The View from Here

Fast and Crazy, or Slow and Steady

I know many of you do not want to listen to diet advice from a fat lady, but who better to guide you than someone who has already made all the dietary mistakes? Who is better qualified to speak at an AA meeting than an old drunk? Who better to admonish teens about smoking than someone with lung cancer?

So…this morning I want to caution you against falling into the trap of fad diets. They have been around forever and ALL of them work…for a very short time. Most of them drastically restrict calories in the guise of some other magical powers. And yes, you lose weight, but only as long as you adhere to the diet.

 Fad diets also affect every part of your body, not just the fat ones! Most fad diets cause no more than a few headaches and stomach problems and irritability, but some are dangerous, especially if you have an underlying unidentified health condition. In the sixties a popular diet plan caused one of my relatives to faint from hypoglycemia. In the nineties there was a fad liquid diet that many of my friends embraced. One of them ended up in the hospital with gallbladder problems. What you eat affects your heart, liver, kidneys, brain…

I also find it amazing and amusing that the same intelligent, determined people who have the willpower to sustain themselves on boiled eggs and water for a fad diet are not willing to make the small dietary changes that will have a long-lasting powerful impact on their health and weight.

Here are the five best things you can do to improve your health:

1. Stop drinking soda. Don’t say you are “cutting back” or you only drink one or two a week. STOP. None of them are good for you and the research is out there for you to read.
2. Cut down on salt, even if you don’t currently have high blood pressure.
3. Eliminate the worst food that you currently eat. Come on…you know what it is. Mine was pizza. Unless you make it yourself, “healthy pizza” is an oxymoron.
4. Drastically cut down on fast food. If it can be passed through a window it is NOT good for you! Period.
5. Eat more vegetables. Ever notice how few meals in restaurants include real vegetables? That tiny bit of lettuce drowned in dressing does not count!

Again, lessons from a fat lady. But I am carrying around a lot of very OLD fat from the days when the golden arches were still on my friends list. Once you are fat it takes a while to change that, especially if you reach the age where metabolism and the ability to exercise are at an impasse. I know that sounds like just another excuse, but talk to me after you have had three major operations, two accidents, and two conditions that inhibit your ability to move quickly. I have only lost twenty-five pounds the slow steady way, but I also feel better and I am rarely sick. I seldom even have a headache. Most of my current medical problems are hereditary. So I will work on increasing my movements. You work on eating better food. And stay away from the hucksters. 

Fragile

The news of three deaths came to me this week. A great friend and colleague of a friend died of a heart attack at 66. My best friend’s former student died at the tender age of 12. A long-time friend posted yesterday that her beloved 94-year-old father went home to be with the Lord.

I also have at least a dozen people on my daily prayer list who are suffering from pain, disease, and emotional distress. Several of them may soon be taken from us.

There are people in my home community and also my work community who are still recovering from recent disasters.

There are many people within my circle of friends who are in damaging relationships that are causing them distress and grief.

What makes us think we can take advantage of other people?

What makes us think we can take our friends and family members for granted?

What makes us think we will always have what we have?

What makes us think we will have another chance tomorrow to make amends or do the right thing?

What makes us think we can live in this world without the help of God?

We are such fragile creatures after all.

Psalm 57:1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

Perhaps the answer lies in those last few words. We often seek God’s guidance in times of disaster, but when the trouble has passed we return to our wicked ways.

Better to seek guidance each day, regardless of our circumstances.

Better to treat those around us with love and respect.

Better to live each day as though it were the last one you might be blessed to enjoy.

A Sense of Adventure

There are a lot of things about my father that I don’t understand. There are many topics which we no longer discuss because we have “agreed to disagree” and leave it at that. He is after all, a guy. And there are things that guys do that boggle the minds of women, no matter what or how long the relationship.

