"Don't obey me, my child"

Continuing my catch up on nvc-parenting archives, I paused again at Isabell Peters' poem. I'm trying to work out with what I feel connected, and which parts disconnect with me. (permission to share with others off-list, message 6532):

Don't obey me, my child
(Isabell Peters/2005)

Listen to me and open your heart
when I open mine
when I reveal myself to you

or indoctrinate you - then tell me
if you are irritated.

Should I say "you have to"
don't believe me, my child -
Just bear with me
when I know no other way.

When I think I know better
What's good for you
don't believe me -
just bear with me
when I seem to have no trust.

Listen to me and open your heart
when I open mine
even when I reveal myself
with lack of trust
with my pain
with my disorientation.

Never obey me, my child!

Yet follow me if your heart approves.

(Translation: Sara Hartmann)


Connection: "Yet follow me if your heart approves" - describes the desire I hold that my children might follow my instructions because those instructions are such that would meet my children's needs.

Disconnection: Actually, probably not disconnection, so much as my fear that the number of times my instructions may have been made with my own needs rather than the children's in mind may have created an inclination in them for lack of trust that my instruction would be worth following with approval.

Obedience, compliance... surely they are not needed if I have earned trust?

Ingenious

GUF is visiting over the festival season. I have learned a lot about the history of World Championship Chess, enjoyed the influence of my uncle on my sons, and received the kind of loving support and reassurance that only an uncle can give.

Which reminds me that I caught up with GUK on Skyhero Chat this afternoon.

Do you Sudoku? Cricket and I did (this morning) while watching our new Voyager DVDs (thanks GUF). Then Kitty did too, and she is again, with GUF, while I blog. Earlier we watched Madagascar and played Ingenious.

More to read when I have more time...

GUF will arrive soon, and I must take food to mum's for lunch, but first I want to take note of the site brought to my attention early this morning, to remind me to read it in more depth later: CNVC are considering a sociocratic style of structure, operation and governance - which sounds hopeful.

Googling, as I do, led me to Spirituality and Globalisation: Visions of a different type of social organisation by Wolfgang Fischer. Hmmm....?

Later

"For words, like Nature, half reveal...

and half conceal the Soul within." - Alfred Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam

Black Hill

Oh Memories... and new family joy.

After tea I dragged the boys on a walk to Black Hill. At the foot of the hill: "I remember that cliff", "I remember that path... it goes over that rise and there was a tunnel through the blackberries", " Yes I remember this road, if we go around here there is a reasonably easy climb through the pine trees". "I remember this soil smell". While we found new spaces, and experienced our own new adventures, I related the dangerous and tame adventures of my teen years. "See the edge of that cliff behind the tree? We climbed that, up the pink and orange sandstone ... and over there? there was a wider space, just as steep where we took the younger cousins up, all of us tied together". We climbed up and down, and walked around, and each bend and rise brought back more memories, and new rocks for Fish to collect.

Passing a dozen interesting paths to take "next time", we decided eventually to take a loop around the long way rather than retrace any of our path. "This reserve - it was a tip... the smell when we rode home from school... yeuch", "On the way to school, down this hill on bikes, imagine our speed"... "and the time a car was turning as I neared the bottom of the hill, and I squeezed the breaks and my back wheel started to come around and I came this close to this storm water drain". Memories mixed with stories, and jokes, new discoveries, and plans and ideas, filling our hearts with the joy of creating new memories to share.

Next time: water bottles says Cricket, a camera says mum, a bag for the rocks says Fish.

Coincidence

calling to mind the thrill of making connections.

Google Quote of the Day:
"I can't bring myself to say, 'Well, I guess I'll be toddling along.' It isn't that I can't toddle. It's just that I can't guess I'll toddle." Robert Benchley. 

Fresh on the heels of yesterday's learning: he was an Algonquin Wit!

Acmeism & Algonquin Round Table

The Information Services Librarian strolled me through our online databases during training today. Scanning the Gale Literature Resource Centre I caught sight of "Acmeism" and "Algonquin round table" as Literary Movements or Time Periods. What on earth?

Google?

Ah... thank you Lindsay Malcolm and Martin Kich. Acmeism... check.

I believe pbs American Masters give a more enjoyable read about the Algonquin round table than Wikipedia, although it was nice to hear from the Algonquin Hotel themselves.

I shall always remember Mrs Potter, my Grade 3 teacher: "You will learn something new every day".

