Why Noah Had It Better Than We Do…

Tomorrow the “Stay at Home Advisory” will be lifted, ending eight weeks of what?  That remains unclear in the state of MA.  This morning I searched terms like, “May 18 stay at home advisory lift” in order to gain some insight, because I figured that I must have missed something.  Guess what I found?  Nothing.  In less than 24 hours,  nonessential businesses are supposed to get to go ahead to reopen (if they can afford to), but they still do not know what that will look like or if it will truly happen.

Recently, someone shared their faith based view on the COVID-19 outbreak with me.  He said that is was God’s way to punish our society, hitting the urban areas the worst where crime and amoral actions were abundant.  While it is just an opinion that is probably shared by others, obviously shaped by their knowledge of the Old Testament, it did get me to think about the stories of floods and plagues. So, I am going to compare our situation now to the Genesis story of Noah’s Ark. In this well-known bible tale, God brings a flood which destroys everything on earth.

For me, it was a no brainer…Noah, a six hundred year old man, had it better than we do.

1. Noah had a warning that the flood was coming and was able to prepare his family with everything they would need on an ark under God’s guidance. Noah had plenty of time to gather toilet paper and SpaghettiOs and pack them on his vessel.
2. Noah had his family and a bunch of animals on his ark. While cleaning up the waste from the elephants must have been a chore that they resented, they did not have to worry about logging into school/work for several hours a day and try to learn new content or produce work through a computer screen.
3. Noah did not have to be afraid every time he came within 6 feet of his family members. He could freely hug his sons and walk around without a face covering.
4. In Biblical times, the rain lasted for 40 days and 40 nights. This coronacation has lasted for 55 days. While Noah had to stay on his ark for about 150 days total, the threat of rain was gone and he could breathe a sigh of relief. When we leave our haven, our threat potentially increases, with no immediate end in sight.
5. Noah lived to the ripe old age of 950 years old! That is more than 10x longer that the average age of people who have succumbed to COVID-19 in MA (average age is 82).
6. Noah got a rainbow, a covenant that a flood like this would never happen again. Right now, all we get is the possibility of a vaccine and another outbreak next winter.

As for my opinion on COVID-19 being an act from God, I have to disagree. I have a hard time thinking that God, who loves us despite our flaws and forgives our sins, would exhibit such an intentional act of genocide. Not only that, it is our elderly, medically fragile and frontline workers who are most afflicted. Last time I checked, these people are the salt of the earth.

time.com

Back to tomorrow… an opening of some sort better happen because I feel for these small and large business owners and employees.  This is their livelihood that we are talking about.  I hope our governor can find a way to put universal precautions in place to allow these businesses to reopen.

Also, I have an appointment with my hairapist on Tuesday morning and if I don’t go, I am going to begin to look like Noah!

https://answersingenesis.org/bible-characters/noah/what-became-of-noah-and-wife/

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Magnificent Multitasking Moms!

Mothers today are being faced with a multitude of additional challenges and responsibilities.  If I had to write the job description of a mother in 2020, it might look something like this…

A mother is a provider of: 

• child, adolescent, adult and spouse care
• financial means
• medical care
• laundered clothes
• groceries, toiletries and batteries for the Xbox controllers
• meal preparation several times a day
• clean dishes 
• cleansed children
• educational instruction
• daily organization and calendar planning
• transportation or taxi services
• emotional support
• social interactions 
• disinfected home environment
• discipline and reality checks

And the list could go on!

Sunday is Mother’s Day. According to the website National Today, Anna Jarvis was the first person to successfully lobby to make it a national holiday. In order to honor her own mother who had recently passed, Anna organized the first Mother’s Day celebration in May 1908 with the financial support of department store owner John Wanamaker in Philadelphia.

What I did not know was that once it became a national holiday in 1914, and Hallmark and others began to cash in on the commercialism, Anna Jarvis spent most of her wealth on lawsuits trying to remove it from the calendar. Why?  She resented the commercialism that this holiday became.

So, here is a thought…let’s celebrate this year the way that Anna Jarvis intended.  Not the Hallmark holiday that we have become accustomed to, but rather one that truly honors the laborious love that goes into the role of being a mother today.  Let’s pay tribute to the magnificent, multitasking mothers of 2020 with some old fashioned acknowledgements.

