I am a
school teacher and today marks the arrival of a blessed moment in our yearly
calendar: Thanksgiving break, nine days of time for us to run like maniacs then
go back to school so we can get some rest. Not really. I’m going to have a
rare, serious moment. I am tired. I came home tonight, laid down on the couch
and fell dead asleep. Today we are doing more, for less pay, with fewer people
and higher expectations. It’s like the old joke: I have been asked to do so
much, with so little, for so long that now I can do anything with nothing.
Need a
break, me too, let’s decompress a bit, take some time to be thankful and look
beyond how difficult things might be and try to see how good things can be.
Let’s try to operate in the wisdom and faith that made this country great.
Let’s stop doing really stupid things for really stupid reasons. Let’s stop
looking for sympathy because of our weaknesses and start offering others our
strength. We are strong. We can be stronger. We are smart. We can be smarter.
We cannot be happy until we are secure. Take care of your family, take care of
your friends and trust God to take care of us all.
Ever feel
like telling someone to, ”take a hike?” Well, today’s the day: National Take A
Hike Day. Someone bugging you? Tell them to take a hike. Feeling bad? Take a
hike. Going to Walt Disney World? You’d better get ready to take a hike.
There’s lots of transportation at WDW but let’s face it, you’ve got to do some
walking or have one of those ECV’s. Walt Disney World is a big place. It’s hard
to explain how big it truly is to someone who has never been there. I am in
better physical shape today than I was ten years ago because of Walt Disney
World. I started walking, not so much to get into shape, but so I would be able
to handle the rigors of a trip to WDW at the pace that I set when I go. At home
I hike, at WDW I stroll. I go hard so I won’t have to but I can if I need to.
Go to WDW, hike if you must, but slow down and stroll as well. Take time to
relax. It is easy to think, “I spent all this money and I am going to get my
money’s worth.” The truth is, sometimes you get more benefit by doing less and
doing it well.
Hey, I work out.
This excuse is dedicated to my
friend, Eric Abbott. Eric had not been to Walt Disney World and I try to gently
convince him to load up the kids and go. I think some day he will. Eric likes
Gordon Lightfoot and today is Gordon Lightfoot’s birthday. In case you didn’t
know, Lightfoot is a Canadian folksinger. I think of “Sundown” and “The Wreck
of the Edmund Fitzgerald” when I think of Gordon Lightfoot. You should think of
visiting the Canadian pavilion at EPCOT. Find a bench, stare out into the World
Showcase Lagoon, and quietly hum “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” No one
will say anything; people do much stranger stuff at WDW. To close out this
section, let me offer a public service announcement for my friend Eric, who is
from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan: Don’t visit the UP, you wouldn’t like it
there. Mr. Abbott, you can thank me later.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee."
Before
we close out today, a little love for my daughter, Allison. Allison loves Hercules, she especially loves the
Gospel toned choir who sings/narrates Hercules’ story. When we drive to Walt
Disney World, we end up with Hercules
in the DVD player and I have heard the movie probably a dozen times. Today is
Danny DeVito’s birthday and Danny is the voice of Phil, Herc’s trainer. I will
also love Danny DeVito because he played the rather caustic dispatcher in Taxi. It’s amazing how many people my
kids and I love for completely different reasons. If it were up to Allison,
Hercules, Meg, Phil and Hades would be everywhere at Walt Disney World. Truth
is, you need to get to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and checkout Fantasmic!,
which has Hades and Meg. Hey, you take what you can get.
Donald and MEG!
Remember,
your best excuse is always: waiting for your dreams to come true.
No comments:
Post a Comment