Community = Common Unity

July 13, 2024 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ 2 Comments

“Community” is on the lips of every local politician and every civic organization. Whether schools, churches, or mosques we all want to see stronger communities; but what do we mean by community. When we say community where are the boundaries and borders? Is it a one block radius around my house, or the whole area of the housing development? Is it the designated name of an area used by voting districts or property taxes, or is it the area used for postal services by zip code? In smaller towns is it the whole town or just the city limits? Perhaps it is time define or redefine community for everyone.

If you study the etymology of the word community you will find its origins in Latin, and Old French. In Latin it is the word “communis” meaning the same and “communitas.” meaning common, public, shared by all or many. Our English word community is an adaptation of these words from the Old French word “communaute” which refers to public spirit or commonality. Outside of the fact that I love studying the historic context of words it always interests me that most words we consider to be “American” are actually borrowed words from other languages. Needless to say, over time words seem to take on new meanings and lose their intended and original definition. So, allow me to simplify the meaning of community for this blog post as derived from this background: Community equals Common Unity,

Several weeks ago, a huge oak tree fell in my front yard. We were lucky that it fell at an angle, so it didn’t hit our home or the homes of our neighbors. It did fall across the street and left limbs and debris in our neighbors’ yards as well as blocked the entire street. A young man came over from the end house and offered to help my husband clean up the debris and cut and remove the tree. It turned out that he owned a tree cutting and removal business. Another neighbor from the cul-de-sac came with power saw in hand to help with the cleanup too. The young business owner finished the job of removing the fallen tree and proceeded to cut bad limbs on other trees in our yard. He also pruned my crepe myrtles and inspected other trees on our property. When my neighbor to my left came home there was no evidence that our tree had left limbs and leaves all over her yard. It turned out that this young businessman who was relatively new to the neighborhood has helped people all over the neighborhood. When asked what was really in it for him, he said, “This is my community it’s our job to help one another.” Imagine that. This young man saw our entire development as his community.

That fact is disaster has a tendency to draw a community together. Floods, hurricanes, fires, all these things bring families and neighbors together because they are experiencing “communitas.” Trauma, grief, upheaval, and lost is the commonality that brings everyone together. Differences are put aside. Unity of purpose is understood in terms of survival and rebuilding. This is commendable, but also temporary. I am always amazed how people come together from all over the country to help individuals in these disastrous situations. Yet, why should it take catastrophe to remind us that we are one community.

Before calamity happens, we have a common unity. Every parent wants a good education and a safe environment for their children. Every bread winner wants to make enough money to take care of their families. Renters want to become owners. Owners want to maintain their property values. Everyone wants to have nourishment and clean water to drink. All people need clothes appropriate for the weather and affordable housing. Healthcare and retirement income are all common needs amidst the aging. Everyone sheds tears at the loss of a loved one. Everyone is pursuing happiness – the so-called American dream. These are not political talking points; these are community needs. These are the things we have in common with our neighbors and others who live in our region. These are reasons for us to relate to one another and to help one another. If you really think about it, we have more in common than we have as differences. Pain, fear, hope, dreams, struggle, thriving are all part of our common experiences.

Rather than allowing politics, racism, sexism, classism, and other social economic circumstances to polarize us why can’t our commonalities unify us? We breathe the same air. We walk or drive the same streets. We have the same desires for our families. This is not rhetoric; look around our world. Here’s the reality and if we are not careful, we will create more disasters to draw us into unnatural communities. Let’s remember our common unity before things around us get worst. We should build our community to make it stronger by stepping in to help in any way that we can. Like the young businessman I mentioned above, we can use our expertise to make our communities better. Like the neighbors that came to help us, we can use our collective efforts to fix and clean up our shared space.

It’s time to unify. It’s time to be a real community. It’s time to capitalize on our common unity. PEACE!

Writing Memoir

July 6, 2024 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ Leave a comment

Come and join us for this event.

Saturday, July 13
2:00pm – 4:00pmAdd to Calendar

DeKalb County Public Library

Stone Mountain, GA.

Hairston Crossing Library

Join us to discuss writing craft based on a monthly topic. This month, we will meet in-person and learn about writing memoirs with writer Patricia A Boyd-Wilson.

No registration or membership required. New writers welcome.For more information, check out the Writers Group website.

Summer Learning Loss

June 3, 2024 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ Leave a comment

I hope my followers don’t mind my veering off into my educator’s head space. School is out for the summer. This is the joy of every student and teacher; however, learning cannot be off for the summer. Both the students and the teachers must continue learning in the summer to prevent summer learning loss and to hone and perfect skills that they have accumulated over the school year. In fact, everyone (not just students and teachers) should strive to be life-long learners because our world is ever changing, and we want to keep our brains active and cognitively healthy.

