm).
No doubt … more people are unwilling to take a risk.
My hope is when we (students / adults on campus) return, we return with a sense of determination to be more kind to one another and more diligent in being healthy (wash hands; vitamins; diet; etc). Don’t say “stay safe.” Say, “STAY HEALTHY!”
I have learned people are going to see the world through their eyes. “Seek first to understand, then be understood” is fading! We have forgotten, we have two ears / two eyes and ONE MOUTH! If our eyes and ears are working, we can use both!! If not, find a way to see and LISTEN! Well, let’s use both before we speak.
I could go on, but as I said, I don’t want to bore you!
Since I was born on January 6, 1966, a lot has happened for sure. One thing I will leave you with is please read more. Please find writings / thoughts from a leader. My leader is Jesus Christ. Please find a leader you can emulate. You can follow.
Jesus is my foundation. I am building a beautiful house on His foundation and one of the rooms is a room I have named “Marcus Aurelius.” In his room you will find “stoic” thoughts. A “stoic” thought we need in our nation is and this stoic thought came 121 years after Jesus’s death, “Find joy in simplicity, self-respect, and indifference to what lies between virtue and vice. Love the human race. Follow the divine.”
There is a movement for white people to admit they are “inherently racist.” A movement that also includes diversity is as important as ability … I tend to believe, ability is more important than diversity and racism is an unfortunate part of many human beings … for every human being, I do hope we return these five words are: Respect. Responsible. Discipline. Integrity. Faith. And, I do mean EVERY HUMAN BEING.
- Every human being needs to know how to earn and give RESPECT.
- Every human being needs to be 100% RESPONSIBLE for his / her actions.
- Every human being needs to have DISCIPLINE to take the right action to lead to feeling good.
- Every human being needs to have the INTEGRITY, his / her actions match his / her words – especially when he / she is the only one in the room!
- Every human being needs to have FAITH in himself / herself. I do believe we should have “faith” as in a religiosity / sacred and I do believe we need faith in ourselves that we can do the job! My being a Christian holds me being accountable to my Christian faith.
I hope you learned something this year.
I hope next year, we will be better / do better than this year… and I do mean “WE.”
Thank you for your support this year. As with many, our business is struggling to meet the monthly bills of website / podcast and now trademarking our “E-Triangle.” If you are able to, please make a contribution, we will appreciate it. https://bit.ly/3g7Rn1p