The benefits of reading extend for a lifetime

 

Reading has an unlimited number of rewards; one of the most important of which may be that it stimulates the brain and simultaneously, the power and capacity to think and use one's imagination. It also encourages and promotes the power of the mind to connect and synthesize ideas in higher levels of thought--as I've used in vocabulary, "to extrapolate and juxtapose." 

I'm extremely grateful that my family encouraged my thirst for knowledge when I was a child and twice bought me volumes of encyclopedia. It also laid the groundwork for my fascination as a child for the subject of Greek and Roman mythology, and also that of Egyptian, Babylonian, and Norse myths as well. This certainly influenced my decision to pursue my undergraduate degree in psychology along with my life choice of professional work as a psychological consultant and Life Mentor in education. And now, especially because I can read and comprehend, I am teaching in an entirely new capacity as a graduate business communications professor, helping my students achieve their MBA (master of business administration). Furthermore, I can advise them on job skills and achievement beyond graduation.

And because I learned to read, I was able to advance my capacity to write--including teaching composition at a college and university level. (And along with that, 11 books.)  I'm so lucky I learned to read. It has helped me, more than anything, learn how to think.

Poetry to/from the stars

Yes, I write poetry: 

"Upon this Earth"

Upon this Earth
Thy day of birth
Was ascribed to thee.
Would’st  thou mind
And be so kind
To render such to me?
I know it not;
There is no plot,
And thus I say by letter.
Would you do so
And help me know
To understand you better?
The real key
Which I can’t see
Becomes the exact time.
And so on wings
Of written things
I say these words in rhyme

(c) MDLOP8 2022

========================

"Star Light, in sight" (for Alix Bogart)

In a time quite long ago
You were one who yearned to know
The secrets of the Universe
A person who was sometimes terse.
With someone else who loved to ponder
Things that happened here and yonder.
Both of us would wonder why
Things occurred up in the sky.
And further out; we tried to see
Splendid things that seem to be
Hidden from the average soul
To learn them all became our goal.
I was one who had intentions
Make good use: my mind’s inventions.
You would read and contemplate;
Between us two, we did debate.
Others thoughts in ancient Greek
We scientists did learn to speak.
Powdered wigs upon our head
We challenged what each other said.
You have returned; I’m glad to see
Your name, I think is known to me.
But who I was, I’ll let you guess,
But worry not, nor feel duress.
I told you then of what I know
And now I see ingrained to show.
You did not know the thoughts I shared
But I am glad to see you cared.
Enough to wish to learn them now
I’m back again; I’ll show you how.
But be of cheer; you made your claim
And what you found has kept your name.
It does appear: it seems to burn
Samuel Clemens: he did learn
That when it came to see his birth
He knew his time allowed on Earth.
So solve this riddle and you’ll see
Identities: both you and me.
The Guiding Stars will tell the clue
The hint of what I said to you:
“I studied it (our tempers hot);
I know it, Sir, but you do not.”

(c) MDLOP8 2004
=========================================

     

Psychologically, the Moon represents how we perceived the quality of mothering from our primary care-giver, whether or not she actually gave birth to us. Through the years, many women have given me training, nurturing, and wisdom.

  
     This poem was inspired by a friend whom I miss very much, the late Jill Smith of Greenville, South Carolina:

"On a Full Moon,You can See Forever"

Madam, I’m Adam,

But I’m not the First

Man that’s been called that;

My ego would burst.

Your skills I would reckon

Will surely provide

The answers I’m seeking

From the sea’s rising tide.

For the moon has the stories

To the things that I need

And the stars high above

Have the lessons I’ll heed.

For your words I will ponder

All these life episodes

And I hear that direction

Comes from North and South Nodes.

So shortly I’ll forward

All the facts of my birth

And ask you to translate

My mission on Earth.

It comes once again

In April each year.

The news that you’ll give me

Is worthy to hear.

So render your fee

I’ll look at it twice

But act on it timely

And take your advice. 

(c) MDLOP8 2002

The Scientist Who Discovered the World's Most Beautiful Equation

How Parkour Changes Lives | Freedom in Motion Gym

Learning--and school--is "hard to do?" Tell these kids

"I can't."
Why is that?
"Because it's hard."
Oh. The assignment was difficult to do? The class is hard to learn? Did you try?
"Yes, but it's hard. It's not easy to do."
Excuse me. THIS is hard: learning to walk on blades. Learning to RUN on blades. That's "hard to do." Not learning to do something; no. 
You may not LIKE learning to do something, or it may be DIFFICULT, but it's not "hard to do." It does require effort, concentration, determination, persistence, and application of your thoughts.
But it's really probable that ANY class you take--or project that you need to complete--is a lot easier if you believe you can do it--rather than being a child and learning to walk on blades.
Or better yet: just to stand up on them. 
And THEN learning to walk. Just a few steps.
Just ask these kids. Or better yet--look at their faces.
They're so at ease that it's almost funny to imagine how they don't even think about what struggles they had to overcome. One girl is almost bored: "Will you please go ahead with the starting signal so we can get on with this race?!"

By the way, school is DIFFICULT at times. It may be a class or subject that requires you to THINK or apply yourself--and MAYBE there's no video game or computer to use to solve the concept of the subject. Just imagine that: "I can't use a computer? That's impossible!"
Oh? Really? You mean that's harder than learning to run--or walk--on blades?
Amazing.