First of all, summer learning lost is a real thing. According to Learner Behind the Slide: Key Stats on Summer Learning Loss “between 70% and 79% of students experience a decline in math skills over the summer across elementary grades, with 5th and 6th grade showing the largest drop, where 84% of students demonstrated summer slide in math. Additionally, their statistics show “more than two-thirds of the reading achievement gap in 9th grade can be traced back to cumulative summer learning loss during the elementary years. Students may lose up to two months of reading proficiency over the summer.” (Click the link above to read the entire article.) NWEA, another source for student assessments and data, reports some test scores flatten during the summer, but they insist that the entire school system must be investigated. In other words, all schools are not created equally so students may have received a substandard education during the regular school year. (Click on the link to read the article and also visit the homepage: www.nwea.org) Honestly, there is much debate about learning loss in general especially since the pandemic, but the real deal is learning doesn’t have to be lost. There can be learning gains during the summer and during the school year through active learning engagement.

What is learning engagement. First of all, let me say it’s not just summer school or summer camp though it could be. And yes, reading is definitely needed, but active learning engagement can and should happen through everyday activities. For example, there are reading skills, math skills, and science in following a recipe. Change a recipe to reduce or increase its yield for more advance math skills. Measure a room for new carpet or other flooring material. There are math skills in counting money, making change, and setting and telling time. Set a timer on the oven or on your phone to determine how long a task may take. Choose a book or screenplay to read together as a family, each person taking a character or a chapter. Reading is all around us: signs, books, labels, game instructions, menus, and subtitles on movies. We can learn through all kinds of games because games have rules, strategies, and competitive challenges. Field trips and vacations are another source of learning. Investigate the place before you leave, search out little known facts, and be adventurous when you arrive. Leave the tourist path and experience the culture, the food and the community life. Take turns reading an actual map. (They still exist you know.) That’s social studies and scientific investigation. Find out what animals are indigenous to the area. Are there any interesting land masses or historic events in the area? Track your mileage, that’s math. Write a journal entry about your experiences and send some post cards to your family and friends; now we have language arts. You can add art and music too. As you can see there is no age limit on these activities of learning engagement. Whether you are in kindergarten or going to college or a senior citizen you can keep your brain sharp with these active learning experiences. Just make adjustments to challenge every learner in your household. (By the way, practical purposes help retention.)

Have you ever had this experience? You are in a department store and the sales rack says 30% off the sales price. On the top of the rack is another sign that says take another 35% off if you have a charge card. Without whipping out your cell phone to use the calculator, how much will you be able to take off $75? This recently happened to me at J. C. Penney’s. I stood in the isle thinking, I should know this. This is simple math. Although I haven’t taken a math class for more than four decades, I have helped more than two generations with math operations. Jogging the memory after teaching prekindergarten and kindergarten for a number of years was part of my problem, and lack of usage was the other part of my problem. Well, I’d love to say I finally figured it out because that would save face, but I cannot tell a lie. My ninety-year-old mother standing beside me while I was digging for my cell phone said, “Just estimate 60% would be $45.” I just stood there looking at her like she was some kind of wizard. When I asked her how that came to her so easily, she said she spent more than 30 years marking down returns at her job in the dress factory. That’s called retention and mastery.

I’ll be honest, math was never my strong suite. I learned math to pass the tests and as soon as math wasn’t required in my course of study, I purposely left it behind. Yet, basic math skills stuck with me. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division were part of the skills I had to master, just as my mom mastered percentages and decimals in her job. Mastered skills are not lost. No one has to reteach you to write your name or recite the alphabet. (Of course, this is a reasonable assumption if your health and ability hasn’t been impaired in some way.) When you see an unfamiliar word your word attack skills come into play, and perhaps your ability to use a dictionary all be it on your phone. As an adult there are skills you have accumulated such as writing, counting, and verbal communication. You have and will use those skills for a lifetime, but if you are a lifelong learner, you are learning new skills as well. Things like how to drive a stick shift, to speak another language (perhaps computer language), to play pickleball, or Sudoku or bridge. Underneath all these skills are the basics: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. As parents and grandparents and community leaders we must offer our children the opportunity to master skills as well. Generally speaking, you don’t lose the skills you have mastered. Remember that old expression, “Practice Makes Perfect.” While perfection isn’t necessarily the goal, the ability to solve problems and to think critically is. In order to do these your basic foundational skills need to be retained and mastered.

Education is not the 180 to 192 days of the school year. Education is ongoing. Education is daily practice until mastery is achieved. Education is applying former knowledge to new information to develop a new skill. Education is taking advantage of all the resources around you to equip yourself for the new challenges of the next season. Education is one generation introducing the next generation to practical application of rules and procedures, terms and strategies enabling them to navigate professional and leisure life. Education is not only the foundation of the life we’re building it’s every landing and every floor of the life we are living.

My grandmother used to tell me if I had a good education no one could take it away from me and she was right, but she didn’t tell me I could lose it if I didn’t use it or continue to build upon it. If we inspire lifelong learners at every age and stage (including ourselves), learning loss will become obsolete. If we continue to foster active learning engagement at home, we can enhance what the school endeavors to do during the school year. We do our children a disservice if we allow them to think learning stops when summer begins. We do ourselves a disservice if we take vacations from learning new things. Let’s defeat all learning loss by striving to learn something new and master something old this summer and all year through.

