Cartoon of two students. A boy says, “Should we abandon all hope, or keep plugging through fourth grade?”
Sometimes, it just feels like hope is a distant goal to grasp, doesn’t it? I remember hoping and praying that school would be over soon. Thirty years later, I can tell you there’s hope. Hold on. You’re break will be here before you know it.
I was thinking about permanent records this afternoon. They may have been out there before, but the Internet has made record keeping so much easier and effective. It’s almost too easy.
I’m not one of those people who fret for the good, old days. Each era has its own triumphs and trials. Sure, the seventies were fun, but you couldn’t make me go back and relive grade school. You couldn’t even bribe me with my permanent record.
It’s a new era, and we must be aware of it. Whatever I do or post, can be out in cyberspace forever, or at least until all the world’s servers give up the ghost. I want to make sure whatever I post will be okay with an older me, or my kids… maybe grandkids. How about you?
Clutter, clutter everywhere, and not one trash can could be spared! Do you ever get overwhelmed with clutter? It happens to me this time of year. In the United States, it’s tax time. There is so much paperwork to muddle through. I get frustrated trying to figure out what to pitch and what to keep.
I’ll look at a folder and think, “You never know when you may need that.” Rarely is that the case. I’ve finally come to the conclusion I don’t need those magazine articles from 1990. As much as I like that article on the exciting, new Macintosh IIfx, I don’t need it. Sometimes, I have to move on!
My desk at home and work has plenty of papers, but there is one product that has helped me get a handle on the paper clutter. Evernote is software for Windows, Mac, smart phone and tablets. You can also access it from their website.
It’s a handy program that allows me to take notes wherever I go. I can even take a photo of a handwritten note and the program will convert it to text. I will also clip web pages.
If you’re looking for something that will combat your paper Mount Everest, I recommend it. Now where did I put that shovel?
Don’t you wish life really was like any blog or article that spews advice? Lately, top ten lists have been all the rage. Someone touts, “Here are the top ten things you need to do to get your kids to become little angels!”
I love watching parents at their kids’ games. You’ll hear someone shout, “Kick the ball, Dylan!” I have to giggle and wonder if the kid is thinking, “Well if it was that easy, Mom, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now?” It’s easier for the advisor to advise than for the advisee to follow the advice.
It’s too easy to spout advice. I am very guilty of that. But I must remember each bit of advice I give has to be tempered with grace and mercy. It’s easy to give parenting advice when you don’t really have to deal with the kid. It is sanctimonious for me to lecture a parent on how to handle a hyper, ADHD child when neither of my kids showed those symptoms.
Yes, I’ve learned doing the right think is neither easy nor simple as spouting advice.
Illustration of a man reluctantly holding a loving cat.
Sometimes love come when you least expect it… or want it. Cats are notorious for wanting affection on their own terms. I believe they wait until the least opportune time, then spring into action. Of course, they don’t care to love you when you come home. They wait until they are certain you are about to begin a new project.
One nice about having a cat, is they help promote procrastination. Everybody can use that, right?