Lesson #1:
“Mama look. Someone put lipstick on him.”
Frankie and I stop in the back alley to appreciate some neighbourhood artist’s addition to an already welcoming face. I wouldn’t have noticed the new detail had he not stopped us on route. We pass this log on the way to the grocery store pretty much daily. I look more closely.
“Oh! They also gave him a tongue!” I add.
“Good eye,” my nine-year-old compliments and I feel like a winner. Pay attention Natalie.
Lesson #2:
An 11-year-old boy spent 30 minutes on this pipe cleaner creation. Everyone else had given up on what seemed an impossible task. Most of the kids, ranging from 7 to 12, pivoted and chose to make lovely holiday ornaments. A twisted tree or a wreath. But Peace Boy was committed to the assigned task — a challenge. As he pinched and maneuvered the uncooperative wire over and over we talked about what he liked to read.
“Mythology.”
When I asked the group what a metaphor was he looked up from his work and said, “A hypothetical. A what if.” Then back to securing that stubborn cursive “e.”
The commitment to craft. The creative word play. I am his student. He is my teacher.
Lesson #3:
We are looking forward to post-Christmas downtime.
We’ll make gauntlets from good quality slime. The soul stones from Avengers: Endgame will be hewn from plastic berries. Thanos has nothing on the power inherent in a kid with time on his hands.
In this busy month of deadlines and get-togethers my life profs are presenting me with new material to consider:
Details. Persistence. Creative license.
The kids are all right.
Thanks for reading Good Enough and listening to Reframeables. Both are platforms I’m investing a lot of time and energy into. I want to keep growing this learning community because — for me — doing it alone isn’t an option. Thanks for sharing.