Hodgepodge Happiness

 

Without further (or previous) adieu ,I present this week's Hodgepodge.  Joyce's questions, my answers. Your comments. What a trio.

1. In your opinion what's the most important job in the world? Oh, and parenting is a given so besides parenting, what's the most important job in the world?

 

Teaching.  In fact, my daughter was given a mug that says, "Teaching is the profession that creates all others." She loves to chide her brothers about the superiority of her chosen field. One  brother is an accountant and one is a computer programmer, both professions that will likely bring way more money than Sarah can imagine as a public school teacher.  She says, 'Well, if it weren't for teachers, you wouldn't HAVE a job! If Mom hadn't taught you to read, where would you be? If she hadn't taught you how to add, would you ever have become an accountant? If Mr. Jones hadn't taught you

calculus, would you ever have made it into computers?" Blah blah blah.  Ha ha ha. So that's my answer.

2. Share a favorite or not so favorite memory from a childhood birthday.

 

I don't remember any birthday until I was twelve. I asked for a clutch purse and got bedroom curtains.

3. Peanut butter-crunchy or smooth?  Crunchy, please.

4. William Butler Yeats is credited as saying, "Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth, We are happy when we are growing." Your thoughts?

 

Do you mean "growing" in the abstract way, Joyce, because I really don't want to grow physically any more. I would much prefer to shrink around the hips, waist, thighs, butt, and every other place.

But since I think you mean it a growing mentally, spiritually, relationally, then i will say I am happiest when growing in those ways. Well, I take that back. Spiritual growth almost always happens in the midst of suffering, during adversity and not prosperity. So it's not happiness while growing but seeing the results later.  Mentally I love to always be learning and adding skills to my toolbox of life. Next week I get the joy of taking a drawing class for 10 weeks.  Can't wait ! I hope to be a better teacher as a result of continuing my education.

5. What's something that makes you cringe?

 

Many things. Let me go sense by sense.

Hearing--someone drumming on a table or clicking a pen incessantly

Sight--a woman or girl sitting in a skirt with her legs open

Smell--incense or B.O.

Taste--artificial sweeteners

Touch--dog mess in a bag

6. Name a song that always puts you in a good mood?

 

The Hokey Pokey

7. The answer is yes. What's the question?

 

"Will you marry me?" was the question my second son, Steve, proposed to his girlfriend this past Saturday at the beach. She said yes.  Stay tuned for post and pictures of this over-the-top romantic

event!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

 

I am finally ready, I think, to teach my high school class.  It starts tomorrow. One week at a time,  beginning with the Italian Renaissance and ending with the French Revolution.  Art history plus drawing and painting in class. 400 years in 35 weeks.  Ai, yai, yai. Prayers needed. I may have said yes too soon to the question "Will you teach the 10th and 11th graders?"