By the way: a confession from me about "hard to do." 
I don't like cooking. I'm not comfortable in a kitchen.
I just want it DONE NOW!
But I have to someday soon learn to cook. For real. Not just throwing-it-in-a-frying-pan-with-a-lid-and-wait.
And my specialty is water.
Especially fried water. I PROMISE I can fry water better than most people. I'm a gourmet at preparing fried water! I can fry it faster than some of the most skilled cooks on TV. I mean COMPLETELY well-done-and-gone fried water. Not even a trace of it.
But I have to learn how to cook so I don't do it again.
I may have to--horrors!--take a cooking class.

By the way, let me assure you about something if you're 18 years or older: the toughest test you ever had to take is something you didn't even realize at the time. It's the most important, significant, virtually-demanded-by-social-institutions-test you ever knew.
And you more than likely passed it and never thought twice about it.
Your driver's license.
Imagine that: if you DON'T have one, you need an alternate form of identification. And that's not something that's easy to get. Nor do people understand why you may choose NOT to drive--even though it may have a reasonable answer. You don't HAVE to drive either. But people will expect you to get a license, even for identification purposes.
So that's the toughest test you ever took. Because without that license, you have to do a lot more to PROVE your identification. 
That's easy.

Running--or walking--on blades? 
That's hard to do.
Unless you're a kid who learned and doesn't think twice about it. And they didn't listen to "I can't" in their mind.

So don't tell ME the class--or the assignment--or WHATEVER--is "hard to do" if you didn't apply effort. Or else I'll have to find a way for the kids to write and tell you what they think about "hard to do." They can teach it better than I could.

The Arcata, CA, Kinetic Sculpture Race: bicycle-powered land-and-sea

Hi, kids! Well...in a place far, far away (well, California), there is a strange little town where a lot of artists and craftspeople live...especially those who know how to do welding with a blow-torch. And they have a very strange way of celebrating the end of the long rainy winter: they have a bicycle race! 
But the thing is, the bicycles they use...have to be able to transform with floating supports so that they can travel on the water too. It's the Kinetic Sculpture Race.

Here are some of the..."contestants." I saw some of these...and it was strange!

Trade skills = $$$$

 

Teens Need to Know they can make money in trade careers

High-paying jobs are available for students who choose trade school or vocational or technical education instead of bachelor’s degree programs.

By Katie Bingham-Smith; Parent Magazine
Feb. 1, 2020

My son is 15 and will be starting his junior year of high school in the fall. The talk of going to college is buzzing all around while no other options are even suggested half as much. There seems to be such a stigma around not going off to school to earn a bachelor’s ­degree, and I don’t think this is fair to our kids.

My son probably won't go to college, at least not right away.

While I am still going to take him to visit schools to make sure it's not what he wants to do straight after graduation, it might not change his mind about what he wants to do. For now, he feels like he wants to be a plumber like his father, and we both think that’s great.

When he was younger, he watched his dad go to work in a big truck that had different compartments and held fittings, long copper pipes, and cool PVC things that fit together like a puzzle. He loved helping him clean and organize it.

He'd take a screwdriver or wrench and sit with him under sinks when we'd drop off donuts at a job site.

As he's gotten older, he's gone to work with him over the years and learned how to install radiant heat, faucets, and toilets.

My son likes to do manual labor and work hard. He's always been happiest when he is moving his body and hates sitting in a classroom all day. The thought of going to another four years of school after graduating makes his stomach turn.

Knowing that, and seeing how his father has struggled to find good employees that know the plumbing trade, or want to work hard to learn it, has made me realize we really need to be presenting the trades as a promising career path to our kids, because they have so much to offer.

College is being shoved down their throats, and all the other options take a back seat or aren't presented at all.

Our teens should at least know there is always a need for carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. In fact, a plumber once told me in good times, people buy and build new. And in bad times, they still need their homes to be standing and functioning properly so they hire trades-people to repair broken things—people will always need to use the bathroom and have running water.

My son's dad has never been at a loss for work. He supported a family of five on one income by running a good plumbing business. In fact, he's had to turn a lot of work away as he's always had more work than he can handle.

He’s also mentioned when he does call people back to schedule a service call, they are so relieved because it’s impossible to get a plumber to come to their house.

Trades schools are a lot less expensive than four-year colleges, and lots of companies are willing to train the right person with the right work ethic. Many of our kids can get into a lucrative career, start earning money, and learn great skills right out of high school without taking on much (or any) debt.

This can allow them to earn great money to think longer and harder about what they want to do while gaining the knowledge that will help them later in life; learning to fix something yourself can save thousands a year.

Maybe they want to save for school and go later after they have gotten a feel for earning a living. Perhaps they want to work for a bit and earn enough money to travel. There is also the option to work during the day and take classes at night a bit at a time and pay as they go.

I also can't count the times I've tried to find a good handyman, and when I do find one, he is usually straight out because he has so much work and has a hard time hiring someone to help him.

The trades are such a wonderful option for our kids. They are needed, they pay well, and the skills learned will be carried throughout a lifetime. The facts should be presented to them earlier in their life so it at least gets their brains wrapped around what a great way the trades can be to make a living.

Free online science, geography, history, $$ management, and more! K-12!!

Crack open those books--I mean, QUACK open those ideas for students to learn at http://www.ducksters.com and LEARN some science and other great lessons! Take the practice tests and see your scores! Grades 1-8 and high school! Finance, money Games too! H.o.m.e.w.o.r.k. and don't let them say "I'm bored!"