The Budding Optimist

According to the ancient Greeks, there are 7 basic types of love. There's love that encompasses general goodwill to all of humanity ( agape ); love that is rooted in duty ( pragma ); love that is based on friendship ( philia) ... There's also love that is familial - storge . I find myself wondering how the Greeks would characterize love of family members that is also rooted in duty?                                                                 Yesterday, we celebrated my Dad's 78th birthday. He asked for the same thing he asks for every birthday and every Father's Day: for the family to watch a video of his choosing together.  One year, it might be a video about how the earth is only 5,000 years old.  The next year, it might be one about how the complexity of the human eyeball proves unequivocally that God created the earth. Last night, it was a video filmed at his mega-church about how "the Woke movement is anti-Biblical." I had already been descending into

There's this story in the Bible where Elijah is the one, lone prophet of God who hasn't been executed... he's managed to escape this wicked king and queen who want to eradicate the old theology and make way for new gods. Elijah is like constantly on the lam and in hiding and like, "WHY AM I HERE!?!" But he has these moments of brilliance, when all his dilly-dallying and depression fall away and it's like he's imbued with power. One such moment is a showdown between the prophets of God (read: only Elijah. that's it) and the prophets of the false gods (estimated at 450 for Baal and 400 for Asherah). Picture such a thing! Lone Elijah facing down this horde of powerful prophets, with the king and all the people of the country on their side! But Elijah wins. The prophets of Baal and Asherah try to incite the power of their gods for hours, to absolutely no avail. Then Elijah's turn comes. He asks the God of the Israelites to prove to them that he exists,

This morning I woke up at 4 am, unable to return to sleep on the first day of school. Too many nerves. So instead, I thought about dharma,  or our calling and purpose in life. Most teachers are women, I suppose because we're seen as more nurturing. I think you can be nurturing and still be a feminist. So here are my thoughts, courtesy of insomnia... Ask me what I mean when I tell you I'm a feminist. "Bra-burning excuse-making man-hating harpy!" That's too easy. That's a trope. I mean I broke free from the ideas forced in youth: That a woman's purpose is to love and support a man. Cannot bear his own children (so you must) Cannot be his own "helpmate" (so you must) God created man to rule and to provide. A woman's place is by his side -- Complementing. Complimenting. Only -- Years passed. No one's life was less without me in it. I had failed my Woman's role. But was it me? Or could it be the job itself? I did not ask for consignment to

School starts on Monday. I didn't make any super-tight friends in my 9 months at the high school, but there have been a couple of good people who texted me, checking to see how I'm doing as I head into my 16th year of middle school. One promised she was moving to Florida at the end of this academic year, so I could have her position when she vacates. In response, I sent her this meme: You could not pay me enough money to move to Florida. I mean it. If someone offered me six figures and the chance to teach at an inner-city school, I still wouldn't do it. So, here I sit, ready to start teaching 7th and 8th grade in the Midwest again. At least the other teachers seem nice. I take back everything I said about the department head's beard; he is a lovely human being. As is usual with me, everyone I immediately dislike, I end up adoring, and everyone I have an instant affinity for, I end up loathing. It really doesn't do a lot toward encouraging me to trust my instincts. A

I am pleased to report that now I can make it through an entire hot yoga class without lying down on my mat in consternation even once! Progress, indeed. I thank my newfound bad-assery for this. This came from travel, and as I traveled this summer, the largest group of other travelers I came across were Germans. Germans love holidays, which must mean they are especial badasses. "How long are you traveling for?" one of my German roommates in the Zagreb hostel asked. "About 2 1/2 weeks," I said. "Why? You're a teacher. Why wouldn't you just spend the whole summer traveling?" It seemed self-evident to all of them that if one is given 10 weeks of unpaid holiday, one should find a way to travel for the entirety of the 10 weeks. Perhaps Germans get paid better than American school teachers? In the absence of unlimited funds, I decided to take a different tack: I would simply move to Europe, thereby making it easier to travel around Europe! I began applyi

After traveling around a bit in the last decade, I have managed to come up with a few travel tips. These are mostly for me to remember, but maybe they'll help you, too :-) * Pack earplugs. For me, it's the slim-fit kind, otherwise my ear canals get crushed. These will save you on the plane and in hostels or bnb's within the city center, where it's loud. * Bring a backup charger. We got one for Christmas at Persimmon one year and it saved my life on this last trip! * Everything you need should fit into a carry-on. There is no reason to bring things like a hair dryer, a steamer, a curling iron, a bunch of jewelry, etc. That's crazy-talk. You are traveling to experience a new culture, not to bring your old culture with you!! It will be so much easier to get where you need to go if you're not lugging a bunch of crap all over the place. * You need no more than 3 pairs of shoes, so choose wisely. For 2 1/2 weeks in Europe, I took sneakers, flat sandals, and water shoe