However, yesterday when he came to discuss his plans for an upcoming “road trip” I not only understood him, but we were in perfect agreement. Of course he should go! Yes, he is 82 years old. Yes, it will be a difficult journey in some respects. Yes, I will worry a bit while he is gone. Yes, I wish he had someone to travel with him- not for safety, but for companionship and enjoyment. But I do not think any of those are valid reasons for him to sit at home and watch old movies. There are things he wants to see and do and if he has the time, money, and energy then he should do them. I think he is still in possession of most of his mental faculties, despite our disagreement on some subjects. He is in relatively good health. He has decades of road experience. And he knows this might be his last chance to have one more adventure. Perhaps next year his mind or health or finances won’t be as good.

My father has always had a sense of adventure and a love of the road. When I was a child we went on “Sunday drives”, weekend fishing or camping trips, and summer “adventures”. They definitely weren’t vacations! We were usually moving somewhere or making a hurried trip to Oklahoma to visit with family and friends. He loved to see new places and do new things, and of course tell stories about them afterwards. I often wonder if he would have been able to stay in Caddo and let Mom have the security and stability she craved if he had not driven a truck for a few years. It was the only way to satisfy his gypsy blood and have that sense of adventure without moving from place to place!

Dad must have inherited his sense of adventure, because his parents were certainly brave travelers. They left for California in the forties and lived in a tent until they established a new life there. Later they traveled throughout the state and of course drove or flew back to OK for visits.

I suppose the fact that I have moved 51 times and visited thirty-six states reveals my own gypsy disposition. During the years that Gary drove a truck I enjoyed my summer travels with him. Though I love having a home base and the security of friends and family around me, I get restless sometimes and need my own road trip! So, I cheer my father’s continued confidence and sense of adventure and I await some great stories of the road! 

Moving the Furniture

As many of you know I spent the first half of my life moving…a lot. So sometimes I have the urge to move the furniture around just to get a different perspective on things. Since I didn’t have a lot planned for this weekend I did just that! I didn’t move much, just a few book shelves, but it made enough of a difference that Gary noticed as soon as he came home.

Sometimes it’s good to “move the furniture” in our minds as well. We are all guilty of sticking with an idea or habit or path out of pride or stubbornness. However, “that’s the way I’ve always done it” isn’t a valid reason for continuing something. I’m as prone as anyone to be set in my ways. You know I’m not the most enthusiastic person about new ideas and new gadgets and new procedures. But I usually see the light if there is one and I persevere through transitions. I may not be flexible, but maybe I’m bendable if necessary.

A couple of people have presented some new ideas to me recently and they deserve consideration. A few new challenges have made me adjust several of my teaching methods. Some changes in our family dynamics have caused me to think more seriously about how the next few years will impact those I love. And a comment by my father has me thinking about planning something totally different for next year’s vacation.  So…moving a little furniture here and there. I don’t want to just stick with the familiar and mindlessly go about my business if there is a more thoughtful, creative way to live my life. 

Rest-Relaxation-Rain

I don’t have big plans for the weekend.

I don’t have a dozen projects to complete.

I don’t even need to buy groceries.

I don’t have to leave the house unless I choose to.

Weekends like this are rare and so appreciated.

Plus I may get the added bonus of enjoying some rain.

Blessings and more blessings!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

(BTW- this butterfly was on the flowers when I got home yesterday. Took these photos before I even took off my shoes! This was one HYPER butterfly. Never did sit still. Never stopped flapping its wings desperately fast. I finally shot these in “sports mode”. Lol)

Garbage In- Garbage Out

I don’t remember when it was popular. I don’t even remember who used the phrase. I’m old and my memory is often clogged with too much information. However, I do recall that long ago one of my Sunday school teachers often reminded us that watching trashy movies, speaking foul words, reading worthless drivel, and listening to hateful music lyrics was like filling our brains with garbage. Eventually, just like a leaking bag, our actions and words would reveal what we had been stuffing into our heads.

