Holidays

I had planned to write about cyber warfare this week (I had read an interesting article about the subject last week and vowed to share it with all of you), but, I feel like approaching a less formal subject that is both more fun and near and dear to my heart - Halloween!

Halloween ranks among my top three favorite holidays and occurs during one of my favorite times of the year. Although we do not get much of a fall in South Florida, I try to invoke the fall spirit in my own household by baking treats filled with pumpkin and dinners with side dishes made from fall squashes. Anytime I see a leaf that has turned red, yellow, or orange, I savor the sight as some small indication that fall does indeed occur, albeit in tiny ways.

Fall also brings celebrations like Halloween and Thanksgiving. I have always been a fan of Halloween. When I was a teeny Tina (yes, I do have a first name) I reveled in the one night when I could dress up as something else and travel around the neighborhood collecting candy. Halloween was big in my neighborhood. People would decorate their front lawns with scarecrows, tombs, and other installations inspiring fear. I will never forget the one Halloween when I walked up to a front door only to be scared out of my wits by a man, sitting motionless and dressed as a scarecrow, who popped up to scare our group. I was quite young and I think I shed a couple of tears but quickly regained my composure and continued on our Halloween trek.

I am also a fan of the macabre - and Halloween is all about the macabre. Blacks and purples and skulls and coffins are celebrated during Halloween. The writings of Edgar Allen Poe grace tv programs, and it is not uncommon to see someone traveling around town dressed as Dracula or Frankenstein. Although some may find the delving into the more morbid side of life as less than enjoyable, I can't wait to decorate my home with skulls and crossbones.

Holidays have a way of bringing an element of fun to all of our lives. They allow us to escape - if only for a day - from the realities of work and stress. They also allow us to appreciate aspects of life that may go unnoticed most days of the year.

What is your favorite holiday? What about this holiday makes you happy?

Guilty Pleasures

As is often the case, I was inspired by NPR to address the idea of guilty pleasures. We all have them (even if we don't like to admit it). Some of us may even hide them. But, they are there, lurking in the recesses our lives, like a stalking cat, ready to pounce when we least expect it.

I have a few guilty pleasures. If truth be told, I don't feel terribly guilty about them, but they are still elements of my life that I don't voluntarily share on a normal basis. One of my most guilty of pleasures is to read what I like to call "supernatural candy." Before the Twilight series and True Blood, I was eating up supernatural mysteries, thrillers, and romances like there was no tomorrow. Still am. I love them. Some of my favorite supernatural writers are Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton, Jeaniene Frost, and Kim Harrison. Granted, as I am reading most of these novels I am well aware that they are not the most well-written works of literature, but, I enjoy them anyway. They are entertaining and fun and imaginative and I predict that they will be a part of my home library until the end of my days.

My literary guilty pleasure does harm to no one and wastes nothing but my time. Sadly, my second guilty pleasure is not as harmless. I love sweets. Chocolate, in specific. Ice cream as well. And, to make matters worse, I am a pretty decent cook. So, to my utter dismay, most of the sweets that I make are good - really good - and I am forced to eat all of it. Of course I know that the sweets that I consume are not good for me, but I eat them anyway. Isn't that why they call it a guilty pleasure?

We all have that little secret about ourselves that remains hidden for years and years. I am content with my guilty pleasures, have even come to accept them as somewhat positive elements in my life. But, it took a little while before I was able to do so. I hope that all of you will soon be able to accept your own guilty pleasures and embrace them.

Piggy backing on last week's post...

One of the most important skills that you can develop is the fine skill of listening. I am not referring to being able to lie in bed and listen to an entire album by your favorite artist. Although this can be a wonderful way to de-stress, it does little to help you progress professionally. I am referring to the skill of actively listening in those situations in which you are expected to interact with others, glean valuable information (such as the news, speeches, education), or take further action based on what you heard (meetings, etc.).

Most of us probably take listening for granted. We hear "stuff" all day long. We unconsciously react to specific sounds day in and day out (alarm clock, car horn, email/text notifications, bells). But, are we really listening? Are we allowing our bodies to truly tap in to sounds and then using our minds to make sense of them? When someone is speaking to us do we truly listen to what they are saying or do we just hear a voice?

I have a theory about listening...I think that as we are exposed to more noise we listen less. Sure, we hear the noise, but we don't listen. For example, many of my students have mentioned, more so over the last couple of years, that listening to music helps them to concentrate on school work. This may be true. It would be wrong of me to argue what is best for someone, especially when it comes to something as important as individual work. But, what I can and will argue is that the ubiquitous exposure to background sound can condition the listener to engage in auditory multitasking. In other words, if you are so used to listening to music in the background, what is going to stop your brain from pushing other, more important sounds, to the background as well. We are very much creatures that must be trained. Are we, in fact, training ourselves to listen less by surrounding ourselves with more noise?

More Creation, Less Destruction

I have a quote hanging behind my desk that serves as a reminder to me whenever I glance at it. It says, "A society is defined not only by what it creates, but by what it refuses to destroy" (John Sawmill). You can take this quote in many directions. Most would go the "green" route assume it references the environment. Saving the Amazon and all of that good stuff.

I tend to look at the quote in a more broad fashion. Sure, we MUST continue to do what we can to save the natural world, but we must also save parts of our humanity that are slowly dying. One thing that comes to mind right away passion. I see it dying a little everyday. Humans have no passion anymore. Few people have that driving force in their lives that makes them want to face each day with zeal. It is sad. What is the definition of a society without passion?

Another aspect of our humanity that is dying is communication. Or maybe it is just changing? Do we really talk to each other anymore? Do we listen? One could argue that the higher rates of divorce in the United States over the past five years is the result of less communication, amongst other things. Or, perhaps the less credible, but still important personal observation that my students don't speak to each other as much as in the past. I see far too many ear buds inserted into lobes and hear far too little pleasant conversation floating about my classroom.

I believe that our society will be defined in a more positive way if we make more of an effort to retain characteristics of our humanity that are in dire straits. What are some suggestions that you have for promoting a more positive future of creation, rather than destruction?

Welcome

I want to take this opportunity to welcome my new crop of bloggers. I am excited to read your postings and comments.

During class today we discussed Plato's "Allegory of the Cave." I always love to introduce this piece to students. Our discussions associated with the allegory are, in essence, a representation of the "light" that blinds the emerging cave dweller. In a small way, all of you saw the "light" just by being exposed to the fact that there is a "cave."

I hope that the exercise of blogging will serve as another way for you to emerge from the "cave." Through blogging you will have the opportunity to read other people's opinions and engage in an online discussion about issues, trends, and people around the world. How lucky you are! When I was in high school we were limited to the opinions of those in my class and community.

During my blog postings I will be addressing many topics. Mine is the only blog that you will be reading that is not dictated by a central theme. Although I have many topics in mind already, I would love to see what you would like to learn more about. So please, give me some suggestions...

Happy Blogging!