Christmas Quotations

“Do give books – religious or otherwise – for Christmas. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.” ~ Lenore Hershey, author I LOVE to give (and receive!) books as gifts!

“This is the message of Christmas: We are never alone.” ~ Taylor Caldwell (1900-1985), English novelist. Even when it seems like we are, we are not.

“My first copies of Treasure Island and Huckleberry Finn still have some blue-spruce needles scattered in the pages. They smell of Christmas still.” ~ Charlton Heston, American film actor. I remember my glee from receiving a beautiful anthology of Shakespeare’s work.  Of course, I still have it.

“Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.” ~ Oren Arnold, author This is the ultimate Christmas list!  Let’s give everything on this list this year!

“Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall.  We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space.“ ~Dave Barry, humor columnist I had to include this one – too funny!

“Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish.  Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself.” ~Francis C. Farley Life may be simpler and sweeter if we could do that all year.

“Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” Larry Wilde, motivational speaker Small children intuitively know what is important; we should follow their lead.

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” Norman Vincent Peale, preacher This is so true.  Everything appears more inviting and peaceful.

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” Andy Rooney, radio personality Agreed!  That’s one mess I don’t mind leaving around for a while.

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Have You Ever Been Cubed??

Shhhhh . . . Keep this a secret . . . Don’t tell a soul about this post . . . Read on only if you are ready to be enlightened, tickled and shocked.  

Begin if you dare! 

WARNING:  For maximum validity, enlightenment, and fun, do NOT read down to the bottom until you have completed the exercise in its entirety!!!

 

 

This is the tone you will encounter when you open the book The Cube . . . Keep the Secret.  It is a self-awareness game I play with my students on the day before a holiday.  I’ve been using this book for many years now, and I’ve yet to encounter a class in which the students are not in awe of its accuracy.  When we’re done with the game, I ask the students to write either a one-page analysis of their findings from the game or a descriptive piece illustrating their landscape.  Never is there a complaint for this assignment.  I also have fun with this at family gatherings!!

• Readers are asked to picture a desert landscape.  In the desert landscape are five specific elements:  a cube, a ladder, a horse, a storm and flowers.  The idea is to write down and describe the very first image of each that arrives in your head to achieve the most accurate results.  Each element represents something about the reader – therein lies the secret.  I’ve always been good at keeping secrets so I’m going to make you wait until you have the book itself in your hot little hands to find out what each represents.

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Reasons the Newspaper Won’t Die

 Many newspapers faced their demise this year but I’m hopeful that we can still count on tucking the folded black and white newsprint under our arm as we scurry off, on catching a glimpse of the cover stories as we wait in the dentist’s office, and on spreading out the paper on a leisure Sunday morning.  It would be a great loss if we lost this important form of media. 

Top 10 Reasons for Reading a Newspaper*

1. My newspaper has never crashed, gone down, or flashed animated ads at me.

2. Anywhere I travel, my newspaper goes with me. I don’t need a laptop or a wireless connection or a PDA.

3. I can read my newspaper while standing, while eating, while riding a train, but not while driving my car . . . which is just as well since I should be paying attention to the road.

4. If I read a story I like, I can tear it out and save it, and not have to pay to read it 30 days later.

5. I don’t have to sign in or customize or register or remember passwords to read my newspaper. And I often enjoy articles in my newspaper on topics I wouldn’t normally think I’d be interested in.

6. My newspaper has high-resolution pictures and type on large pages that load almost instantly, making it easy to browse and enjoy.

7. My newspaper is cheap, recycable and easy to replace. If it’s lost or stolen, it’s no big deal.

8. My newspaper is not made of unrecyclable toxic materials.

9. If my newspaper makes a mistake, the correction is posted with an explanation. It’s not sneakily applied to the original story after I’ve read it.

10. I can read my newspaper sitting outside on a nice day in the sun, even if a breeze is blowing, because I know how to fold a newspaper.

11.  My newspaper is never late.  I can always count on it in the early morning hours.

12.  My newspaper has something for everyone:  cover stories, editorials, sports, entertainment, health, etc. 

*Adapted from Kelly Gallagher’s Reading Reasons

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What Have You Learned?

There’s a line in the song by Michael Franti and Spearhead, Say Hey (I Love You), that originally inspired me to write this list:  “Seems like everywhere I go, the more I see the less I know.”

We’re learning every day whether it’s a lesson in the classroom or a hard-to-swallow life lesson.  There are so many uncertain things in life and circumstances surrounding us constantly change that I thought I’d take inventory of those things of which I’m certain:

What I’ve Learned in Life So Far

~ Timing is everything.  Think about it – this applies to all aspects of life.  It all comes down to this.

~ You can never have too many friends.  Moreover, having friends of different interests, age groups, and circles keeps you well-rounded.

~ You can never love your family too much.  I also happen to believe you can never say I love you too much but I think this has may have caused me trouble in the past.

~ It’s only spoiling your children when you give something you don’t want to give them but do anyway.

~ A key to satisfaction is to find a career that doesn’t feel like work.  It is then that you can be certain you are in the right field.  I am!  Teaching has NEVER felt like work to me.  I can confidentally say this because I worked in the business sector prior to teaching – it absolutely felt like work then.

~ This sounds cliche but action truly does speak louder than words (written or spoken).  This brings to mind a quotation I recently read, If a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.  This inspired me to think of a great idea for a friend!!

~ Age is a relative number.

~ Go for it!  Life is too short not to.  We create our own lives.

~ Exercise is as good for the soul as it is for the body.

~ This world would be a bleak, sad place without music.

~ You should try at least one new recipe every week.  If you don’t cook, you should eat at least one new dish every week. Variety is a spice in the kitchen.