Ready to Swish & Swipe

Overtaken by the cleaning bug this morning... feeling quite proud of my efforts (vacuuming whole house, bathroom, washing, kitchen) ... and relieved that I stopped in time to prevent backache ... this evening I bought a new toilet brush so I am ready to Swish (and maybe Swipe).

Pleasant Sunday

Thanks to Parents Without Partners, I cruised from Southbank to Toorak and back on the Melba Star: learning the history of the various bridges and Herring Island, why the Yarra is the upside-down river, and snippets of socio-economic interest of either side of the river. Passing the Melbourne University boathouse reminded me of an old buddy from Uni... watching her rowing race, but also being amazed at her energy - she will have been up, across the city, trained, and back to the residence before I was up for breakfast!

While others gambled or shopped at Crown Casino, I perused the DVDs and CDs at Sanity... until lunch, during which I discovered that a new acquaintance was also a homeschooling mother. We watched the Crown's Christmas display (YAWN) and heard their choir, before strolling and talking until it was time for the bus to leave.

I just remembered a very happy sight as we left the Atrium: A mother was breastfeeding. I have to admit that I was so impressed I stopped to express my appreciation: this mother provided an opportunity for young people at the Crown to subconsciously process the perfectly natural activity of breastfeeding.

This was an excursion that I had planned to let pass me by. While the river cruise would have been attractive I had to pay for it with hours at the casino: I am trying very hard to find a way to not say "I hate casinos"... but I really cannot, yet, imagine any way in which gambling in a casino (or anywhere beyond a charity raffle) could be at all appealing for me.

All up I did not even enter the event on my calendar... but then on Thursday night PWPBP appeared to be disappointed with the low number of bookings, and I recalled that I would have no particularly pressing obligations and likely short on inspiration... so I booked. Having now met "Clare" (the homeschooling mum) I am glad that I did: discovering homeschooling in common was an easy bridge, upon which we found more points of similarity and agreement/compatibility.

Yes, in retrospect, a pleasant Sunday.

Taxonomies & Folksomonies

When you get a chance moonflowerdragon, you want to get back to this: 

"From Taxonomies to Folksomonies: Personal Observations on Online Information 2005" By Allan Foster

http://www.freepint.com/issues/151205.htm#feature

Lives Touched by Breastfeeding: Writing Competition

From today's Australian Breastfeeding Association announcement

WRITING COMPETITION
Only seven weeks left to get your entry in for the ABA 'Lives Touched by
Breastfeeding' writing competition! Take the time over your holiday break to
focus on your short story and send it in before February 3, 2006.

Entry forms and flyers are on the ABA website under the Noticeboard section.

Someone is going to win the fantastic prizes, as well has having their story
published in Essence magazine! The first prize in each category is a book
pack to the value of AU$250.00 plus AU$140.00 in cash. Second prize is a
AU$50.00 Mothers Direct voucher plus AU$35.00 in cash. Third prize is a
AU$25.00 Mothers Direct voucher plus AU$25.00 in cash.

Edge: The World Question Center: What's your Law?

As this blog is mostly here for me, not you, I'm posting first how I arrived at What's your Law this morning... because I generally find anyone's path to a particular destination as or more interesting than the destination.

D.H. Lawrence mentioned in passing in Kangaroo that "The man by himself" was one of the names of Erasmus of Rotterdam, so I googled to remind myself (my only inkling of a recollection was something to do with Martin Luther) of this man of my family's geographical origins. Wikipedia was very helpful, and I followed a link to learn about Erasmus' Apophthegmatum opus , whereupon, curious to discover whether an apophthegm is some sort of pithy saying, I followed the apophthegm link which diverted to "adage". What's your Law was an external link from that "adage" Wikipedia entry.

I generally apply
Gardner's First Law: Don't ask how smart someone is; ask in what ways is he or she smart.

I figure O'Donnell's Law of Academic Administration:
If it feels good, don't do it.
extends beyond Academic Administration, based on the justification.

from Minsky's:
Minsky's First Law
Words should be your servants, not your masters.
Minsky's Second Law
Don't just do something. Stand there.

I went via his bio to remind myself what I had read in The Society of Mind and surfed a while through Listmania ... overload.