That phrase came to me last night when I perused the television shows available at 7pm. Not one thing worth watching! So I went outside to water my plants, watch the cows, think, and take a photo of the sunset.

What is disturbing to ponder is how many people not only watched the programs offered, but were eager to do so. 

Far Too Much Information

A few people have made the comment lately that one of the major challenges we have in education is “What should we teach?” There is simply too much history and science and math and technology information available! We can’t possibly hope to cram it all into one little brain in eight or twelve or even twenty years. Here is my answer:  “Why would we want to?”

No one needs to know everything there is to know.

We need to know the basics of our common history and culture.

We need to know how to solve problems and survive in an ever-changing world.

We need to know how to get along with each other.

We need to know how to make a living.

We need to know how to be a responsible citizen.

We need to know how to find information.

We need to know that we don’t know everything and that school is simply the foundation for a life-long pursuit of knowledge.

Our goal in education should not be to teach our children everything, but to instill in them the desire and the ability to continue to teach themselves. 

Merit Pay

I know it is difficult for business people to understand why schools can’t just produce a great teacher who in turn produces great students, who by their very presence create great schools. Sounds feasible. After all, every teacher in every school starts off with the same basic ingredient- a child, who has been raised by loving, nurturing parents in a safe, secure, comfortable home. They come to us with all of the basic skills they need and we just improve on them- like adding accessories and perhaps a little “bling” to a great product.  And every state, well almost every state, is teaching the Common Core curriculum now and should have the same goals and expectations. The only differences will be in how they test since each was given the option to choose one of two methods of testing. Oh, and some schools let teachers have thirty students apiece, while others think fifteen is enough. And there might be a few other differences here and there depending on administrations, and school boards, and parents, but basically every teacher is doing the same thing. So it only makes sense that we should expect each one to be the best that they can be and give them some extra money to show how happy we are with their performance!

Merit pay works well in many industries. If you produce 1,000 Gidget-Gadgets in an hour and the guy next to you only produces 865, then obviously you are doing something better and should be rewarded for it. If your product works correctly the first time, and every time and isn’t recalled, give yourself a pat on the back. Your company is doing a great job! Bring on the bonuses…

If you are thinking “apples and oranges” right now, you are correct. Doesn’t quite work that way when you are dealing with human beings, so let’s reflect for a moment on a profession that DOES deal with us flawed and frail humans.

My doctor is a great guy. He has degrees and he’s been practicing medicine for years. Goes to workshops and volunteers each year for special projects. Works overtime. Buys his own equipment. He’s a member of some great organizations dedicated to improving medical care. But I hear his statistics aren’t the greatest- some of his patients aren’t even healthy. Their tests results aren’t good. Once in a while one of them fails to respond to his care and actually dies. Obviously he is doing something wrong. He might need to improve his bedside manner or learn a second language so he can communicate better. Maybe he could install a smart board in one of his examining rooms and produce charts and graphs of what patients are supposed to do, or show videos about the latest health issues. Maybe he needs to insist that they take the medicine he prescribes, or perhaps he could hire a trainer to lead exercises classes in the afternoons and bring in a chef to give cooking classes so his patients will quit eating junk food. There has to be something he can do to get better, more consistent results from his patients.

It will be time for my checkup in a few weeks and I have to have several tests. I know he has told me repeatedly that I need to lose twenty pounds, but I still haven’t. He has suggested that I eat less and exercise more. He’s even specifically told me I need to eat less sugar and salt and stay away from fast food chains. And I have these pills that I’m supposed to take to regulate my blood pressure and cholesterol. So much to do and remember! I’m a very busy person and I don’t always have time for all that exercise stuff. Sometimes I eat very little during the day and too much at night. Sometimes I even forget to take my medicine. So I’m a little anxious about my tests. Sometimes my numbers are good and sometimes not-so-good. But I know that if I fail my tests next month it will be HIS fault. It’s his duty to make me understand and make me do the things he has told me to do. Poor guy probably isn’t going to get a bonus based on my test results. The insurance company might even decide to stop paying him if my numbers don’t improve soon. 

