Pink Giraffe Musing

"In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years." ~Jacques Barzun I am currently teaching adults how to draw. I have been teaching this class for 11 years and my current class is one of the most enjoyable groups I have had the priviledge to work with, and I mean that sincerely. There are so many things that I LOVE about teaching adults. But, I have to admit what I like the best is that the like me, and get my jokes. They bring me treats, and best of all they tell me I am a good teacher. It is so nice to hear, because let's face it, teachers are often under appreciated. I have taught preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and adults; in museums, camps, art centers, schools, churches, and even my home. Mostly, though, I have taught middle school. And the person I was at the time, she loved it. They are the most quirky, funny, enjoyable people on earth (perhaps when you are not thei...

I have always had theories about my children and how they play. I wanted them to be creative, and to imagine. To pretend. I wanted to raise them in a way that would give them the longest childhood possible because let's face it, childhood is short. That sounds simple enough, but it is harder than you think. From a young age, our kids are consumers, and everything caters to them, from toothpaste to band-aids and clothes. And it seems like everything is trying to make them grow up faster. Movies, music, tv shows. I really just wanted my kids to be kids, not consumers. And so, I sheltered them in many ways; we stayed home a lot, and we played and danced, painted, squished play-doh, made forts, and went for walks where we smelled the flowers. My friends will tell you, there we many days I was ready to bang my head against the wall, but these years that I have been at home when the kids were at home, have been a precious joy and I am thankful they have had to opportunities to play free...

In May I wrote this...... "I wish I was a runner, but I am not a runner. First of all, it is hot here. And second of all, I don't like to run, at all....not for long distances. I wish I did....it is cheap and accessible, but I am not self motivated enough to be a runner. This I know." But, I guess that isn't true after all. Because, I have been running. Not a lot. Not fast. And, I am not great at it. But I am running. I may never run a marathon, and I am fairly certain that I don't aspire to, but I can run. Just a little. Enough. Sometimes, there is something childlike about running. Joyful even. When my bunions aren't killing me, anyway. If there is a breeze, and it isn't a zillion degrees, a good song is on, and I have just passed a patch of honeysuckle, I want to close my eyes and turn in circles and sing....I don't, but I feel like at some point while I am running most days. As a mother, what I think I like best about running is that for however lo...

Mark Twain said, "You can live for two months on a good compliment". I think he is right. When someone says something to you that is positive, and meaningful, and touches your heart, no matter what else comes your way, that little speck of praise will carry you far, and may even add a little spring to your step. When I started this journey (boot camp), I said I wasn't doing it to lost weight. In fact, when I filled out my form for boot camp I said that I wanted to get stronger. And I did, and I have. So, I lost 20 lbs. along the way, and I will take that, gladly. In fact, I would like to lose 10 more, well really 12, if I am being honest. :) That being said I have not lost a pound since the end of June, and I am okay with that too. Despite weight loss and muscle tone gain, what has really awed and amazed me has been my interactions with people, and their "take" on the "new me". I have been encircled by positive people in the form of coaches and friends...

I am not a beach girl. I do not enjoy sand, or heat, let alone the two together all day long every day for several days in a row. That being said, we just went to Florida. To "the beach", as they say in Georgia. Amelia Island, Florida. Beautiful place. Quiet, old town with lots of interesting history (pirates, Native Americans and the oldest working bar in Florida) and best of all, not a busy beach. I am not a beach girl, and if I have to go to the beach, I am surely not going to a busy beach. I like the enjoy the nature, the majesty, the beauty when I am at the beach. Not people. I can people watch everywhere else. Once, before kids, maybe even before we were married, my husband and I got up and went to the beach by the Cape Hatteras lighthouse at 6 am to see the sunrise. We were THE ONLY people on the beach. That is how I like it. Talk about feeling small. WOW. If I had the choice between the beach and say, an art show in Boston in January, I am pretty sure I would pick the...

Well, I couldn't quit. I just couldn't. I wasn't ready to be done, and I really can't figure out what I will do next in terms of fitness, and I don't want to do nothing with as hard as I have worked to get where I am now. I have some Kathy Smith videos, really VHS tapes, and a working VCR, but I don't think that is going to work for me. Like I said before, I am not coordinated, and aerobics videos are just not my thing (not to mention that my kids watch me and mock me). Some 1985 video is just not a sustainable workout program for me at this point. I wish I was a runner, but I am not a runner. First of all, it is hot here. And second of all, I don't like to run, at all....not for long distances. I wish I did....it is cheap and accessible, but I am not self-motivated enough to be a runner. This I know. Starting out, my goal was simple. Get stronger. Be able to do push-ups. And May seemed far away, and all of a sudden it is May. A fellow bootcamper told me ab...

The last day of the Boot Camp Weight loss challenge was today. I have to admit to happiness with my accomplishments (14.5 inches lost and 10 lbs lost), but a great deal of sadness, because despite hating to work out, I really like boot camp. If that makes any sense. I mean, if it were up to me, I would never work out, really. It doesn't make me feel so great that I can't live without it, and if there was a way to get around it, I would. But I can't, so I won't, I hope. And, like I have said before, I love chili cheese nachos, beer, and I really, really, really love pizza, like I could eat it every single day kind of love. I really could. YUM. I don't like vegetables, except celery. Not really. I eat them. I make myself. And, I tell my kids, I don't like this but I know it is good for me, and so I eat it. I hope that will make some impression on them that food is not just about taste, but about fuel, and about health. But, me a vegetarian, never. But back to boot...