AuburnChick's Adventures

Spring has sprung!  Woo hoo!  Joyce’s questions have us thinking about all things springy as well…flowers…romance…lots of this and that.  Joyce, thanks for the fun questions!  I so appreciate what you do each week!

1.  April showers bring May flowers…what have you been showered with this month?

April has been a time of catching up and, dare I say, getting ahead.  I started off the month rested after a late-March Spring Break.  I’ve worked really hard to finish some big projects and am finally beginning to see light at the end of this school year.  I’m beginning to find balance for the first time in three years, and I am filled with joy.

2.  What is the nature of compassion?  Is it learned or innate?  Can compassion be learned?  If you’re a parent is this something you’ve purposely sought to instill in your children, and if so how?

Hmmm…according to the Free Dictionary Online, compassion can be defined as the deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled (my italics) with the wish to relieve it.

I believe that compassion is both learned and innate.  I think that compassion comes very naturally for some people.  These are always the people I am drawn to because of the gentle nature and kindness they exude.  However, my teaching experience has taught me that compassion can also be learned.

I’ve got a class that has some very emotional kids in it.  We struggled…at first.  Personalities can be big in that class, and intolerance was, at first, high.

Now, I see kids who previously could not stand sitting together working patiently with one another at the same table.  I see them sharing their food and even money with one another.

I have tried to model this for both my own children and my students, but I have to give them props for purposely deciding to lead lives that think of others first.

3.  Do you prefer to watch romantic comedy or romantic drama…or are you rolling your eyes saying bring on the action flicks?

I really don’t like romance anything.  I hate watching the inevitable hurting that couples do to one another, and the sweet stuff isn’t very believable either.  Yeah.  Bah humbug, eh?  I like who-done-it types of movies much better.  There’s less of an emotional commitment in these movies.

4.  It’s April which means baseball season is officially upon us here in the US of A. Humphrey Bogart is quoted as saying “A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.” Agree or Disagree?

Neither?  I’m a vegan.  How about a veggie burger beats everything!

5.  What’s something in your community or city that needs fixing or improving?

I live very close to the beach, and in the last twenty years, many condos have been built seaside, which blocks the view we used to have when driving.  Although the condos are good for the economy because of the tourists who flock to the beach, it’s a shame to be unable to see God’s beautiful creation.

6.  Share a song you enjoy that mentions flowers or a specific flower in its title.

I had to Google for this one because my mind drew a blank!

My song of choice is Bette Midler’s The Rose.  I actually shared this song with my classes because we are still working on figurative language.  The song is full of metaphors and is, in fact, a metaphor itself.

7.  April 22nd is Earth Day…do you believe there’s life on other planets?

I don’t believe there is life on other planets.  In this regard, I take the Bible very literally.  I happen to believe that God set things up so that all of the conditions were perfect for Earth to sustain life.  Every other planet is missing something vital for life.

8.  My Random Thought

My children are coming home in less than two weeks…for the ENTIRE summer.

I think we should all do the Happy Dance now.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: Wednesday Hodgepodge |