~ Sometimes you need to make cookie dough just to eat the dough.

~ It’s okay to change your mind.

~ You can never read too many books or see too many movies.  This keeps you cultured, educated and empathetic.

~ Smile, even when you don’t feel like it.  The act itself will make you happier.

~ Writing things down is a magical trick.  Things are much more likely to happen when we write them down.  Goals, daily to-do lists, messages, lists like this . . . write ‘em down, write ‘em down.

~ Dancing or running in the rain is very liberating.

~ Never speak ill about someone and you’ll never have to whisper. 

~ Cleaning out/paring down closets transfers to ’cleaning out’ your life.  The important things you lost are found and the unimportant things are discarded.

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Being Your Belief

Our beliefs drive our actions.  Grading Girl believes there are some juicy beliefs that each of us would like to hold about ourselves.   Here’s a step-by-step process to create and embody them.

I just completed this with my Speech Communications class.  The only way to be a truly effective communicator is to understand and believe in yourself ~

Being Your Belief!!!

 

1. Think of a belief you want to have about yourself.

2. Create a sentence that affirms that belief.  Start with either of these two phrases:

I can . . .

I am . . .

3.  Now say to yourself:  “When I am at my best, I can/am (fill in with your belief).”

4.  Now think of someone who has that belief about herself (himself) or acts as if she believes something similar about herself.  For example, if you want to be more critical, Simon Cowell might be a good role model.  If you want to be more sophisticated, Julie Andrews might be a good role model.  Of course, thinking of someone you know personally who has this belief works just as well . . . if not better.

5.  Pay attention to how your role model stands, moves, breathes and acts.

 6. Stand like that yourself – mimic the posture.  You’ll be surprised how much this helps!!

7. Say the belief to yourself over and over in your head . . . listen to that little voice in your head.

8. Say your new belief out loud.  It will really make it a truism.

9. Continue this process until you ARE what you believe.  The more you do this, the more your body takes on the cell memories of the belief and the more it appears as if it is ture.  Then one day it just is!!!

 

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Late Night Letters . . .

Dear Mom,
Thank you for the beautiful day today.  Shop-til-we-drop downtown day was fun and I genuinely enjoyed your company. I am very lucky to have you as my mother.

Dear College BFF,
I’m sorry we’ve only been able to text each other back and forth lately.  Even though our schedules have not meshed in the last few months, I know that when we do get together, it’ll be like we just saw each other yesterday.

Dear Trader Joe’s Cashier,
Your statement about “everything in moderation – even moderation” stuck with me.  Thanks for the smile!

Dear Man in the Blue Shirt at the Play this Evening,
You really shouldn’t have continuously stared at me when you were sitting right next to your wife.  I feel for her.

Dear Mac,
Don’t tell PC, but I’m already getting along better with you.  Please be patient with me as I learn all that is special about you and push your wrong buttons from time to time.  You make GG look extra sharp!

Dear Bed,
I hope you will help me get a deep, good night’s sleep that I very much need.  You seem awfully big lately.

Dear Thunder,
Please keep your distance tonight.  You know I never liked you, but you probably get that a lot.

Dear Daughter,
I’m thinking about you and hope you are safely tucked in your bed having pleasant, pleasant dreams.

Dear God,

Thank you for blessing me with this beautiful life . . .

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We Need a Hero

A follower asked me why I’ve assigned only a few detentions.  Reflecting on that, I think it’s because I don’t like to dwell on negativity or bad news.  I’m quick to hold on to the inspiring stories but I have to make a conscious effort if I’m going to recall the sad or terrifying ones.

Our society seems to hold on to that same inkling.  Harry Potter books, Transformer movies, Twilight phenomenon . . . our fascination with the fantastical is apparent.  Hardly fantastical but fantastic nonetheless, Captain Richard Phillips became an overnight hero after being captured by pirates.  Similarly and deservedly, U.S. Airways pilot Chesley Sullenberger reached icon status the moment he landed a plane safely in the Hudson.  We apparently need to hear these stories.  We want to believe in heroes.  Every Halloween, superhero costumes account for the most popular dress-ups as people pretend they have the power to save the universe.  I too have my own BatGirl and CatWoman costumes stashed away from past Halloweens.

Part of the allure resides in the tension between the cynical feeling that one person cannot make a difference and the optimistic wish that one could, according to the author of The Psychology of Superheroes. We want to believe in heroes, especially when the world feels unsafe or cruel.  Notice that Spiderman, Smallville, and 24 all came out soon after 9/11.  The country needed to feel it could be rescued.

Heroes also serve as role models.  There’s the hope that we can take some of the heroes general principles and adopt them into our own lives.  This probably accounts for our fascination with iconic figures.  Look, for instance, at the attention Michael Jackson’s death afforded.  He was a hero, in a sense, to many who were touched by his songs or performances.

If Sullenberger can splash land without losing a single life, the least we can do in our day-to-day lives is give up a seat for a pregnant woman, bring a lost pet to a local vet,  or help an elderly person carry her groceries to the car.

Grading Girl is off to discover those who deserve “extra credit” for their heroism. . .

GG Bonus Idea:  When my daughter was very young, I kept a bulletin board in our garage.  Whenever I came across a “happy headline” – an act of good will, a milestone someone reached, an award for a special person, etc – I’d place it on the board.  Her and her friends had something fun and positive to look at whenever she was outside.  There is a blog, www.todaysheroblog.com, that seems to serve the same purpose my bulletin board did years ago; people write in to celebrate a special everyday hero in their lives.  A helpful follower just pointed out another noble site to me, www.goodnewsnetwork.org, that carries a similar purpose.  In today’s society where the news is filled with recession woes and other sad headlines, we need to be reminded of all the good that is in our world.

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