Summer Defined

"I have a room all to myself; it is nature." ~~Henry David Thoreau




Summer is the cool mornings when all is clear and fresh with endless possibilities... when my flowers wake thirsty for water and sunshine. The hot sluggish afternoons when all of nature takes a nap with the sleep inducing air saturated with the scents of roses, hay, and tomatoes. The evenings, when the the world has another burst of energy and the weeds call out to be picked and the sky demonstrates to catch my attention, the time for bike rides, Frisbee, and badminton. The time when the outdoors are more embracing than the indoors.... when only mosquitoes manage to drive me inside to sleep and prepare for another day.

One Year

"Each new year is a surprise to us. We find that we had virtually forgotten the note of each bird, and when we hear it again, it is remembered like a dream, reminding us of a previous state of existence. How happens it that the associations it awakens are always pleasing, never saddening, reminiscences of our sanest hours. The voice of nature is always encouraging."


~~Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

We have lived the life of Walden with Wife and kids for one year. It has been a great year. Each one of us is happier and more content. Living in a peaceful, spacious, beautiful atmosphere creates a reflection that has parallel effects on the inner well-being.

There are still many finishing touches to complete on the inside of the house. Stone veneer, patios, and the always increasing of landscaping on the outside of the house. Just as our minds and souls should always be a work-in-progress, so is our home. Now we begin a year-a-new, with all the waiting journeys of growth and joy.

Mentors

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."

~~ Henry David Thoreau


For the past couple of months I have seen many examples of the importance of having a mentor and in return being a mentor. Except in the upper levels of academia, our society has lost its structure of mentorship. Lucky students have parents to guide them in an overly complex world of entering into adulthood. Even better are students who have close grandparents, a teacher, community member, church member, or older friend to advise and walk them through the steps. Without someone to support, cajole, sometimes push it can be hard to find the motivation to continue on a difficult path. Without someone to interpret, explain, advise on approaching obstacles and ways around them I don't know how a student could find success. We all need someone to believe in us. We all need someone to kindly show us an easier way. We all need someone to walk beside us on our journey. And we all need to remember to continue to be both a student and a teacher.