Learn, Live, Love! Love Living a Life of Learning. Happy summer everyone!

Outline vector illustration of people driving car to the beach. Adapted from AbiClipart project. http://www.ibiblio.org/abiclipart

Has Common Courtesy Left the Building?

May 7, 2024April 30, 2024 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ 2 Comments

Recently, I went to an active seniors’ interest meeting for people over 55. It wasn’t hard to see that the meeting room was too small for the interested population. People began to line the walls as well as stand in the rear of the room and the hallway. Remember these were people over the age of 55, many in their seventies. Arguments broke out. “Why didn’t the younger people give their seats to the elderly? Why didn’t men give their seats to the women? Why weren’t those with walkers and canes allowed to seat first? Surely, they don’t expect us to stand up for the entire meeting. How are we supposed to hear in the hallway? Why didn’t they get a bigger space? Obviously, they don’t know what they are doing?” For a few minutes I thought I was back in my kindergarten classroom listening to the children bicker over who would be the line leader and who had the toy first. Finally, the moderator gained everyone’s attention. He apologized for the size of the room and moved us to a much larger space across the hall where everyone had a seat with room to spare. Some continued to grumble about how this should have been done in the first place.

I couldn’t help but wonder why people had acted so poorly. It was obvious the planners had not expected such a large turnout. It was also obvious that the building had the ability to accommodate larger groups than ours. Many of us came to the meeting room from the auditorium in the same building. Why couldn’t everyone wait just a few minutes to see how the problem would be addressed? Why didn’t we govern ourselves like the senior adults we were? How could we make assumptions about each other? People sat first come first serve. No one knew ahead of time that they might have been occupying a seat that others needed or deserved. No one intentionally slighted anyone else. It was not possible to look at an individual and determine whether they were 60 or 80, let alone how able-bodied someone who was sitting down could be. Waiting patiently and giving the planners an opportunity to handle the matter was not on the agenda. Common courtesy had no place in this gathering. Common courtesy had left the building.

I pondered that scene for several days. As many of you know I work with children and young adults as an educator. (Elementary grades and adult GED classes) The question I kept pondering was how can we expect polite behavior from the younger generation if we aren’t role models.? Should we expect better of them ourselves? I hear people complaining all the time about how rude young people are and how disrespectful they can be, but what about us? The old saying, “Do as I say, not as I do,” has never worked. Children will do as we do. Where do they learn to be inconsiderate, hostile, mean, self-centered and selfish? Are we going to blame everything on video games, TikTok, and peer pressure? Here’s another old saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

My grandmother used to say, “Common courtesy doesn’t cost you anything.” Simply words like please, thank you, you welcome, excuse me, may I help you, and I’m sorry can be given freely. Common courtesy can bridge the way to a cordial existence among a variety of individuals. Manners and words of kindness can set the tone for most any encounter. It only requires a little empathy and common courtesy, and we need these more than ever in our society.

Perhaps courtesy has left the building. I mean, I keep using the phrase “common courtesy,” but maybe courtesy isn’t common anymore. Perhaps the art of being neighborly and showing patience and compassion has been lost. Perhaps some people see courtesy as an antiquated word that needs to be removed from the dictionary. Or perhaps it has been replaced by a new word or been given a new meaning. Let’s bring old-fashioned common courtesy back. Let’s re-emphasize the simple definition we’ve always had: “showing politeness in one’s attitude and behavior toward others.” It would change our world in a good way.

Imagine how courtesy could deflate road rage or put a halt to rude gestures. Courtesy could change the trajectory of someone’s day from bad to good especially those who work with the general public. Understanding and compassion can build torn down relationships and bridge the so-called generation gap. A little gratitude and patience can change the words “Have a nice day” into a reality. If we bring courtesy and manners back into every building our environments will be far more peaceful. All we need is someone to set the example, be the role model, give what you want to receive. We can all show good manners and be better citizens by following the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Let’s invite courtesy back into the building of our relationships, our business transactions, our conversation, and our communities.

Thank you for your time. Thank you for comments. Thank you for sharing my blog with others. Peace!

Dream-ability!

April 23, 2024April 13, 2024 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ Leave a comment

Where do dreams come from? Are they purely an ability to imagine and propel our thoughts into different scenarios or are they produced from our subconscious desires? Are they embedded impressions stored in our brain from past experiences or conversations, or do they come from nebulous subliminal messages through the multi-media airways? Perhaps they come from another realm of existence such as angels, ancient ancestors, or the supreme divine source. I’m sure there are many explanations, but one thing is certain – people of all ages dream.

