Shaken by Beauty -

Poet (and physician) William Carlos Williams has always touched my heart and my senses. His Red Wheelbarrow and This is Just to Say are two of his more well-known pieces. The imagery is stunning, and his pieces can be read on so many different levels. 

This is a relatively new piece, to me, and again, he does not fail: 

You lethargic, waiting upon me, 

waiting for the fire and I

attendant upon you, shaken by your beauty

Shaken by your beauty

Shaken. 

On an occasional morning I sit by my window with my cup of tea, warm air coming from the heat vent, and I look out and up. Often the morning is just beginning, so I'm fortunate enough to see the clouds fade from Timpanogos, the sun lift up over the mountain. I see the sky turn from grey to blue, or to grey, I listen to the screech of foraging blue jays, and I am at peace.

I am struck by the beauty beaming in, the beauty of my world, this world, and the strength and fragility of life, of us, as we make our way in this space. 

I'm shaken. I try not to listen to, or read, the news until I have had this morning meditation. The anger, sadness, pain, frustration, fear, even cravings and irritations that I/we will experience today, that may have already happened between sleep and awakening - what do I do with the ugly, when such beauty surrounds me? I do my best to let them go. See, they will pop into my life as good and bad always does, but if I stay in the moment - in the moment I will see beauty. 

In the moment I see steam arising from my cup; I see a hot shower, a full meal, a gentle kiss, a closet full of clothes, comfortable shoes; my frailties, my failures, and the goodness that accompanies this. And if I focus on "what next," or emptiness, then woe is me for not seizing the moment to be shaken by the peace. 

This world is a morning poem, and I have but to see it to be shaken by its beauty, over and over. And I am grateful WCW had the words to express this.

http://hd.wallpaperswide.com/thumbs/sunrise___mount_timpanogos-t2.jpg

Writing Research Papers -

Over the years of teaching I have learned that my writing students gravitate toward big world topics for their research papers - expository or argumentative. The problem with this is students then take half of the semester trying to figure out what their topic is, then the last half putting off their research and writing! Eventually their papers end up to be cut-and-paste papers, because, face it, they cannot add anything new to, nor filter through, topics such as these:

Gun control
Abortion
Alternative fuels
Capital punishment
Sports (amateur, collegiate, professional)
Snowboarding/Skiing
Death Sentence
Marijuana
Homeschooling
Gaming
Mountain biking
Healthcare
College vs. Career
Immigration
GMO's
Immunizations/Vaccinations/Autism
Affirmative Action
Steroids
In-vitro fertilization
Pregnancy
Health and Exercise
Smoking

So, I've learned to assign my first semester writing students their topic - they are assigned to write about their name/s. And after giving them the correct writing tools, 90% of the students delight in this topic.

And then comes second semester writing - argumentative, and I'm faced with the issue of, "What should I write about?" I introduce the semester by asking my students what they're passionate about, what they think about during their free brain-time. What is it they care about. And then I encourage them to write about something they know something about but want to learn more. I want them to be enough of an expert in the area that they don't spend their time writing a cut and paste paper, but rather, they can do real research in this area. And then they struggle finding topics! I tell them this writing is not black and write or binary thinking, so they can't write a list on pros and cons of . . . but they need to explore their topic, all sides, and present all aspects of their topic, and then pick an angle.

Some of my best student papers over the years have been:

University parking
Science of happiness
Power of introverts
Need for first generation college students
Illegal immigrants and how they benefit the US
Working with hands
Anime and its influence on fine-art
College students as puppets
How to design a better higher education model
The science of getting married in Utah
We are what we eat
The benefit of sex surrogates
Small town celebrations and community
Polygamy and its benefits

I'll continue to add to both lists as the semester moves forward. In the meantime - if you could write an argumentative research paper, 10-12 pages, on something you were passionate about, what would your topic be? What would your argument be?