I'm getting back to work, but later I'll get back to reading what Daniel Gilbert (of Gilbert's Law: Happy people are those who do not pass up an opportunity to laugh at themselves or to make love with someone else. Unhappy people are those who get this backwards.) says about AFFECTIVE FORECASTING...OR...THE BIG WOMBASSA: WHAT YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET, AND WHAT YOU DON'T GET, WHEN YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT

WITH THAT MOON LANGUAGE

I am feeling very grateful to have found today, in the nvc parenting archives (thank you Judy in Vermont):

WITH THAT MOON LANGUAGE

Admit something:

Every one you see, you say to them,
"Love me."

Of course you do not do this out loud;
Otherwise,
Someone would call the cops.

Still though, think about this.
This great pull in us
To connect.

Why not become the one
Who lives with a full moon in each eye
That is always saying,

With that sweet moon
Language,

What every other eye in this world
Is dying to
Hear.


[Hafiz :c.1350; tr. Daniel Ladinsky]

Revolutions in library design

Geraldine mentioned during induction today that the face of libraries appears to be changing towards a retailing approach, although those changes will probably take many years to reach us.  She mentioned shop fronts and not having a central circulation desk!  Interesting concept, but it sent me looking online.

Now Procter Library does not appear to be without a central desk - but its design is quite intriguing - hope to visit it one day.

see moonflowerdragon

 
 

How I have been seeing god & religion ...

See an elephant ... a really BIG elephant. It is everything.

See a person standing close to the tip of its trunk - say the flaring
of the trunk touches his/her shoulder. See a dozen people along the
trunk in contact with it in different ways. See people on the
elephant, laying, standing sitting, handstands. See people under the
elephant from head to tail, even underfoot. See people leaning on the
legs in different ways, climbing them even. See people in contact
with the tail, even standing in droppings.

Now focus on some of these people, see their thoughts - one sees an
elephant, one sees Ganesha, one sees Buddha, one sees the old man in
the clouds, one sees bright light, one sees Hern, one sees light
through clouds, one sees Christ crucified, one sees Christ bathed in
light, what other images of god/s do we have, some see themselves in
relation to their god - being hugged, being hurt, being poked, being
patted, being held in its palm, being held on a leash, bowing, having
tea together, playing chess, being played like a chess piece. Now see
some of these people imagining other people - see their speech bubbles
- one or two might be of what they see, but many are are speaking of
other things: instructions, rituals, ??? See two people very close,
same contact with the elephant same image in mind, different speech.
See another two people very different contact with the elephant,
different images in mind, talking to each other and speeches
consistent.

See one there listening? Maybe two? I wonder what is in their thought bubble?

Now let's fade out the elephant image and see these people going about
living - what are they doing? Some preaching, some teaching, mothers
& fathers caring for children, cooking, farming, butchering,
paperpushing, thieving, killing, eating, swimming, nursing, hitting,
building, painting, praying, gossiping, casting spells, partying,
loving, writing. What are they each thinking?

See their faces: happy, sad, angry, joyful, serious, silly, afraid, serene.

Scan the elephant gradually back into the picture, see the elephant
get bigger and bigger so that its image overlays the people, larger
and larger so we see less and less of the outline of the elephant,
'til we don't see its edge anymore.

It is everything.

Spring cleaning

I haven't yet found a poem that will inspire me to industrious spring cleaning.

Perhaps Sandy Shreve's will help when I eventually get to the paper piles as long as I don't think of the last five lines.

Maybe this one?  (for which I thank google for sending me to - maxwell at apartment therapy)

Love Song

Sweep the house clean,
hang fresh curtains
in the windows
put on a new dress
and come with me!
The elm is scattering
its little loaves
of sweet smells
from a white sky!

Who shall hear of us
in the time to come?
Let him say there was
a burst of fragrance
from black branches.

--William Carlos Williams, Al Que Quiere! The Four Seas Company: Boston, 1917

Okay, so it is a bit light on the cleaning side but the rest of it is tempting - particularly right now.

I wish my own spring cleaning didn't get so much like Lori Boulard describes.  Or ninepatch.

I don't know whether David Keig's encourages or discourages me, for I'd never cut it as a 1950's wife!  Indeed thanks to Dr Gaye Bland I know that my own sentiment is more like that of Emily Dickinson who apparently wrote "House is being 'cleaned,' I prefer pestilence."  No, I don't feel that way, but it sounds like Emily was referring to someone else doing the cleaning ... I wouldn't be complaining!

Has anyone else discovered that google is a great tool for the procrastinator?  Easier to self-justify than Zuma or Dynomite.

Okay mum's here to go shopping, procrastination complete!

Showed mum Roy's photo... "oh ... He's a nice looking chap" she says.  "And beautiful daughters."

