Needs vs Wants

Thought for the day:

Appreciate what you have.

“It’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you have.”

Those words are so true, and make me think.

I think we waste a lot of time thinking about, working for and being envious over things we do not have. It is just a waste of time and energy. Most of us have plenty when you consider what are the essential needs for a happy healthy life. As I see it, we all need food, shelter, faith and love. These are the ingredients for a happy life; everything else is surplus.

Don’t get me wrong; I like my surplus. Life is easier and more pleasant because I don’t have to struggle to pay my bills and put food on the table. I enjoy having nice things. I think we would all be happier though if we would regularly take time to ‘take stock’ of our needs and wants. That is to recognize how very fortunate we are.

Montessori

In the classroom this is also a very worthwhile practice. It is valuable to look at the classroom and realize what is necessary and what is surplus. When we do this we we find there are lots of things in the environment that are not needed. Children do better with fewer and clearer choices. When a 3 or 4 year old looks at a cluttered shelf with too many choices it is hard to choose an activity. If we take the time and thought to clear out the surplus and focus on the necessary elements in the classroom we will make it easier for the children to make good choices.

Routine

I went on a six day and night trip with my wonderful daughter. We had some interesting chance encounters, a lot of good time to visit with friends and loved ones, and great mom/daughter bonding time.

I like getting away from my routine for just long enough to start missing my routine.

Thought for the day:

Routine is good. I notice that I miss familiar things, places, people and the things I do without much thought when I am away form home for more than four days or so.

Familiarity of our surroundings is comforting to young and old alike. It is nice to be able to flip on a light switch, push out a chair or close a door without looking or thinking much. In my own home these small actions I have done hundreds of times become part of my ‘muscle memory’. I push the chair out after breakfast with just enough lift to get over the worn spot in the carpet that has developed over months and years of routine use. The chair and carpet in the hotel or restaurant do not feel and respond in quit the same. I reach and find a light switch that I know is to the right as I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and falter; it is just a bit higher or lower than I thought. Returning home is comforting. Waking up in my own bed is a welcomed feeling after even the best of vacations. Going away from home makes me appreciate home all the more.

Montessori:

Routine in any classroom is important and useful to the teacher and children. Transition from one activity to another is often hard for preschool children. Routine helps to ease the children into the necessary transition throughout the day. In the Montessori environment children thrive on predictable routine. This is not to say the children are not able to be flexible and can’t benefit from the occasional variance from the familiar. Early in the school year routine will help the three year old that has not yet developed a sense of time to know that soon after the second time we sing songs mom will be coming. This can be very comforting to a child with separation issues. If the routine is unpredictable the child my have more anxiety for a longer period of time.

The young child knows what she DOES, not what you SAY she will DO. That is to say, if mom comes soon after you sing for the second time three days in a row, it is much more comforting to the child than hearing you say, ‘your mom will be here soon’. SOON is an abstract concept the child may not have developed yet. ‘Doing’ is ‘knowing’ at this literal time of life. ‘Telling’ is just not as meaningful to the very young child.

“Kids these days…”?

Good Morning Blog Readers

I appreciate your time and effort to visit this Blog. Thank you so much for dropping in to share a little bit of your life with me. Hope you enjoy this entry.

I am on the second day of a Road Trip with my daughter. We are having some great mom/daughter bonding time. It is such a gift to me that I get to spend this one on one time with her. Young people like her have such a fresh and non-corrupted view of the world and what people and activities have to offer. I always learn great lessons when I spend time with someone much younger than myself. Really, that is true of people much older than myself too.

I think we get stuck sometime in our own ‘dramas’ or ‘life circumstances’ that it is refreshing to spend time with people that are in a different stage of life than ourselves. I have to say something here; I have always disagreed with the statements that start with,

“kids these days….”! They usually are disparaging remarks about younger people. I feel that people are people and that our perspective changes as we age—as it should. I find that now that I am in my 50’s I have a much different perspective on life than young people—not that young people these days are less or more respectful, or more or less driven—it is just that my focus and tolerance level has increased or decreased as the case may be—therefore it ‘seems’ like young people have changed a lot. This all makes perfect sense to me—I have no idea if it will to any of my readers—let me know please?

Montessori:

The above statements are so true in the Montessori environment. How else could we be following the principles laid out for us by a women from Italy, many decades ago. I believe that children are children and child development is child development. The basics of how children behave, learn and develop are the same now as they have always been. The basics of what a child needs to grow up happy, independent and productive are the same now as they have always been. The world however is changing all the time and it is up to us to stay vigilant to how the outside world affects our children. Good principles and common sense is always a good idea—in so much of what life sends our way.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Road Trip

This morning was gorgeous; I took a walk around 7:30 this morning and had a cool breeze, birds, and sunshine to keep me company. The walk was restoring in several ways. I cleared my mind from the busy thoughts of packing and cleaning that were taking up my room in my head starting very early in the morning.

My daughter and I are on a road trip as I am typing this message. We will be visiting 5 states in 5 days to see friends and relation in the Midwest. I love road trips! They do not come with the same stresses that travel by plane has these day. I like being able to through in an extra pair of shoes and my nail clippers without worrying if I put them in the wrong bag. I also like seeing these great states of ours at ground level. As the typography changes I appreciate the gifts that each state has to offer. The changes come to me more slowly and are easier to take in on a car trip.

Thought for the day:

Don’t Worry—Be Happy??? That sound simple and good, but, do you notice like I do that people who manage to not ‘worry’ about things also tend to be the ones that do not care deeply about thing either.