If your mother or mother of your children is alive…

1. Save the $5.00 on the Hallmark card and consider writing her a heartfelt message on a piece of paper.  
2. Give the gift of your time. Most of us seem to have a little bit extra of this lately.  Connect via a Zoom meeting or plan a date to do something together in the future. 
3. Give her the gift of her time. Leave her alone for a few hours!  
4. Let her do whatever she wants. Give her the remote and a pillow and let her pick the show or choose the way she would like to spend the day. Moms often cater to the wishes of their family. You can cater one day to hers!

How do you plan to spend your Mother’s Day? How will you honor your mother? Do you agree that it has lost its intended meaning by becoming too commercialized?  If you are a mother, do you wish that everyone would just leave you along for a few hours instead of trying to entertain you?

Kindergarten Carjacker!

KUTV

There are not many things that I would say that I am an expert on, but five-year olds is definitely one of them.  So, you can imagine my shock when I heard about the five-year old with few dollars in his pocket, who stole his parents car and drove it for almost three miles en route to California to buy a Lamborghini. Why? His parents told him, “No! We will not buy you one.”

The story could end there, but it does not.  An empathetic Lambo owner, impressed by the boy’s determination, drove to young Adrian’s house to give the adventuresome child a ride in the ultimate sports car.  Clearly, that was a nice gesture on his part, but someone in California feels the need to one up that!  Adrian has been offered to fly to the Golden State to sit behind the wheel of the coveted vehicle and actually drive it. What’s worse is the newscaster seems to think this is a great idea!

Have you people lost your ever-loving minds?

Let’s examine the facts:

1. Adrian’s parents told him that buying a $200,000 car was not in the family budget.  One of the main jobs of a parent is to teach your children the word, “no.”  Life is all about being told that you can not have or do something that you want.  They were completely spot on with this one.
2. Adrian STOLE the keys to the family’s car while his parents were at work and his sister was asleep.  Last time I checked, stealing from anyone is wrong.
3. Adrian, the Kindergarten student, got in the car and drove it for more than 2 miles! While that is impressive, it was a miracle that no one was hurt during this escapade.  It is scary to think of what could have happened to him or someone else.
4. His parents gave him added chores as a punishment and allowed for a more appropriate interaction with a licensed owner/driver of a Lambo. (Although sitting on the lap on someone in the front seat without a seatbelt does not seem very safe to me. But that could be another post…)

10tv.com

To you, well-intending business owner in CA…Shame on you!  You are reinforcing dangerous behavior by inviting him to go to California and actually drive a car!  He is 5 years old!!!!!  Five-year olds should be playing with Hot Wheels sports cars and riding a bike with training wheels, not driving an elite sports car.  

What does this teach the impressionable young Adrian? If I don’t get what I want, then I am going to do it anyways because people will eventually give into me.  

What does this teach other potential Kindergarten Carjackers?  If I steal my parents’ car, then I can get to go and drive a hot rod too!

Wake up people!  I think we have all lost our common sense on this one.  There is nothing cute about rewarding dangerous behavior in a child.

I am just thankful that this boy goes to school in Utah!

Hey All You Cool Cats and Kittens,

Hey All You Cool Cats and Kittens,

It’s Julie here from Dreams So Big…

Breaking news for fans of the infamous Netflix series, Tiger King…Nicholas Cage will play Joe Exotic in an upcoming 8 part television series about the rise and fall of Joe. So for those who just can’t get enough, you have something to look forward to besides the daily walks and weekly visits to the grocery store.

If you have been living under a rock for the past 2 months, I suggest that you crawl out, stop reading and go watch Tiger King now.  It is worth the time.  Why?  Because it is so far removed from COVID-19, that it will take your mind off of it for a while. Not only that, the tigers, feuds, outfits (or lack there of), hairstyles and lifestyles are positively captivating, so much so that they have the whole country talking about them!

As a review or introduction, here is a quick guide to the main players in the series:

Joe Exotic’s 2018 mugshot

Joe “Exotic”- Owner of a tiger zoo and breeder of the exotic pet, currently in prison for the allegedly paying someone a few thousand dollars for a murder for hire to end Carol Baskin’s life. In addition to that, he is also a recording artist, host of his own TV show, polygamist and politician! His outrageous outfits and bleach blonde mullet make him truly memorable.

Netflix

Carol Baskin- The epitome of the crazy cat lady on steroids and self proclaimed animal rights activist.  She and Joe have an ongoing legal and internet battle over the control of the Cat Kingdom, including the rules and regulations.  Her first husband is “missing” and many claim that she killed him and fed him to her tigers.

I apologize to any family member that I am about to offend right now, but I have to admit that Carol Baskin reminds me a little bit of my paternal grandmother.  Maybe it is because they both lived in Florida, controlled their husbands and loved big cats!  My grandmother never went as far as to get a real tiger though. She just drove around with a stuffed one in the back window of her Chevy Caprice Classic.

Joe’s wedding to his two husbands.
Netflix

Other characters include Joe’s three husbands, a TV producer, loyal and not so loyal fellow tiger business owners, employees of the zoos and two greedy tiger entrepreneurs who ultimately swindle the zoo away from Joe. You can read more about them all here: Tiger King Cast Members

If you are still reading and haven’t seen it, you can watch the synopsis video. I will warn you, it does contain profanity… https://metro.co.uk/video/tiger-king-murder-mayhem-madness-trailer-2127562/?ito=vjs-link

So why is everyone facinated?

Let’s talk about the clothes…

While, I would not rank the EMT jacket my favorite, who, besides me, was wondering where Joe got the EMT jacket? Why was he conveniently wearing it when Saff’s arm was bit off? Why there was never an an explanation for it? If you want to revisit his untraditional style of clothing, you can go here for Joe Exotic’s Outfits Ranked 1 to 10.

What did happen to Carol Baskin’s husband? People want to know and in fact, many are convinced that they already do…Even Tiktok is buzzing with choreographed remixes featuring the mystery!

Joe brought back the mullet! Look… Miley Cyrus is reported to have imitated his style.

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/miley-cyrus-tiger-king-joe-exotic-mullet

Perhaps my favorite is a video from a Kindergarten teacher who is projecting what the first day of school will look like in 5 years…

Why are we all obsessed with Tiger King? I would like to say that it is because these people are so different from anyone we have ever encountered, that we are intrigued by their unique situations and character traits. Let’s face it…this story has it all, it’s no wonder Nicholas Cage wants to play Joe.

Any guesses on who will play Carol?

Happy May Day!

I bet you did not wake up this morning thinking about how you were going to celebrate this little known holiday.  

Surprise!  This is exactly what I am going to encourage you to do.  Before we do this, I want to provide you with some history of May Day first.

May Day is a public holiday to celebrate the season of Spring, although it is acknowledged differently around the world. According to nationaltoday.com, “It is a day of unity, togetherness, and rebirth; a day for everyone to come together and celebrate life as we know it!”

In the Middle Ages in England, people would celebrate by dancing around a May Pole (which symbolized male fertility) and filling baskets and wreaths full of flowers (which symbolized female fertility.) As time went on and traditions changed, a May Queen might be crowned with a tiara made from flowers.

A May Day basket was common about one hundred years ago when children would surprise neighbors and loved ones with a basket of flowers or small gifts such as candy or a card. They would place the gift on the doorstep, ring the bell and run off, leaving the recipient to discover the surprise. 

Here are some ways to celebrate May Day today. You can plant flowers or decorate your front door in bright spring colors. You could go on a nature walk, picnic, and enjoy the outdoors!

But, I am suggesting that we go old school and reignite this long lost holiday. Social distancing won’t allow us to dance around a phallic symbol, so that is out. But, how about we surprise someone with a bouquet of flowers on their doorstep with a note letting them know how much they are missed and loved?

Let’s do this!  It will satisfy two needs. Your need for change of scenery will be met when you are able to get out of your house to get and deliver the flowers.  Your recipient’s need for happiness and love will be fulfilled when his/her day is brightened by your gesture.

Who’s in?

Two More Weeks Of Social Distancing…Do The Benefits Outweigh The Risks?

Recently, Governor Baker extended the stay-at-home advisory deadline from May 4, 2020 to May 18, 2020…two more weeks!

The other day, I had the opportunity to watch the controversial, and now removed from, Youtube press conference from Dr. Dan Erickson and Dr. Arlin Massihi from California on April 22, 2020.  Top medical professionals across the country are either adamantly agreeing or disagreeing with their views.

Since you are now unable to watch it for yourself, I will try my best to share the highlights with you. Luckily, I took copious notes on their discussion because I thought I might use their information in a future blog post.  I never thought the video would be taken down by Youtube for violating “Youtube’s Community Guidelines” and this would be how I would share it with you.  

The screen which appeared on April 29, 2020

Who even knew that Youtube practiced censorship on a press conference?

You be the judge.

The video itself, which is in two parts, runs just about an hour.  The main point that they are hammering home, backed by their own research data, is that we need to begin to lift the quarantine sooner because the benefits are not outweighing the risks.

We hear everyday the multitude of reasons why we are continuing with the stay at home advisory, the main ones being to “flatten the curve” so we do not overburden our healthcare system and to protect our most vulnerable populations from infection. These doctors state that these are absolutely valid benefits to a quarantine for persons at risk, but are questioning…

“Is social isolation warranted for the healthy?”

What are the risks they refer to?  There are several secondary effects that they identified due to the increase in stress related circumstances brought on by this social distancing.

1. An increase in child abuse/molestation
2. An increase in spousal abuse
3. An increase in alcohol use
4. An increase in anxiety and depression
5. An increase in suicides
6. Loss of educational opportunity and academic skills
7. Economic downturn and personal economic strain due to job loss or furlough
8. Decrease in medical care to people with chronic conditions 
9. Loss of revenue to all non-essential businesses, including hospitals because there are no elective surgeries or medical appointments in general

Dr. Erickson and Dr. Massihi compare COVID-19 to the flu and make several references between the two illnesses including a whole bunch of data from studies they have done in their facility, as well as from government reporting agencies such as the CDC. While I do not have any numbers to share with you, they stated that there is little statistical difference in the number of infections when you look at the two diseases.  (I will also let you know that there are several medical professionals who refute their comparisons of flu and COVID with data of their own, citing that COVID is indeed much worse than the flu.)

For every other pandemic that our country has faced, the sick were the ones who were quarantined, not the healthy. They go on to further explain, our bodies need exposure to viruses and bacterias in order to build up antibodies and boost our immune health.  Otherwise, our immune systems will suffer and we will all be more susceptible to illness than we were before.

They go on to discuss the “herd immunity” and “vaccines” as the two ways our bodies will acquire antibodies to COVID-19. Herd immunity, or the number of people who have un-immunized immunity to a given illness, and a vaccine are the ways that most every medical professional is saying we need in order to resume normal activities.  We are about a year away, depending upon who you ask, from the vaccine.  The only way to get herd immunity is by being exposed.  Sounds like a Catch 22 to me!

Edited from: https://www.digitalmomblog.com/corona-memes-about-beer/

They continue on with examples of questioning why it is okay to go into the grocery store or Home Depot with a multitude of random strangers, but it is not fine to go to church or a restaurant for the same amount of time?

One possible answer, they suggest, is fear.  Fear of the unknown.  We know about the flu.  We expect it every year.  This disease is new. We don’t have the same familiarity with it and so we become fearful of what we do not know or understand.  But, they suggest that we should treat this illness in a similar fashion to how we treat the flu.  They recommend widespread testing of workers on an ongoing basis.  Those that are healthy and not at risk, should be allowed to return to work.  Those who are not, should be the ones who should be quarantined.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7tl82v

Highlights from press conference from the Mind Treasury website

Clearly, this topic is hot right now.  Most Americans are experiencing ‘Quarantine Fatigue” and want to return to some sense of normalcy, sooner rather than later.  What do you think?  Do you think the secondary risks, such as child abuse and the economic downturn associated with social isolation outweigh the benefits of maintaining it?  How do you feel about the past practice of only quarantining the sick and leaving the healthy to let nature take its course to develop your own immunities?  Do you think Youtube should be removing a press conference that suggests we think about the implications of harmful societal things other than COVID-19?

I always say, the good thing about opinions is we all have one! Your feelings and opinions are shaped by your experiences. Feel free to share yours here. This is a nonjudgmental forum, because if anyone says anything to personally judge another person’s opinion, I will simply delete it!

DQ Hankering

*I wish that the DQ in this post referred to talking at the beloved ice cream location, Dairy Queen, home of the blizzard!  However, the DQ initialism here means “During Quarantine”.  

A few Fridays ago, my Maps Destinations popped up on my phone alerting me that it was 8 minutes to my favorite local restaurant.

At first, I was creeped out that my phone had tracked my Friday date night ritual. Once I got over the shock that there really is a spy inside my phone,  I was saddened because what I had taken for granted a week before, was no longer an option for me.  My husband could not pretend to be “Clive Bixby” and meet me at the bar for dinner. We could not play our game of “married or dating”, while we people watched.  Gone were the conversations, which usually revolved around our jobs, kids or the possible games that would be broadcasted on the TVs.

I am DQ hankering for my Friday night date nights!

So, now here lies another problem.  Lately, all of my DQ conversations are difficult.  Gone is the ease with which I could discuss anything. Not because I am discussing things with people that make me feel uncomfortable like politics or religion. It is because, I have nothing to talk about!

I am DQ hankering for meaningful and engaging conversations.

Let me give you an example.  “How was your day?” is a common question to initiate a conversation.  A typical BC (before Covid-19) reply would be filled with the vivid details of the places I went or the people I spent time with. Facial expressions and body language would be enthusiastically displayed during my detailed retelling.

 However, a DQ conversation started with the same prompt gets the asker a snarky reply such as, “I did laundry, washed dishes, took care of the meals, watched the news… Wait?  Why are you asking me about my day?  You know what I did.  We haven’t left each other’s side in 42 days!” 

Maybe my DQ hankerings have something to do with the fact that our life now is somewhat reminiscent of Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day movie of the 1990s, same exact thing, every day!

I miss going to work, visiting my family and going to the gym. I am DQ hankering for places to go other than the once a week trip to Market Basket.

With all of the talk about DQ, I am changing my mind. It is about the ice cream giant too. I think I will get in my car and drive over to DQ and fill my hankering with a Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard! At least they are open!

What are you DQ hankering? What is the one thing you miss the most?

.

Uh Oh, SpaghettiOs

Breaking News…There are no SpaghettiOs on the shelves, anywhere!

https://weheartit.com/entry/335017046

Yes, you read that correctly.  I know that this news may come as a shock to you.  You must be thinking that you don’t remember hearing this newsworthy story on the 5 o’clock eyeopener.  That is because you did not.  I am the first to report this latest item to have vanished from the shelves at Market Basket, Target, Walmart, Shaws, Stop and Shop. How do I know this pertinent information?  It is because my quest for SpaghettiOs has led me to all of these places, only to find myself leaving without the one food my husband is requesting! Uh Oh!!!

So, I decided to go onto Campbell’s website to see where I could  buy the coveted processed food.  As of this morning, all of my previous locations showed up as carrying the pasta with meatballs, but ironically enough, only one in my area has the plain variety.  Why is this not front page headlines with the Clorox wipes, toilet paper and hand sanitizer shortages?!  

The only news report that I could find foreshadowing the latest and greatest shortage is from Reuters on March 4, 2020.  I only wish I had read paragraph 7 then, instead of now.  Then I would have plenty of the circle shaped pasta on my shelves too.

SpaghettiOs have been around since 1965, when Donald Goerke developed the pasta that one could eat with a spoon. There were only three choices at that time: plain, meatballs and franks.  Everyone ate Os and there were no fancy letters to look at or princesses in the can. As a child, I was personally a fan of the Os with franks.  When I married my husband, he introduced me to the meatball variety.  While I no longer eat the canned meal, my husband and children consider it a treat! (I am not sure what that says about my cooking, but I am not willing to ask them that question now…)

SpaghettiOs also had a clever marketing department that developed the infamous jingle…Uh! Oh! SpaghettiOs!

Since the 1980s, people have been using this catch phrase instead of profanity. Well, maybe some of us more than others…

Back to my dilemma…where did all the SpaghettiOs go? If you find any, could you please let me know? You will make my husband and children very happy if you do!

What have you noticed that is missing from the shelves when you go shopping, besides the obvious hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes and toilet paper? What strange foods have you been craving during the last few weeks? Do you prefer your SpaghettiOs plain, with franks or with meatballs?

Let’s ‘Nip” This!

Happy Earth Day to those of you who acknowledge it.  Today is the day when we make a conscious effort to do something in our environment to make our world a better place to live.

Last year, when I was teaching face to face, my students and I decided that we would  clean up our school’s playground from all of the litter that was strewn everywhere!  Just like countless other elementary schools, ours is used for many after school activities such as T-ball and playdates. For whatever reason, people who attend these events think that it is okay to leave their trash behind.  It is as if they think our overworked, underpaid custodians enjoy cleaning up outsiders messes too! 