There are daydreams and dreams that come when we sleep. There are dreams (goals, plans, hopes, wishes) for a happier more prosperous future as well as dreams to change the past. There are dreams that are filled with fantasy and magic, and there are dreams that need strategic planning. There are dreaded dreams like nightmares filled with doom and gloom, and night terrors filled with danger and life-threatening disasters. Some people dream with perfect recall, while others barely remember any details at all. Dreams can be ethereal and almost impossible to capture the necessary details. Dreams can seem like an additional sense providing intuition and premonitions about the living and or the dying. Dreams seem to exist on many plains and levels of consciousness both tangible and intangible. Dreaming does not have fixed boundaries; everyone has the capacity to dream.

Doctors (MD’s and Psychologists) seem to believe vivid or intense dreams happen during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. (Mind you this is from my cursory reading on the subject.) They say this is when our brain is most actively engaged in the same way it is when we are awake and involved in some stimulating activity. On the other hand, daydreams happen when we allow our minds to drift and lack external stimulation, more likely when our attention is focused on feelings or imaginative thoughts – a sort of wishful thinking. In reality, information about one’s dream-ability is speculative. Doctors cannot see the dreamers’ dreams to examine them. They are dependent on the dreamer’s ability to recall and interpret the dream accurately which means even the recall and the interpretation is subject to human error. Most dreamers add commentary to explain their dreams. So, doctors look for patterns and listen to complaints when dreams cause mental anguish or peculiar behavior such as sleepwalking and insomnia. In this discussion mental illness is not our point of reference. By all means if your dreams disturb your life, see a physician. I am talking more about how we interpret the dreams that we have from time to time without trauma or external stimulation from drugs or alcohol. In other words, what do your dreams mean to you.

When I was a little girl, I remember our landlord always asking me what I dreamed. She had a dream book, and she would tell me what the dream meant according to her book. It seemed a little goofy to me, but she was quite serious about it. Eventually, my mom made her stop asking me about my dreams; she said the landlord was using my dreams to play the numbers. I had no idea what that meant until I was much older and read a book entitled Daddy was a Number Runner by Louise Meriweather. Not only did I have very vivid dreams when I slept, but I could stare out the window and dream an entire episode of travel and adventure. At any rate, I stopped telling anyone my dreams except my journal.

As I got older, I dreamed about my ancestors. In my dreams they seem to have messages for me. Sometimes they were people I had actually known, and other times they were people who had died before I was born. I shared these dreams with my grandmother who would try to figure out who the people in my dreams were. One person, my grandfather’s mother would appear in my dreams often. I felt like she came to protect me from danger. One time I described her hat to my grandmother, and it seemed to spook her. My grandmother pulled a big hat box from the top of her closet and showed me the hat I had described to her. It was a gift from her mother-in-law given to her before I was born. After that my grandmother believed me when I told her dreams about my great-grandmother, her mother-in-law who died when I was two years old. As I grew older, I learned not to share my dreams with adults because of their strange reactions to them, and sometimes to me as well. Apparently, a vivid imagination was not good for a young girl and foreknowledge, or foresight was too eerie or mysterious.

To this day, I keep a dream journal. Some dreams I chalk up to too much cabbage and cornbread or horror movies. (There is a theory that when you eat too much it can give you crazy dreams like watching too many scary movies.) Sometimes I wait to see if the dream is repetitive. At other times I try to decipher a message from them. Either way, I don’t dwell on them, because they are what they are – just dreams – until they prove otherwise. I don’t dream all the time, at least not that I can remember or recall, but on the occasion that I do I jot down what I can remember without commentary. If it leaves a particular impression, I write that down as well. I have learned to use discretion in sharing my dreams; however, I do have some friends and family members who have similar experiences with dreaming. I am certain that some of my creativity comes from my dream-ability. Writing stories can be like an awake dream of characters, places, and scenes. It’s like a preternatural gift that allows me to see more and feel more in addition to my five senses.

Whether dreams are a series of images produced by the brain unintentionally, or a self-indulging product of our own desires and thoughts, dreams can be useful tools for creativity and healthy imagination. I venture to say that all art forms: music, poetry, prose, lyrics, graphics, design, dance, etc. comes from one’s ability to see something outside the range of normal vision. Inspiration and even aspiration can come from a lingering daydream. Worlds can exist outside of our normal range of reality because of a person’s dream-ability. Foresight, insight, perspective, and stimulation can arise from one’s ability to dream. Whatever you attribute dream-ability to it sets us apart from the animal kingdom. We are able to hope, to set goals, to implement wishes, and accomplish bucket lists because we can dream. We follow intuition and premonitions based on our ability to imagine outcomes in our mind’s eye, a form of dreaming. The visual aspect of our dream-ability helps us create the faith we need to open and close doors in our daily life’s journey. How you interpret your dreams makes all the difference. Are they possibilities or impossibilities? Are they precursors to invention or forewarnings for potential failings? Are they comical reliefs for a stressful existence or serious roadmaps for a thriving future? How do you use your dream-ability?

Dreams may demand interpretation, but the interpretation starts with you. Take a little time to dream!.