Someone told me the other day that I ‘worry’ too much. It got me thinking—how did he presume to know if I was worried or just voicing well placed concern about the topic. What the topic was is not important, but, I feel there is a lesson to learn here. I think we would all be happier if we listened to each other more and assign judgments or meaning to the words less. Try to really listen to each other and not assume we know what the other person, “quote”, “unquote”, means. If we took each other at face value and did not try to ‘infer’ meaning we would have much better communication. This is one of those, take it or leave it moments—think about it before you decide if you agree—then I will ‘take you at your word’ and not ‘infer’ that you do not really understand you or me would agree!

Montessori:

Last night I was asked a very familiar question—“What is Montessori—is it just for daycares and preschool?"

I love it when I get to answer that question! I should tell you the setting, I was in the middle of my Tuesday evening quilting class. A fellow quilter who is the mother of 3 young children asked the question. My answer began this way; I told her that here in Omaha we have Montessori education up through middle school in both public and private settings. I continued to tell her that I knew of high schools in several states that offered Montessori education. Then came favorite part—the opportunity to help someone that is interested understand the richness that is Montessori. I said, Montessori is a philosophy, you could set up a sewing room in your home using the principles of Montessori.” Well, that really got a good conversation started. I briefly explained that Maria Montessori studied science, became a doctor and observed children to develop what we call the Montessori Philosophy. We can apply her principles of order, control and a prepared environment to anything we care to do. Another student, a much younger woman, said she was familiar with other programs that use order and carful preparation in areas such as healthcare to increase efficiency, productivity and accuracy in the workplace.

I smiled a lot during the remainder of that sewing class because I felt connected to those women just a little more that when the class began. When we see commonality within our differences, we get closer to one another, instead of farther apart—that was a very worthwhile experience for me, and I hope, for my fellow quilters.

The Best Things In Live are Free--is that easy to believe??

Good Morning all--and/or self--whatever the case may be!

I just took a one hour walk and only went about one and a half miles. I took my camera to 'slow myself down' and also picked up some rocks along the way--more on that later.

Walking with my camera is such a gift--I seem to see so many things that I would otherwise miss. Even if I do not take very many pictures, I seem to see more--curious?

Picking up rocks along the way serves multiple purposes. First, I get to collect rocks interesting rocks to put in the dirt around my house plants--they are more interesting to look at that just dirt. Next, I bend over a lot--therefore using muscles I would not usually exercise on a regular walk. Finally, it slows me down so that I get to be out in nature longer and not over do the walk (I'm still recovering from minor knee surgery).

On these slow, early morning walks I do some of my best thinking. I used to use head phones and listen to music or a book on CD. I much prefer the sounds of nature now. Sometimes the birds and bugs can be down right noisy--but what a nice noise is, it makes me feel peaceful and connected to the world.

Thought for the day:

"The best things in life are free." So true, but do you notice like I do, most people that 'see' life that way have money in the bank.

It is so much easier to see the good in your own life and other peoples lives when your basic needs are met and you do not have to struggle financially. I am one of the fortunate ones, as are most of the people I know. It is hard to put yourself if the eyes, ears and shoes of the person that struggles just to get by. Those are the people that could greatly benefit from seeing the wealth in free things.

On to another topic.

My 'new venture' is shaping up nicely. I have a line on two schools to become their 'music teacher' in the fall. If I could get those two and one more I would be very happy. I feel that I could keep very busy developing the program with three days in the classroom and two or three days working on lesson plans and making materials.

I have had one very productive conversation with an Elementary Music Teacher. She gave me a lot of information and good suggestions on how to go about writing a curriculum. I am anxious to get the ideas down on paper. My daughter and I are going on a 'road trip', that will give me a lot of time with my lap top while she is taking her turn at the wheel. I find I do a lot of good creative thinking when I am trapped in a car for hours and hours--I don't know why that is??

Reinventing Myself

I am back. So sorry if I disappointed anyone. I am going to do my best to blog every day for a month. It is not a promise so much as a challenge to myself. If you want to help--send me encouraging messages.

Posting messages is enjoyable for me. But reading peoples comments is really fun and interesting.

I have started my new business. This is about 5 years in the making. I was on a plane returning from a visit with my friend in San Francisco a few years ago. A very nice and interesting woman was sitting in the window seat. I was next to her. She was working on what looked to be a presentation speech of some kind. I struck up a conversation. That conversation started me on a path that has lead me to a new career. It goes to show you, we need to be open to new influences and reach out to one another. I think that includes being open to something you are not really looking for.

My new venture, Music Teacher in Montessori Schools, is proving to be a wonderfully exciting and fulfilling new venture. I think I will be good at it and I already know that I love it. I have contacted 6 Montessori Schools in my area and 2 of the Heads of School's have shown a lot of interest in what I am purposing. My goal for the first couple of years is to work 4 mornings a week, hopefully at one or two schools a day. I will plan and prepare in the afternoons and on Mondays. That will leave my weekends free. It is a plan, I hope to get enough interest to make it happen. I will also be offering to do one time "gigs" in schools to present music workshops to teacher or perform music for children. Both of which I think I am well prepared for and would enjoy doing.

I had my first job last Friday. It was simply wonderful. I enjoyed every aspect of the project. Head of School gave me the Theme and I ran with it. The ideas flowed like the swollen Missouri River. I came up with two new songs with very little effort; I made props, purchased supplies and performed the program with great success. The children were attentive, responsive, they participated and seemed to really enjoy themselves. I also got good feedback from the teachers. I could not have asked for a better start!

Well, that is enough about me. I want to ask a question of my readers.

Do you think it is healthy to "reinvent yourself" when life starts to get a little "stale"?

Now that I have asked the question, I will wait to hear your thoughts. Regardless of the result, I will answer my own question tomorrow or the next day. I hope this will interest you as much as it has me. I like thinking about this topic and I think it is good to "think outside our comfort zone" once in a while.

That is all for now. I hope to hear from some readers. (:} !!!!