Looking for Wild Things

I drove over to my neighbor’s house on Saturday to drop off something for her. On the way I noticed an abundance of thistles at the side of the road and of course didn’t have the “big” camera with me. I could have used my purse camera, but it is really not great for close-ups. So yesterday afternoon I drove down the road again, camera in hand, to look for thistles and other wild things.

I took a few photos, but it wasn’t until I returned home that I really found wild activity. Who knew there was going to be a butterfly and bird gathering at the Maurer house?  And while I was photographing one of the butterflies, a rabbit came around the corner to see what I was doing. He ignored me and went straight to a wild section of the flower bed behind me for a little afternoon snacking.

My only regret of the afternoon was that there was a lovely black butterfly that I was unable to photograph. He kept landing in the shadows and then flew off and out to the pasture. Perhaps he will return soon. 

What did your great-great-grandfather do during the war?

That’s a question you are unlikely to see on an elementary social studies test.

I’ve been reading the new Oklahoma C3 (College, Career, Citizen) Standards for Social Studies and I found the third grade standards, which emphasize Oklahoma History, particularly interesting. Here is the introduction:

“In the third grade, students begin a focused study of the state of Oklahoma. The historic strand introduces selected Oklahomans who have been important in the development of the state and creates an appreciation for the many peoples who have settled in Oklahoma. In the geography strand students explore the physical and political features of the state including its natural resources.  In civics students examine the structure of local governments and the state government.  In the economic strand students explore how Oklahomans have used their natural resources to create a prosperous and growing economy.”

That sounds great and the goal of the standards is to ensure that students are aware of the noteworthy people and events that played a significant part in the creation of our state.  However, I would like to offer a suggestion about what I believe is a major flaw in our approach to teaching history. As a preface to that, here is the beginning of the standard for third grade Oklahoma history:

History Literacy

Content Standard 4: The student will analyze the significant events and historic personalities contributing to the development of the state Oklahoma.

1. Understand and describe the relationship between historic events and chronology through the creation of basic timelines. (CCRIT 3)

 

In the fifth grade my class did an extensive study of the Civil War. We spent at least a month reading books, writing reports, drawing maps, and having discussions. We learned about the many reasons for the war. We studied the generals and battles. We learned important dates. We discussed the aftermath of the war. I found it interesting, but in a detached “just another chapter” sort of way. Like all of the history lessons taught throughout my school years and probably during yours, it was taught as though it happened to a bunch of strangers who lived a long, long time ago and it had nothing to do with me! I was an adult before I learned that my great-great-grandfather not only fought in the Civil War, but was injured and lost his hand. I can only imagine how much more excited I might have been about our study of the war if I had had that information in the fifth grade. It never occurred to me that my family had had any part in the war, and yet it should have occurred to my teacher to point out that each of us must have had a family member alive during that time period and affected in some way by the war.

All of our ancestors were a part of history and yet we only give time and study to the ones that got the most publicity! We teach children about the big events and the “historic personalities” but we never take history to the local, personal level that might really make a difference to them. No matter what event or time period we care to study, your family and mine were doing something and they were affected by world and national and state events. I think a timeline of history, especially state history, would be more interesting to students if it included an understanding of where their ancestors were and what they were doing at the time. Researching family history no longer requires countless hours searching through documents at the court house or peering at microfilm. With the internet and a little information from their parents students can access lots of family data online. Just knowing where their ancestors were located might make a huge difference in their understanding of history. I wish I had known while I was still in school that my ancestors lived on property next to the Boone family in Kentucky and helped settle the area. And I wish I had known that one of my ancestors was the first tax assessor of Hunt County, Texas. I wish I had known that after the war my great-great-grandfather became a constable for Caddo.

History, and our enthusiasm for studying it, can change dramatically if we understand that it is our history.