Self-Improvement

April 9, 2024March 26, 2024 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ 1 Comment

Several days ago, I read an article about doing something to better yourself every day. I was intrigued and shared this with my family members. Everyone assented to the idea, but as of the writing of this blog no one has changed anything about their daily routine. (watching TV, eating out of boredom, and following social media posts). How do we get stuck in such ruts? We want to move forward in life, but we lack the will power or the motivation to get up and go for it. I want to do more to improve myself, how about you? What do you do to improve yourself? (Please share.)

When days go by, and I find I haven’t done any of the things I had planned or thought about doing, I get a little depressed. I become disappointed in myself and frustrated. I usually have no one else to blame but myself. I sit in my recliner watching reruns on TV or playing video games on my phone rather than doing something constructive. I have books to read. I have a blog to update. I have a book to finish. I have people I need to contact for lunch or brunch. I have volunteer work to do. Yet, there I sit vegetating. No creativity, no challenges, no interest, no fun. Why can’t I get moving? Why do I allow myself to fall into a rut of doing nothing? Could it be fear of failure? Could it be lack of motivation? Could it be a medical imbalance? Could it be tiredness from a lack of sleep and rest? Or is it depression manifesting itself again? Sometimes I think it’s all of the above.

My husband works on his art every day when he comes home from his eight-hour job. He says, “Don’t let me get close to my chair, because once that happens, I won’t get anything done.” His recliner is a place of comfort, but it’s also a place of procrastination and complacency. It’s easy to put things off for later. but he doesn’t let that chair conquer his desire to be productive. He can be proud and fulfilled through the process and progress of each finished piece. (www.donwilsonartist900.com) When he does take a break, it’s planned and a much needed.

I finally got out of my rut. I began working on my blog and planning for the completion of my book. I worked on class notes for my GED students and got out of the house to enjoy the spring flowers. I went to the salon and enjoyed a message and mani/pedicure. Doing something to better yourself is not always work, it’s the things that bring you joy, fulfillment, peace, and thoughtfulness (or maybe that’s mindfulness). It is also taking care of your health both physically and mentally. It’s being engaged with others and taking the time to live in the moment. It’s working toward your purpose and using your gifts and talents for the best outcome. It’s feeding your soul with spiritual nourishment.

Self-improvement can take many forms. It can start by freeing up time in your schedule or calendar. You may need to reinstate a reasonable bedtime so that your body gets restorative rest. You may need to change your routines as it relates to eating or device usage. You may need to add some self-care components to your schedule. Perhaps you need to listen to new podcasts or watch some documentaries. You may need to institute some healthy life-giving habits like meditation, exercise, or prayer. You may need to treat yourself to a vacation or a retreat. Perhaps you need to join a group of like-minded people who can communicate in the language of your skills and talents. Whatever you decide, you can always change it if it’s not working. And don’t forget to expect the unexpected. There will be interruptions and I can tell you firsthand they can derail your entire plan. So, don’t be afraid to pick up the pieces and start again.

Self-improvement should never really stop. We should do something to better ourselves every day. It doesn’t have to take hours; it could be the few minutes it takes to read an article. None of us are too young or too old to make changes. None of us are so mentally stagnant that we can’t create new goals personally and professionally. Whatever causes you to fall into a rut of inactivity can be changed by simply making up your mind to take the first small step. For some of us, it’s a daily fight.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71D8O9DinpL._AC_UY218_.jpg

Miracles in the Mundane *

March 26, 2024March 12, 2024 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ Leave a comment

I have always had some disdain for pat sayings like, “Don’t forget to smell the roses.” First of all, there were no roses in the concrete courtyards where I grew up. There were also no roses in the deep south where my relatives farmed from sunup to sundown. So even if I didn’t forget to smell the rose, I couldn’t find the roses. Yet now, so many years later, I have learned to appreciate such sayings. Using mental exercises and developing defense mechanisms to overcome and defeat depression, I have learned to smell the proverbial roses. I call these exercises looking for miracles in the mundane.

Looking for the miracles in the mundane started with me noticing how well and whole I felt out in nature. This is also when my amateur hobby as a photographer began. Little things that often go unnoticed by others gained my attention. Questions about those things brought them into greater focus. Why does that tree’s leaves turn golden in the fall while another tree’s leaves turn red? How long do turtles swim in the lake with only their little heads at the surface? Why can’t chickens fly, after all they have wings? I began snapping pictures of everything that intrigued my curiosity. (Visit the gallery on this site to few a view of my pictures.) Thus, came thousands of pictures of roses, not proverbial roses, but real roses.

As I traveled the states fulfilling my bucket list to spend time in all fifty states, I made botanical gardens one of my “must-see” destinations. Through the camera lens I discovered all roses were not the same. Their shapes were different. Their colors varied, and their scents were not the same. There are so many varieties of roses, and each of them have their own unique characteristics and features. With a little research, I found out that new roses were being introduced all the time. Botanists crossbreed certain varieties to develop yet another type of rose.