Sometimes I'm Afraid -

Sometimes I am afraid -
Afraid of sharing my story
Afraid of being authentic
Afraid of other's perceptions of me
Afraid of not being as good as I think I am
Afraid of my new self
Afraid of walking away from cancer
Afraid of cancer always being with me
Afraid of having missed my moment
Afraid of not seeing my moment
Afraid of living by rules
Afraid of pushing myself too much
Afraid of . . .

Most of the time I'm confident - I think.

Something to Laugh With - Spam

If you haven't seen the Netflix special, "Tig," do so. I laughed and I squirmed. Sometimes cancer is still uncomfortable for me. But, she's great, funny, deep.

On the other hand - if you want to laugh outloud and don't have Netflix, watch this hilarious TED talk on Spam mail. Have you ever wanted to reply? Oh my goodness -

I've had a lovely weekend; on to the 2nd week of the semester!!!

Beulah Petersen - Rest in Peace -

A dear friend of mine passed away on Sunday. Beulah Petersen, Brigham City, UT, contracted pneumonia, was hospitalized on Christmas day, and passed away 9 days later. Beulah was 94 years old. Her husband, Vern, passed away in July, 2004.

Beulah was my children's Grandma Beulah; Vern was their grandpa. Beulah was my answer to prayers (I was in a terrible depression, kneeling in my living room to pray for help. I said "amen," there was a knock on the door. It was Beulah, saying she felt prompted to stop. I needed her.).
Beulah was my higher education cheerleader ("I went to school when I was older with a family, so can you. You're never too old to get an education."). Beulah taught me how to be nice. Beulah taught me to own my story (She had married, reared a family, divorced, married Vern.). Beulah was curious (We attended a woodworking class together!). She didn't apologize or "I wish," she moved forward. Beulah taught me that friendship spans the years and knows no age. She taught me how to be strong in the face of adversity (She was a 2 time cancer survivor).

I could continue, but my heart is sad, and it's tough to write about Beulah. Although she lived a rich long life, I will miss her, deeply.

Good-bye my friend. I love you.

Hygge -

I don't take making or keeping resolutions lightly. I'm a fan of progression, being better, being more, striving harder, setting a goal, getting on the path, and making the journey happen. Last year's resolution was living well, fighting like hell, and being more self-aware without being selfish. 

This year's resolution comes from Lao Tzu - “Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” Quite the change from 2015, but I'm really ready to just be steady - stay in the moment, be happy with what I have and where I am. And believe me, this is going to take a lot of conscious work! 

While I've been studying Buddhism, Zen, Mindfulness these past few years, I realize how void my life is of emptiness - serene clear space for goodness to flow into my life. Now - goodness is abundant, but I typically acknowledge and move on. I want to absorb, be, assimilate that goodness, and wallow in its every day beauty, and not be overly anxious when routine is just that, routine. 

I'm a fan of Tiny Houses, and my fantasy is to retire to one, some day, where everything is within reach, no clutter, no extras, no need for more. And while I'm certainly not there, I study and dream and remove. I've been reading about Hygge lately. An amazing philosophy brought to me by the Danes, those people I so admire for their clarity of thought, language, and approach. For me, Hygge, represents domestic bliss and respect. And I'm not talking just about one's home - but about one's demeanor, one's environment, where satisfaction, respect, pleasure happen in the every day. I want to enjoy good simpleness in life with good simple people. And where better to start, than right here, right now, this year. 

I believe that when I focus on the routines, patterns of the daily, I can find joy in making them "tradition," and then no longer are they just routine, drudgery, or "something I do." I also believe that when life becomes complicated, I become similar, and patterns and ways are too messy to sort out or through, and relationships and self falter. 

So, come along with me this year, as I write about joy in the being while I'm on that journey. Help me be - Hygge, I'm on it! 

Yesterday I had great joy in napping in the sun, drinking tea while my honey drinks hot chocolate, and enjoying a Netflix series, "Dicte," and the house in this show. 

2016 Resolutions -

Practice Love, Live in Gratitude, Show Respect, Nourish Life, Stay Fit. 

There you go - 2016's Resolutions. And yours? 

“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu