SoCS 2-4-23 Just Right

On 02/03/202302/04/2023 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion...13 Comments

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “perfection.’” Use it any way you like. Enjoy!

I’m a ‘word’ person. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that y’all are too.
Words have meaning. Some are cultural, and some are regional, but we all hope that the meanings are close to universal in our own situational contexts. Don’t get me started on the current Pop Culture effort to redefine and/ or at least ‘water down’ the cohesiveness of our common understandings! {deep breath}

The word “perfection” has been one that I refused to use according to my own philosophy on early childhood education. I made a decision ‘many moons’ plus years ago to avoid using the term “perfect” in my interaction with children.
I’ll use the term “just right” but never “perfect”.

Here’s why:
“Perfect” suggests (to me) that there’s an objective measurement of something tangible that IS perfect. What a daunting pursuit for anyone to attempt to find “perfection” in an imperfect world among flawed, imperfect, people. I didn’t want any child to believe such a thing. I just know that they would fall short and be discouraged by their repetitive “imperfectness”. It’s already a hard enough task to grow and learn.
I also have noticed many adult people who actually get up in the morning with an expectation to find that ‘unicorn’ known as “perfect”. It’s painful to watch. Many people are just ‘born’ to impose such an impossible standard on themselves, but I made up my mind that during my childcare years, I wasn’t going to inspire it in kids by an inartful use of language.

So, what did I substitute for “perfect”? I adopted the use of “just right” with the kids. If something you’ve planned comes out the way you expect it to, it’s the subjective place of “just right”.
Goldilocks wanted porridge that was “just right” according to her expectations and tastes. Is there, or has there ever been, a “perfect” bowl of porridge? I’d like to know where THAT recipe book is.

Our mannerisms have lasting effects on children. They study what all adults do. (Not unlike the way our pets study us.) But our language also should be carefully regarded. When they aren’t watching us, they’re listening, and words still do have meaning.

Just so ya know, having the opportunity to watch kids grow and learn has offered me a small glimpse of God’s ‘perfect plan’ when He created them.

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope your weekend turns out “just right”. ❤

Oh, after writing this I recalled a heartwarming memory from my childcare years that fits this theme ‘just right’.
A former child in my care had a 1st grade assignment to draw a picture of something “Just Right” for him. When he showed me his drawing and caption, I cried. The drawing was of my house and play yard and the caption was ” My Day Care is just right for me.”

https://lindaghill.com/2023/02/03/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-4-2023/

Unanswered Question: Might we guess why progressives erase ‘standards’?

On 02/01/202302/01/2023 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion..., Unanswered Questions4 Comments

It just occurred to me while listening to a Progressive member of Congress how often people of that political persuasion use nearly meaningless and generic terminology.
The woman speaking wants (nearly) open borders to “welcome new Americans”.
That tells me that she has no concern for any definition or “standard” for “What is an American?”. Apparently, to her, an American is someone occupying space on our soil. I can conceive of her making a further argument that visa holders are actually, kinda, sorta, Americans too. It’s time to listen to these self-described ‘altruistic’ people far more closely!

Progressives oppose all standards and simply make-up their own definitions to fill that void. And,they do it cleverly. We already know that the Left insists that a woman is anyone who likes the color pink, wears feminine attire, and cries a lot. Any scientific standard that ‘begs to differ’ is simply disregarded. Luckily, our medical professionals haven’t gone totally off that deep end because I’ve been told they still keep actual REAL records attached to the “trendy” ones they are intimidated to compile in order to keep their funding and individual licenses to practice.

Without standards anything goes. Feelings can reign and Marxism can flourish. Equity, itself, is a term promoting a standardless society. Holding anyone to any standard of merit is now racist, unfair, and non-inclusive. Serfdom cannot actually work when diversity of any kind exists. Mediocrity… compliance… and ‘one whole’ are the direct opposites of thriving…independence …and individualism.

And what might we all be being nudged to be included in? A Utopia, Shangri-La, or a gulag? [Only one of those places exist in reality.]

Might we guess why ‘progressives’ erase standards?

Most of we who want to preserve our country might want to consider what’s really going on.

Unanswered Question: Do city people know what they’re missing?

On 01/17/202301/17/2023 By Susan St.PierreIn In my humble opinion..., Unanswered Questions13 Comments

I’d gotten a lot more rest than usual lately over the long weekend. We each have a personal quota so when my dog got me up at 2:00 am, I had a few hours of wide ‘awakeness’.
My thoughts started where they usually do with a stream of experiences I’ve had inspiring awe with the wonders of Mother Nature. Then I considered all the ‘urbanized’ people who might not have witnessed nature as I have had the privilege to do.
Oh, the places I went from there!

Much of the discontent, crime, and hopelessness, seems concentrated in urban areas these days. Why? People are people and I thought we needed the same things. Maybe we most urgently do.
My stream of consciousness eventually brought me to a profound (not necessarily correct) conclusion.

The over domestication of human beings is dangerous to their happiness and well-being.

The same thing has happened to animals. Wild animals can fend for themselves, and understand the natural world, but dogs, cattle, and parakeets, are at a terrible survival disadvantage since they’ve been kept for so long.

I’ve known some ‘city’ people who have visited places that were natural for the first time and been overwhelmed by all the things they didn’t know and didn’t even know they didn’t know.

There’s a rhythm in the natural world that human beings can, and IMHO should, know about.
One in particular is the awareness of a ‘line’, more like a pause, between night and day. Having tented and camped in forests throughout my life, I’ve witnessed it.
There’s a time about an hour before dawn when the summer night sounds pause for about 2 to 5 minutes. Crickets grow quiet, and owls stop hooting, leaving a dramatic silent pause before the morning birds joyously sing greetings to the new day. Witnessing THAT can change a person. The recognition of amazing forces at work that we humans cannot take credit for is humbling!

That pause was my personal choice for the most magical natural event (seconded by meteor showers) but there are countless others. I have no doubt human beings are meant to be part of those natural rhythms too. But how would city people even know about them? Their surroundings are removed and artificial in comparison to those who have access to the natural world.
I wonder if those seemingly lost people are starving for something they don’t even know exists. Could they be feeling incomplete? Might the lack of any natural connection be adding to the growing complaints about life having ‘no meaning’?

Well, at 3:30 this morning, my answer to those questions was “yes”.

My overall question is “Do those city people know what they’re missing?”

Sunday Poser- 5/22/22

On 05/22/2022 By Susan St.PierreIn Writing Prompts3 Comments

This is a great question.
I’ve found that each of us bring our own mindsets into everything we do. No one is without pre-decided biases, but many seem to believe that they can operate ‘bias-free’. Those people are just lying to themselves.
Like viewing art, people see what they see through their own hearts and minds. That’s fine. Appreciating quotes is the same for some.
BUT… if the creator of a quote is well known that author’s meaning is easier to decipher. There’s an undeniable ‘flavor’ to the person’s intended meaning. If I am presenting a quote, who said it is the heaviest part.
The author of any quote carries far more clout for me than the words dangling without context. I don’t care to ‘dream up’ meaning when there’s truth to be discovered.
Like catchy headlines absorbed alone, there’s little truth or meaning without knowing what/who inspired them.

https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/05/22/sunday-poser-81/

Six Sentence Story- Shelter- Six of one… Half dozen of the Other

On 01/17/202201/19/2022 By Susan St.PierreIn 6 Sentence Stories28 Comments

The year is 2022 when political correctness, creative definitions, and semantics have become the framework for a shelter against the truth.

“Ms. Collins, it’s been brought to my attention that you’re teaching Critical Race Theory and are in direct defiance of our Govenor’s ban on the subject.”

The principal ‘steepled’ his fingers over his nose as he waited for the new teacher’s response.

“Oh no, sir, there’s no CRT in MY 7th grade classroom, and I just want to inform YOU that Ibram X. Kendi ONLY offers college level theories. “

“You separated the class according to race, handed out Black Lives Matter stickers, and shamed a student, who didn’t want to participate, with a lecture on her ‘white fragility’, all captured on the video that I was given.”

“Ms. Collins, this is MY school and I just want to inform YOU that I’m not firing you, I’m ONLY “letting you go”.

https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/2022/01/16/sundays-six-sentence-story-word-prompt-195/
https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/2022/01/19/its-six-sentence-story-thursday-link-up-195/

Kid Terms Explained by an Expert

On 05/18/201205/18/2012 By Susan St.PierreIn Sideshows, Susan's Family Day Care4 Comments

flosstration– when the floss you’re using gets stuck between your teeth.
accountabilly– when Billy gets into trouble.
“pointment at the doctor’s”-there will be shots involved.
“mom’s running late”- she’d get here faster if her car would start.
“I dind dent do it.”-oh yeah, they dind.
“I’m free years old.”- any takers? Mom’s okay with it.
“on porpoise” – must live near an aquarium.
“Pretty peas?”-never intended as a request for more vegetables.
after later-way more than later!
“Happened the udder day“- if you live on a farm, that’s everyday.
MINE!-everything, except coal ,belongs to me.
“I’m firsty.“-Offer them a drink and ask them,”Who wants to be secondy, any way?”
“I’ll do it in-a-minute“- Do it yourself. (When Mom says it, it means find some thing else to do.)

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Questions?

On 03/29/201203/29/2012 By Susan St.PierreIn Kid Story Ideas, Sideshows, Words 'n' such Poetry2 Comments

I found this clip and kept it in my drafts until I could use it. Everybody Loves Raymond was a show with a great deal of insight into being human.

What we find funny is usually something that strikes a cord within ourselves. I love a good discussion and would we really have any meaningful discussions without questions? 🙂

So, while this clip ruminated in my stash, a poem “popped” into my head. In my world, poems “pop”.

Also, most questions are easiest to answer when we consider how a kid would answer. Kids are our most insightful companions. So enjoy this clip and then the poem that “popped” from my inner child.