As if all these roses weren’t enough, I began to find bugs and butterflies in my photographs. In Chicago, I found birds in my pictures. In Alabama, I got sidetracked by waterlilies which lead to ducks, geese, and swans. Since I’m naturally curious (my kids say my best gift is interrogation), I began researching what birds are indigenous to Georgia. This started a new hobby, amateur bird watching. I have photographs of cardinals, robins, woodpeckers, peacocks, geese, a variety of ducks, yellow warblers, blue jays, trashers, and hummingbirds. Of course, I still don’t know why the males are so colorful while the females are brown or gray. I suppose it’s a way of protecting the mothers from predators, but I like the idea that the males have to sport their wears to attract the females and keep their attention.

In nature, one thing always leads to another for me like the pattern of river water flowing over boulders; the snow melt flowing down the mountain side; the colorful fall leaves from tree to tree and state to state; the ebb and flow of ocean water, the beauty of a moth or a butterfly; little brown rabbits eating my mom’s garden plants; baby deer frightened by their own shadow; squirrels playing chase in a nearby tree; pigeons having a parking lot scavenger hunt, and my dog snuggling next to me to chase my blues away. These are all miracles in the mundane.

Every day we walk right by miracles: wildflowers growing on the hillside, children laughing and playing, an elderly couple looking passionately into each other’s eyes, a prism of color in a puddle mixed with motor oil, a lizard sunning himself in the driveway, the brightness of a full moon, the pictures in the clouds floating overhead, and our own reflections in the mirror. The miracles in the mundane help us to remember there really isn’t anything mundane.

The mundane is in our way of thinking. If we allow ourselves to lose interest in the world around us, we miss the miracles. If we allow ourselves to be thrill seekers, we reduce every miracle to something boring and monotonous. This becomes our loss. The best things and people around us go unnoticed not because they are not there, but because we have closed our eyes to the mystery and wonder that surrounds us. So, here’s my suggestion, “Don’t forget to smell the roses.”

Reprint from DeKalb Voices Review, 2023 with revisions.

Working with The Unexpected

March 14, 2024 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ 2 Comments

This past week I accepted a job as a kindergarten substitute teacher. To my surprise, I had a second-grade class to teach when I arrived. The inner child in me wanted to pitch a fit and leave, but the teacher in me decided to work with the unexpected. That got me wondering how others respond to the unexpected in life. How do you respond to the unexpected? (No, really. Please share.)

Unexpected things in life can be both good and bad. You could get a promotion, that’s good. You could get a pink slip, that’s not so good. The doctor could give you a clean bill of health, or the doctor could pronounce the dreaded disease of cancer. A tree could fall on your house in a storm, or someone could rear end your brand-new car. Your favorite person could pay you a surprise visit. You could find out you’re having twins. The best restaurant ever could go out of business. The one you love could propose. Life is filled with unexpected challenges and pleasures. Sometimes we have to learn to work with them whether we want to or not. We would all rather walk away from disappointment and choose only the “good” things, but that’s not the way of life.

Many years ago, I thought I had achieved my dream occupation as an educator. A friend, my spiritual leader and I joined forces and founded a Chrisitan school. The school grew out of an academic summer camp I had been running for years. We named the school after my great grandparents Will and Mariah Jackson. We started with pre-kindergarten through second grade. Each year we added another grade until we reached grade five. Everything was going well. My godson handled the bookkeeping. My friend’s wife handled the day-to-day office work. The staff was well qualified, and the students were learning and enjoying their teachers and activities. Everything seemed to fall in place. We bought new furnishings for our classrooms from a local school district. A donor gave us enough computers to start a computer lab. This had been my dream for years because my children had been products of this type of school in California. My partner and I were happy with the impact of our little school. Then the unthinkable happened.

One cold winter night, my friend’s wife called me, “He’s gone,” she said. My friend, my spiritual advisor, my business partner had died. Out of nowhere he had a massive heart attack. There were no signs prior to this that warned us. There was no opportunity to bargain or change paths. It was devastating to everyone, especially his wife and family. Grief and sadness filtered down to everyone that knew him – the students, the staff, the members of his congregation, organizational leaders, and even the community at large. Even as I look back now, it hurts my heart. The loss was tremendous, and the empty space could never be filled by another. Eventually, I crumbled, and the school closed.

Why am I talking about this now? Because we live with the unexpected every day. Big things, like the one I just conveyed, and small things like having a cavity. The unexpected is to be expected. Mass shootings at schools, shopping centers, and places of worship; random stray bullets barrowing into homes; senior citizens being scammed out of their life savings; women and children being abducted off the streets, and major companies closing their doors for good are just a few of the unexpected things that can and do occur in our world today. On the flip side there are good, unexpected things as well – new community alliances that pass out food and clothing to the needy; the revitalization of Neighborhood Watch programs; young entrepreneurs creating new jobs; free lunch programs for school-aged children; and unexpected benefactors paying off student debt at the local HBCU. So many unexpected things can happen at any given moment.

