It's the "Comments" that Kill Us!!!

I was reading a very funny post this morning about a former Marine that becomes a teacher and does something smart to "shock and awe" the students. It was a joke/story to show the toughness and quick thinking a soldier does, but yet it was short enough a person could remember it and tell it later.  That's what a good story/joke is supposed to do.  I couldn't wait to either go in and tell James (my former Marine) this funny story or just share it with him on Facebook.  Then I did something I hate...I scrolled down and read the comments.

It's the comments that kill us!!  And I don't mean kill us in a funny ha-ha way...I mean it's the comments of life that kill us as individuals.  The first four or five comments of this marine story are all negative, like that wasn't a picture of a correctly ranked officer; other comments were criticizing the "theory" of the whole story; other comments were what they should be:  "Good one!"

I find I sometimes live my life as though I'm reading "comments" people leave for me.  Like I'm living under a microscope, ready to be scrutinized and commented on at any minute.  And not because I'm rich, famous, or even all that darn interesting (haha)...but because it's what people feel they are entitled to do.  It's like they feel it is their right to leave a "comment" on your life because it can be done so freely on the Internet.  Judging people and their "life story" they are telling at that particular moment in their life is somehow justifiable to some people to tell you (or tell others) what they think of you. Guess what...you are not entitled.  Period. You do not always have to have the last word--which is really what the comment section is!

I'm telling myself this as much as anyone.  I'm not so special that I should feel entitled to leave "comments" about what someone else does.  I'm not so smart I should feel entitled to "comment" to others how they should live their life.  I told James I don't know why I was so angry this morning after reading the comments from others regarding the Marine story, it just struck me as "this is what's wrong with our country!"

*As a side note...I did get an education from James regarding the generalized term "soldier" and the implication it has on military men and women who serve in the branches.  

Turbo Kick...Kicked my You-Know-What!!

Okay...so I have been pretty under the weather the last month.  According to the doctor is was nothing more than dehydration/stress/blah blah...so even though I slept 13 hours on Saturday due to pure exhaustion, I woke up this morning thinking no matter what, I was going to start working out again...it has been over a month since I even felt like walking, much less anything else!!

Enter Turbo Kick!  Oh, my gosh...where to start! I decided on Turbo Kick because another teacher in my building teaches the class (she made me swear to write a good review!)...and I've heard other teachers talk about it, and I've physically seen with my own eyes how much another teacher has benefited from this class!!  HOWEVER, I will say, no one told me there were DEFINITE prerequisites that you must have!! 

1.  You MUST have the ability to walk and chew gum.
2.  You MUST be able to have coordination in your left side (if you are right handed).
3.  You MUST be able to remember how to count under duress.

As most of you know (because you know me) I have NONE of these prerequisites!!  We start off the class, and I'm feeling great (we were working on our right side)...then the evil instructor had to go and make us do the same thing on our LEFT side.  I had no idea until tonight just how UNCOORDINATED my left side really is! 

I will pause right here and let everyone know that there are a few things I will never do in my life:
    1.  A "burpie"...the only "burping" I will ever do will be to a baby...and since I've never had one, we can just move on.
    2.  The "Roger Rabbit"...I saw the movie at a drive-in theater in 1988 with my cousin.  I'm almost CERTAIN my instructor wasn't even BORN then, so by default I am never required to do this move!

Now...for the other fun tidbits running through my mind as I was lagging three beats behind everyone else tonight. There came a spot in the routine where we had to jump in the air and turn around in one motion.  I swear, I actually thought about doing this...immediately, my butt checked my reality!  I suddenly hear my butt (yes, it does speak) screaming, "WOMAN!  You've taken physics...you understand momentum and force! Unless you want to take out the right side of the room, DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS!"  Needless to say, I simply turned in a circle. Another place where I actually giggled and almost laugh aloud, was when we were doing "jab, jab, punch, kick, cross" and all I could think of was if I was ever attacked and I tried this stuff, my attacker would probably BUST A GUT laughing at my antics!!!!!  I mean, really, who the heck can't remember how to jab, jab and which foot goes forward...ME!!!  I kept repeating to myself "opposite....opposite" but my feet could never remember! 

After the class, the instructor came to me and asked me what I thought.  I replied honestly, "This was the most ridiculous thing I've ever done!"  And for those of you who know me....you know I've done some PRETTY RIDICULOUS things in my life!! 

So...will I ever go back to this class?  HECK YES!!  I plan on making this a regular thing.  Why, you may ask?  Because after this class, I left feeling like tomorrow I will be able to WALK, TALK, AND CHEW GUM!!!  And I will own it!!   I haven't felt this great in a very long time!  Yes, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing...yes, I was constantly lost...yes, I looked like an idiot out there pretending I could jab, punch, and move all at the same time.  But I left feeling great!  Alicia does a great job at motivating as well as instructing!  So when I am in St. Joe on Mondays, I will make this my thing....who knows, by the end of school year, maybe I will be jabbing and kicking my way to awesomeness!!!   

 

Thank you, Mom, for my literacy!!

I don't know why I asked this question in my Comm Arts class today...maybe because we are back from Christmas break, and I wanted to see where I needed to start again, but I innocently asked, "How many of you got a book for Christmas this year?"  No one raised their hand...hhhmmm...okay..."How many of you asked your parents for a book?"  Not a hand.  I don't know why I am so astonished, but I am...I'm amazed that kids don't ask and parents don't think to give books as gifts!!  Buying books and reading them are so much a part of my life, I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have them! Last year my mom bought Maddy the full Puppy Place series for Christmas...and this year she bought Mads seven new books!!

I grew up in a family that embraced reading of anything!  LOL...I once got in trouble in junior high for bringing an "inappropriate" book to school..thank you Sidney Sheldon!  And I believe I read my first Harlequin in fourth grade.  But my mom's theory was she didn't care what my sister and I read as long as we read!  Every summer my mom would take Juliana and me to a used bookstore and let us get ANYTHING we wanted!!  I remember carrying out FOUR trash bags full of books one summer...and after we read those, she'd let us trade for more.

Reading is something I believe my sister and I took for granted growing up.  My mother used to always tell us that reading was a struggle for her as a child (Dyslexia...what is that?)...and she wanted to make sure we never struggled like she did. And I love her for that! Granted, growing up in a time where there was only two or three tv stations and static radio didn't HURT (haha)...but it really was a matter of my mom making reading important for the family!

If you were to ask me today who the bigger influence was regarding my desire to read--school or home--I would tell you without a doubt...HOME!