Hallelujah

Okay so I don't know any non-religious exclamations that might express my joyous relief!

I finally got that @#$%^&*! multimedia assignment finished - twenty minutes ago!

< deep, joyous sigh of relief >

Fascination

"Fascination" ... yep that word pretty much covers it.

Little did I suspect that forcing myself to dial and request data for that @#$%^&*! multimedia assignment would result in the most fascinating conversation I have enjoyed in years?.... mmmm ... yeah since that last in-depth with Ceccy I believe!

Thanks Roy www.abcguide.com.au. 

That conversation put me into a fascinated daze for hours after, slightly delaying progress on the assignment, I'll finish it tomorrow ... oops I mean later today.

"Listening to You" at Multnomah County Library & clioinstitute

Remember Tame the Web?  Next I followed Michael to "Listening to You," at Multnomah County Library.  I like the idea of including user comments on a library website.  Apparently Michael found that site through the clioinstitute blog and I didn't want to stop with a quick skim there - I want to read more ... "inspiring libraries to inspire communities "! ... just these recent posts beg for me to surf more:

• Library Trends with Discussion Questions
• Marketing Your Expertise Online
• How is technology affecting the ability to learn
• Video testimonials give vibrance to an online strategic plan
• Enriching print content with podcasts
• Using a library website to share strategic plan updates
• Management Trends

When will I get the time?

The Future of Libraries from the DaVinci Institute

One of the other example blogs from that workshop I mentioned last time was It's all good.  And from there, Alane sent me to The Future of Libraries: Beginning the Great Transformation.  Fascinating notions.  Definitely another link for that web-directory.

Hennepin County Libraries

When creating a mini web-directory recently purely as an assignment for my Diploma of Information and Library Services I found so many fascinating websites that might be useful or interesting to other library students it was hard to stop myself surfing for more than needed for the assignment.   In the process I subscribed to get bloglets from Peter Scott's Library Blog. The only item that caught my curiosity today was the link to presentations from the Conference and Exhibition "Internet Librarian 2005". I'll be wanting to check out more of those but the path I followed first was Workshop 9 — Advanced Weblogs: Applications, Technology, Cases whose "Quick, Quick, Quick Intro to Blogs and RSS" gave Tame the Web: Libraries and Technology as a blog example, where I found '10 Things I Learned at Internet Librarian 2005' #8 of which connected with me so I visited Hennepin County Library .

I liked it and wanted to note it. So let's just hope that till I have somewhere else to journal it, it ends up at moonflowerdragon.

--
I am guided by two apparently disparate philosophies:

       "Peace *will* enter your life, but you
       need to clear a spot for her to sit down."

and:

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body
thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a
ride!"

Connecting Librarian

I sure wish that the assignment to "Develop an internet site for a web directory" was more about achieving content than designing a webpage, because I am finding oodles of fascinating blogs by librarians / about librarianship & library practice.

This is one of dozens that I wish I had more time to read - how to follow them up at another time I don't know - yet.

Too Busy?

I have to admit that while I find myself ploughing to complete assignments on time, and occasionally not accepting new assignments, I still find enough time to read every day, and watch at least one favourite television program with my sons each day.

Is that too busy?

After saying good bye to the boys tonight (they departed for a visit with their father) I went back to Safeway for another shopping trip. I indulged in Three Wishes chocolate, Smoked Salmon dip and the new poppy seed & sundried tomato flavoured corn chips, a frozen canneloni meal and a competition to win an electric scooter by buying Bertolli products. So... 25 words or less why I buy Bertolli?

Then, in between eating and dabbling in the next assignment for CULL508 I watched House. Later, on SBS a fascinating anime which may have been called Laputa: The Castle in the Sky.

Now it is off to bed with L.E. Modesitt JR again Fall of Angels, which reminds me of the pleasant discovery at the library today of the follow-on story The Chaos Balance - I shall look forward to reading that tomorrow night before moving on to his new The Octagonal Raven.

Anyhow, this was another test to see whether emailing the blog will be an efficient way to communicate with friends who want to hear from me, but for whom I do not find time to send individual emails, on the brief times I allow myself for internet work.

--
I am guided by two apparently disparate philosophies:

"Peace *will* enter your life, but you
need to clear a spot for her to sit down."

and:

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body
thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a
ride!"

Old Time Dancing

You don't want to see my dance cards - but there is a long list of dances I am learning - and having such a wonderful time at it.