Sometimes I find myself trying to explain the world to my 91-year-old mother and my 21-year-old granddaughter. Mom wants to know why things can’t go back to the way they used to be, and my granddaughter wants to know what to expect in the future when things are always changing. Mom experienced loss in so many ways during the pandemic – loss of friends and community, loss of the ability to drive and socialize, loss of freedom – she had to learn to live in a new kind of normal for her own safety. My granddaughter graduated from high school during the pandemic. There was no prom, no graduation ceremony, and no community celebration. Her first semesters at college were spent on-line in the dorm room rather than in person. None of the expected challenges or standards seem to exist in her new world. In other words, mom is trying to adjust to the impersonal world of technology and AI, while my granddaughter is trying to adjust to being thrusted into adulthood with all its responsibilities and none of its former assurances. Each of them – all of us – must learn to work with the unexpected.

We can’t allow the unexpected to leave us halted in fear. We can’t allow the unexpected to styme our growth or our dreams. We shouldn’t just stop in our tracks and wait for the next blessing or disaster to get us moving again. Nor can we allow corruption in high places to corrupt our moral compass and values. We must learn to work with the unexpected, because the unexpected is not going away. We have the tools to do it. We can network with like-minded people. We can elevate our problem-solving skills through study, lectures, think tanks, and podcasts. We can adjust our schedules, become change agents, form or change our inner circles while taking advantage of technology and interpersonal relations. We can work with the unexpected. We simply need to make and stick with a plan to move forward.

I have a friend who says you always need a plan C. C stands for courage, and we all need that when plan A and B fail. Plan C will help us ask for help. Plan C will help us admit it when we are wrong. Plan C will give us the ability to start over. Plan C will allow us to celebrate the victories of others even when our victories stop coming. Plan C will help us navigate and work with the unexpected with a “we can” spirit. In the Words of the Pointer Sisters, and for Women’s History Month, I leave you with the lyrics of their song: “...I know we can make it. I know dare well we can work it out. Oh yes, we can, I know we can, can. Yes, we can, can…” With a little courage, we can work with the unexpected.

Developing Character

January 12, 2024 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ 1 Comment

As an author of short stories, I spend a lot of time trying to develop my characters. Depending on the role each character holds – antagonist, protagonist, comic relief – their character must reflect their thoughts and actions. What is their back story? What is their worldview? What is the driving force behind their emotions and their relationships? Character isn’t just the outward appearance of a person; it is also the inside makeup of that person. If this is true in the world of make believe, how much more is it true for each of us here in the real world?

We are charged with being a person of good character. Whether we have had a great life, or a life filled with hardship, we are tasked with what kind of character we have. Whatever role we play in society, our character is reflected in our interactions and relationships. We have a choice in who we become. We have a choice in what kind of person we want to be. Unlike the characters in my book, we have a say in whether we are what we appear to be. We can construct and develop our own character.

I do know that some would argue against that last statement. There are many who believe our back story and our environment make us who we are. How many times have I heard that this child or that child is a product of their environment as if one’s environment is made up of a stagnant singular place. What part of one’s environment has the most influence? Home? School? Socio-economic Community? How do we explain the differences in character of people who come from the same “environment.” Why does one person rise to the top while another person scrapes the bottom of the proverbial barrel for a lifetime? One individual chooses to rise above their circumstances. Another person chooses to invest time developing character and high standards of thinking and acting.

So, what is character? According to the Oxford Dictionary character is: ”the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual; strength and originality in a person’s nature; a person’s good reputation.” These qualities include personality, temperament, outlook, and disposition. The question becomes do we control these traits or does some outside force control us like the author of a book. Do we have a say? I think we do. We have the ability to look into the mirror and decide what kind of person we want to be, and we have the ability to change.

This week I decided it was time to clean my office. In the process I came across my junior high and high school yearbooks. It was interesting to read the comments made by my teachers and peers. Many of these autographed inscriptions spoke to how they saw my future based on my character as a student and friend. One of the characteristics that many of them seemed to pick up on was my ability to shut people out. Some even connected this attribute with my temper and temperament. So, they made statements like: ”If you stop being so evil you will go far.” ”If you let people see the real you, you have a bright future ahead.” Several people said they wished they had gotten to know me better even though we had been classmates from elementary school through high school. I can look at many of these comments and smile, but I also have to take in consideration how much I have changed or not since then. Do I still cut people off? Do I still appear mean and temperamental all these years later? It’s interesting that my closest friends from that era (who are still in my life today) still see me the same way. While friends and colleagues who never knew me before, see me as outgoing and congenial. Very few classmates saw me that way. This speaks to outward appearances as well as personal responses to people and circumstances.

We can develop our character to present a different set of traits in various situations. Different people may know and see us in different ways than others. Yet, our character should not have a Jekyll and Hyde persona. If we are good moral people, this should be obvious in all circumstances. If we are kindhearted and fair, it should manifest in our speech and actions. If we are reserved and tactful, no one should be able to describe us as radical and outrageous. If we are even tempered and ethical, riotous rage should never explode uncontrollably from our tongue or actions. We can develop our character by our life choices every day. We can change what we don’t like, and we can enhance what we love. Our choices may determine our future successes and defeats as stated by my old autographs, but it may also lead to better and safe communities.

