Green Oasis

I am grateful…

1. … that all the math that is involved in my current class is soaking in. I’ve finally learned how to study regularly.
2. … for the generous spirit that pervades the intertubes and leads us to share our knowledge with others. Case in point: Academic Earth.
3. … for the family-focused attitude that I learned from my own family, and yes, the Mormon church.
4. … for all the wonderful books out there, more than I’ll ever be able to read.
5. … to live without constant fear.

Humanist Mama is gearing up for Darwin Day this Thursday. (Both Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln were born 200 years ago on February 12^th.) Among other great resources, she pointed out Understanding Evolution, an excellent introduction to evolution created at Berkeley. Most people, myself included, don’t really understand what evolution is and how it works. The site explains evolution from the ground up, looks at some common misconceptions, and has lesson plans to inspire our next generation.

I am grateful…

1. … for time I had this weekend to play with my daughters and reconnect. It’s easy to forget to do.
2. … that my wife is feeling a bit better. I missed her typical vivacity.
3. … that I’m not drowning under all the math required by my class this semester.
4. … for a steady job that provides the necessities of life.
5. … that my health allows me to enjoy life.

1. I’m grateful for a newfound mindfulness. I tend to make little rules and expectations for myself like “no eating after 7 PM” or “finish everything on today’s task list”. I start having a nagging sense of dissatisfaction when I break the rules, the rules I set for myself. When I get dissatisfied, I become discouraged and tend to fall even shorter of my expectations. Recently, I’ve become more aware of this self-inflicted cycle. Self-forgiving awareness has allowed me to notice the dissatisfaction, let it wash over me, and see it dissipate in the light of my conscious awareness.
2. I’m grateful to be feeling healthy again.
3. The weather is bright and sunny. It might as well be spring. I feel a little silly wearing my sweater.
4. I am thankful that I’ve found renewed motivation in my job. I hate feeling like I’m slacking off, and yet I still do it when a task is so big or ill-defined that I don’t know where to start. Really, I should thank Thich Nhat Hanh. He said “Smile, breathe, and go slowly.” I’ve been trying to practice this at work, and I’m much more productive (despite going slowly).
5. I am grateful for the class that I was able to attend today. I am realizing that I need to brush up on some math, but I enjoy this kind of challenge.

The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.

So says Diogenes Laërtius and a monument on the side of a school in east side Buffalo, New York. I snapped this photograph while I was a Mormon missionary living on Berkshire Avenue.

I took that photograph because of the sad irony of its context; the monument was attached to a boarded-up school.

The irony was perfect, or so I thought until I saw the vacant lot where that school used to be across Bailey Avenue from the Boys & Girls Club. Sadly, I have only a little hope that it was replaced with another school.