Yes, to answer your question, we do have 3 trash barrels on our school grounds…

One of my many Earth Day “Super Heroes”

Armed with gloves (which would be hard to find this year) and store plastic grocery bags (which were hard to find last year), my students and I ventured into the school yard to make Mulready beautiful again.  

FYI…Another frequent pastime is “let your dog run free, poop where the kids play and leave it there”, but we decided to leave this job to the experts who were armed with shovels!

Teamwork makes the dream work!

We spent our 40 minute Social Studies block on our quest.  Donned with paper capes, we filled up an entire “red barrel” with our treasures.  The children were so proud of their efforts, but were even happier to be able to wear a pair of disposable white gloves.  So much so that, I had to add these gloves as an incentive to my prize box after that. Don’t worry though, I told them that if they earned the gloves, they had to use them to clean up trash on the playground during recess.  Those kids were the best behaved I had ever seen them that week and our playground was never cleaner!

Fortunately for me, T-ball goers and dog walkers do not bring beer cans with them so I was not faced with any awkward moments of saying, “Drop the Bud Light!”  I do not want to be fired for teaching a “minor in possession”.

I wish I could say the same about the streets that line my neighborhood. They are littered with the occasional empty beer can and individual serving bottles of Sutter Home.  But what I see everyday is NIPS….lots and lots of NIPS! 

Surprised to see such an increase in the single serving containers, I asked my friends and neighbors if they had noticed it too.  They agreed, stating that they had noticed the same thing while out on walks or long runs.  Do you remember Kathy from Monday’s post?  She said that she counted over 200 nip bottles as she passed her time on a 20 mile run.  Crazy right?  A twenty mile run! 

So, what can we do to “nip” this problem in the bud?   State House Representative Randy Hunt of Sandwich has filed a Bill (House Bill H389) to have a 5 cent deposit on the single shot beverage and there is a petition out there for people to sign to show their support.  Should I be a lobbyist too?

Since I have decided to only take on one new thing at a time, and for me it is this blog, I will leave lobbying work to someone with more free time.  In the meantime, I will go to my prize box, pull out a pair of the coveted gloves and reward myself by taking a long walk and gather as many of these treasures as I can find.

What about you?  How will you acknowledge Earth Day?  Will you plant a tree or make an effort to reduce, reuse and recycle? Will you sacrifice a pair of gloves for the sake of our environment and help me “nip” this problem?

We All Need To Go Back To Kindergarten!

I don’t know about you, but my family has had just about enough of this forced quantity time.  We are ready to go back to living like it is 2019!

The first week was fun, we did crafts, played games and enjoyed the gift of an unexpected week of vacation.  

Week two was the week of adjustment.  We began to create and settle into new routines.  There was some crankiness around my house, but for the most part, we were adjusting well.

By week three, we had become somewhat accustomed to our new living.  Routines were set, spaces for learning and working were identified.  While some bickering existed, we were still somewhat empathetic to each other’s situations.

But by week four, the gloves came off.  We have had enough of playing nicely. Frustrations are mounting.  We are sick and tired of being around the same people for 24/7.  Even the dog slept on the floor last night.

Missing my students and longing to return to my “normal” schedule, I began to reflect on what I do when my students first enter Kindergarten in the fall.  Any Kindergarten teacher will tell you that the first six weeks are the most important for establishing a community of learners. I realized what I need to do.  I need to reestablish my “community” at home!

Today is “National Kindergarten Day” in honor of the birthdate of Friedrich Wilhelm August Frobel, founder of the first kindergarten.  Frobel, who recognized that children learn best through play and social experiences, is known for starting the first Kindergarten in Germany in 1837. The goal of Kindergarten was to ease the transition between home life and the school experience. That is kind of what we are doing now, isn’t it?  

One Hundred and Fifty years later in 1990, Robert Fulghum wrote All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.  I fondly recall reading Fulghum’s book in college and feeling inspired that one day, I could be that teacher of “all you really need to know…” His words resonate with me still and I feel that they should be the rules for our current quarantine living.  After all, just like Kindergarteners, we are all learning how to navigate this new experience.

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don’t hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess

Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

Wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup—they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned—the biggest word of all—LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Just incase are wondering if teaching Kindergarten qualifies as sane living, you may enjoy some comedic insight to what it is like to actually teach during those first few days!