Book Review for Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

What is this book about? MAGIC! Though, as you're reading through it, you would be hard-pressed to actually find any particular instances of it, but it's about magic all the same. Childhood magic, deep magic, real magic. The magic of dawn, of memories, of new sneakers, arcades, riding machines, dandelion wine, porch swings, simple rituals, summertime, and of dusk.

This book is for those who remember the magic of childhood and for those who need reminding. I suppose a child of 12 or 13 would enjoy the book, but more than being a children's book, I think it is a book about childhood and growing up. It's about how a 12-year-old sees the world, how he deals with it, how he begins to realize his mortality but also the fact that he is really alive, that his body is amazing and the world is an amazing and, sometimes, horrifying place to live.

I've read Dandelion Wine three times now, and each time I love it just as much or more than the last. There is no grand adventure (besides the day to day adventure all of us live), no spectacular climax, but as I was reading it this time with the mindset of writing a book review, I quite often wanted to transcribe whole chapters to share; alas, that would break copyright laws, so I couldn't do it.

Dandelion Wine takes place in Green Town, Illinois (a made up place based on a town from Bradbury's childhood). It's a smallish town that's fairly quiet, but it's filled with characters who have great stories. The primary character is Douglas Spaulding, a 12-year-old who, during the summertime, basically lives outdoors. The book is somewhat about his adventures, but also about his neighbors' adventures and how Douglas and his brother, Tom, make sense of them all.

Overall, the book is like a draught of sunshine just like, in the book, a draught or even a sip of Dandelion Wine taken in wintertime is like a piece of summertime. It's to be read in summertime as a reminder to notice the little things, and to be read in the wintertime time to remember the sun and warmth of summer. Though the book is essentially light (in emotional tone and brightness) the book also deals with loss, death, growing old, doomed romance, and sadness; but through each of these things a lesson is learned, Douglas and Tom keep on living and growing, and many of the characters become at peace with their experiences.

Like I said before, most of the things I wish to share have to be shared by the chapter, without context, it wouldn't mean as much. But I do want to share what Douglas' grandpa prescribes when Douglas is feeling down, “ Now upstairs, run three times around the block, do five somersets, six pushups, climb two trees, and you'll be concertmaster instead of chief mourner. Get!” Later on in the book Tom shares his ideas of some similar medicine, “A good night's sleep, or a ten-minute bawl, or a pint of chocolate ice cream, or all three together, is good medicine, Doug. You listen to Tom Spaulding, M.D.” Now I know people and kids sometimes have serious problems that they need treatment or medication for, but I also believe that little boys (and some big ones) sometimes just need a little more of what was mentioned, individually or, even better, all together.

So if you're looking for an easy read, something filled with simple wisdom and lessons learned, I encourage you to read this gem.

I would rate it PG or maybe even PG13 because, like I said before, it deals with death and loss. There is a woman murdered and some other characters also die (though they're of natural causes). When you can, I think it's best when you parents read books first or at the same time as your kids, if you can't do that, at least ask them to talk about what they're reading.

Oh, another note. For those of you who have read or tried to read some of Bradbury's short stories and did not like them because of their dark tone and violence, this is not anything like those. If you are of a similar personality to me, within the first couple lines you will be smiling. If you read this book and fall in love with Bradbury's writing, Fahrenheit 451 is a little similar, in the fact that some of the characters notice and love small wonders, but it is somewhat dark. Though I have not read it yet, I think The Halloween Tree has a similar tone to Dandelion Wine, though it has “magic” other than the kind I talked of. Just know that his short stories, particularly The Illustrated Man, start out violent and depressing and, I feel, become more so the further you go in the book.

Some Things You May Not Have Known About Introverts

First thoughts, I seem to be seeing a lot of articles and things about understanding introverts, but I haven't seen many recently about understanding extroverts. Is this because extroverts verbally explain to us introverts how to understand them or is it because many introverts enjoy writing, are introspective, and, thus, like to share our quiet inner workings? Maybe a combination of both and other things.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and share some of the inner workings of my head. I do this because, I think, the things I will share can be related to many introverts...or maybe I'm the oddball out and am just laying my oddities out on a line. If you're an introvert and can relate, back me up. Thanks.