Some of the ills in our world today go back to character development. Our communities need good characters – persons who consider good citizenship, neighborliness, and moral consistency to be the qualities of maturity and health. As an author, I don’t want to create a book filled with antagonists. This would be a hostile adversarial environment with no relief in sight. How would the story end? More than likely, it would end in self-destruction and hopelessness. Every story needs a protagonist to support and champion a good outcome. Our real world needs more protagonist: heroes, heroines, advocates, champions, opposers of evil and destruction. Character development can help in a mighty way to transform our antagonistic world.

May we all continue to work on our character and help our youth to develop good character that will transform their lives and ours. Happy MLK Jr. Day!

“***I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”*** ***Martin Luther King Jr.***

It’s Not Too Late to Give the Gift of Presence

December 28, 2023 ~ boydwilsonpat ~ 2 Comments

I have spent the better part of my life around my elders – my great grandparents, great aunts and uncles, grandparents, and the elderly members of my church and community. What I know now that I didn’t know then was each one of them gave me an intangible gift of their presence. I was never dismissed or overlooked by them, they made me feel important and interesting. Today, we call that “being seen.” We were not just physically together we were emotionally and spiritually together. They saw me and I learned to see them. They were fully present with me and that is a priceless gift that I still cherish to this day.

I remember fleeing the city and landing on my great aunt Katie’s porch. It was the one place I could go and feel safe and loved. We had an agreement that she would not tell anyone I was there. She and I would sit on the porch and talk until the lightening bugs came out. Sometimes we just sat and listened to the radio. I wrote lots of letters and sent lots of cards when I couldn’t leave the city. It kept our connection going even across the miles. I had the same kind of relationship with my great uncle Fred. I loved to hear the stories of his travels and his work. He is the only one of my relatives that drove all the way from Tennessee to California to see me. He and I shared a love of gospel music and antique things. I could tell these two people anything in confidence. They listened with their hearts and shared their lives generously. Lord, I miss them, but memories of their presence in my life brings me comfort and peace even now.

These days it seems that we spend far too much time and energy trying to give tangible gifts. We seem to believe material things are the best gifts. Perhaps we have been sucked in by the myriad of commercials that bombard the airways. Or perhaps it’s a matter of convenience, a quick transaction. It takes far less time to purchase a gift card than to sit and commune with someone. At any rate, we tend to use our purchasing power more than our interpersonal interactive power. Things get set aside, regifted, or simply forgotten over time. We tell ourselves it is the sentiment that counts, but is it really? How much more sentiment does the gift of one’s presence give?

Activities, conversations, and time spent together are invaluable. I love when we sit around the table or in front of the fireplace talking about our experiences and dreams. Conversations that trigger fond and intimate memories is a remarkable treasure. When we spend time laughing or crying with people it creates a special bond. When we share activities together like fishing, or making cookies, or patch working a quilt, or playing a board game, we create memories that can be treasured for years to come. After the gift card is spent, or the gift is exchanged or packed away, the moment fades away and becomes a vague recollection of the season or occasion of the little time spent with the people we associate with.

The tangible gifts we can recall are the gifts of thoughtfulness. Perhaps you received a handmade gift from your grandchild or a well-thought-out gift from a friend who knows all your favorite things. These kinds of gifts have presence attached to them. The giver knows you, loves you, and carefully chooses what they know you will like and cherish. For example, one of my dear friends and prayer partner gave me a beautiful glass bluebird last year. This year, she gave me an artist drawn calendar of birds for 2024. She knows I love birds and I’m an amateur bird watcher. There was no particular occasion, she saw these things and thought of me. Why? Because we have given each other the gift of presence for a number of years. She knows me. She cares for me. Just thinking of her right now brings a smile to my face. We have taken the time to invest in our friendship – real time and real communion.

It’s not too late to give the gift of presence to someone in your life. Perhaps there is that friend you have been meaning to call and catch up with. Perhaps there is a relative you saw at the last family funeral, and you said: “Let’s not meet this way again, let’s get together soon.” Perhaps there’s an elderly neighbor who could use a little company every week or so. Or maybe there is someone in your life who has given you the gift or their presence and you’ve not taken the time to tell them what they mean to you. The gift of presence is intangible. The value of presence is an indescribably investment – one that you can carry with you for the rest of your life.

Someone you know needs the gift of presence not because it’s the season of giving and getting, but because there is nothing like being known and seen, honored and appreciated, received and treasured. When you give the gift of presence you leave an indelible mark of true companionship and comradery that is priceless and continues to give for a lifetime. As long as you have breath, it’s never too late to give the gift of presence.

May the New Year bring you many gifts of presence and in this case, it really is better to give than just receive. Happy 2024.

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