Listen, child.

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
~Shel Silverstein

I remember receiving a copy of the author's book, A Light in the Attic, for Christmas when I was about ten years old.  I still have it.  It now finds its home on a shelf in my classroom.  I share his poetry often, but I don't talk about Mr. Silverstein the person much.  The fact that he was a prominent cartoonist for Playboy might just be a tidbit of information that some parents find offensive.  I can understand why.  Nevertheless, his works delight my students.  They engage me as well.  If you think carefully on his words, you realize that often his message was written to adults. 

The Little Boy and the Old Man

Said the little boy, “Sometimes I drop my spoon.”
Said the old man, “I do that too.”
The little boy whispered, “I wet my pants.”
“I do that too,” laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, “I often cry.”
The old man nodded, “So do I.”
“But worst of all,” said the boy, “it seems
Grown-ups don’t pay attention to me.”
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
“I know what you mean,” said the little old man.

I know.  No commentary is needed.  It's a sad reminder to pay attention to those around us...to make sure those who matter in our lives realize that they matter.  You may never have another chance to say I love you.  I don't want to live with that regret.

I'm trying to be more cognizant of the things around me too, and I'm finding it's possible to discover happiness in the unlikeliest of places.  For instance, even the print on my shampoo bottle amused me this morning.  I have naturally curly hair...which is often worn straight these days.  However, when I'm in the mood for my curls I use a product that's described as "totally twisted" (just like my hair after a shower!). I never noticed these words on the label before: "I'm deliciously bent and your hair is, too."  Shazam!  I love that sentence! After my Herbal Essence experience, I traveled (with family in tow) to Columbia to a Love and Logic introductory seminar hosted by my friend, Dawn Brown.  She is a fabulous Education Consultant whom I met about ten years ago on the University of Missouri campus.  (I've 'brought' her to 'my' school for professional development several times over the years.  She is a doll.  She is also amazingly intelligent and insightful and funny.  A day with her is never a disappointment!)  The event was held at one of the restaurants owned by her husband...Sophia's.  Lovely place!  I left invigorated.  Already my parenting strategies have experienced some adjustments, and I'm ready to make some changes in my classroom management practices before school begins.  I think I'll call this progress.

Following lunch, the girls found their own adventures at Bass Pro.  Ally made and painted a birdhouse, while Lane pretended to be tied to a cart (and yelled loudly throughout the store, "Call the cops!  Call the cops!").

Next, we traveled to Rockbridge State Park. 

    

Exploring Devil's Icebox

Our very own Terabithia ~

a place for skipping stones and stirring with sticks

and discovering evidence that we are not alone.

(deer and raccoon tracks along the water)

As we left the "wilderness" I caught sight of this tree.  I did not take time to count the rings and determine its age at cutting.  I know for sure, however, its age does not rival that of the tree I was yet to discover a bit later.

Once out of the woods and no longer under the umbrella of dense foliage, the blue of the sky was pleasantly shocking.  I took these pictures with my phone.  I cannot imagine how much more intense the colors would have been if only they had been captured with more elaborate equipment.  Nowhere else can you find the technicolor hues that exist in God's crayon box.  Nowhere.

This is the the tree I referenced earlier.  I had to photograph it because it appears so storybook perfect!

It is a Burr Oak tree...a massive species.  (One grows in my backyard and its crown is immense.)  From a distance, the size of this particular tree is not so impressive.  Up close, however...

...it leaves quite a different impression.  I noticed a marker beside the tree.  Sadly vandals had defaced it, but I knew there must be a story connected to this place, a place we stumbled upon by coincidence.  As it turns out, it is Missouri's largest tree.  It is estimated to be 300 to 400 years old and boasts a girth of 24 feet.  Historically, many politicians began their campaigns beneath its branches. The tragic flood of 1993 found the base of the tree submerged in 9 feet of water for six weeks.  Amazingly, this landmark survived unscathed.  This old oak knows exactly what Shel Silverstein means when he says, "...listen close to me.  Anything can happen, child.  Anything can be."