A lot of the articles talk about how introverts are more easily simulated, respond more aggressively to outside stimuli and environments; in certain areas of my life I can very much see how this is true. If I'm in a crowded room with a lot of people talking, my brain tries to listen to multiple conversations at a time, I have a hard time focusing in on one (especially if I am not actively engaged in one of the conversations). After a while, my head just gets a little overwhelmed. Now, this is not to say I don't like being in big crowds (for a little while), I enjoy going to downtown fireworks, parades, and theme parks. I think this is because I like to people watch and there's so many people the “many conversations” kind of get drowned out into background noise. In general, when in groups, introverts like to be observers (aka Wallflowers); perhaps this is one reason we need to recharge after being around people, our brain isn't just processing one conversation, but trying to process many.

Along with this, if I'm sitting in a small room with multiple conversations going on, just because I'm sitting in your little group, doesn't mean I'm focusing on your conversation. I said I have a hard time focusing, but if there's a conversation across the room that I find more interesting, I'm actually pretty good at tuning your group out and listening to that other conversation. Some may consider this “eavesdropping,” but most of the time I wouldn't and the reason may be because the next thing I'm going to share (and the fact that they're talking in a room with other people).

If I'm in a group that is talking, looking at the different people who are speaking and sometimes making eye contact with them, I feel like I'm a part of the conversation, even if I don't actually say anything. A part of this is that I don't like to interrupt (and if it's a group, there's always someone talking). Another reason is, I figure someone will eventually say what I thought of saying, even if it is two minutes later. If you question whether or not I'm actually a part of the conversation, well, I can tell you I've probably heard more of what everybody has said than the people who are are doing most of the talking (unless I'm listening to a conversation 10 feet behind us). A possible slightly embarrassing side effect of actually listening to another conversation than you're in? You laugh at a seemingly inappropriate time. :)

A lot of people assume introverts are shy because we don't often talk to strangers (or even acquaintances), it not that I'm shy, oftentimes I honestly just don't want to talk or feel the need to talk. Actually, if it's a group setting, I may not even really talk to my close friends. I do try to smile at people to let them know I'm not being cold. A common theme running through things I've read about introverts is that we're not a fan of small talk and, well, I think that's true. That's not to say I won't exchange pleasantries, I do out of politeness, but it so often feels insubstantial. Also, I feel the need to clarify. I don't mind “one time” small talk with strangers, like if I'm volunteering at the library, working in a store, or addressed to the cashier checking me out, that's what is expected and to do more would be a little strange; it's when I've already seen you two times today and I know we're not actually going to have a conversation, it's literally quite painful to say “what's up?” or have it said to me yet again...I would rather us not say anything.

Lastly, kind of going along with the previous paragraph, I don't like to compete for people's attention. That's one reason I don't talk much in groups, that's the reason I like to go on hikes with friends (preferably outside of cell reception), try to set up outings with 1 or 2 people, and enjoy meeting people at quiet coffee shops. Basically, I'm selfish and, if I'm going to spend time with you, I don't want to share you with too many people or things at once. :) Maybe this is the reason that, in college, generally I didn't become friends with peer groups, but rather collected people from groups and would hang out with them one on one or two or three. A lot of my friends weren't really friends and I wasn't really friends with their friends.

Why I Believe Libraries are Vitally Important and Why I Someday Want to Work in One

Part of this was taken from something that was originally meant to be a post and another part was taken from a letter I sent to different libraries I was applying to. I, sadly, was not hired to any of the 10 or 15 positions I applied to. Ah well, someday.

I was at a wedding a couple months ago and it came up that I was applying to different library jobs. We were also talking about audiobooks and e-books which can be borrowed through the library. All of this lead to someone saying that they think libraries (as a physical location with physical books) are going to, perhaps in the not too distant future, go by the wayside and “librarians” will mostly be a much smaller group of people who are essentially tech support people. That conversation caused me to want to share why I think, and very much hope, this won't come to pass or, if it does, that we are going to be missing a lot more than a few paper books.

First, I suppose I have to admit that some of the things I will speak of are ideal situations, in other words, I know not all libraries live up to the virtues which I am going to attribute to them, not all of them are gathering places. I do believe that some libraries are beginning to understand the possibility of the above situation and are trying harder to make use of their building, personnel, and resources. I have to be fair and also say that there are some who have always made use of all of these things.

Communities used to have naturally occurring community gathering places, the barbershop, the drug store with a soda fountain, the local diner, the schoolhouse, or, in those small communities in which there was only a couple churches, it could be the church. These were places where gossip was shared, stories were told, ideas were displayed and, well, people gathered and connected; in short they were places which helped establish a sense of community. I will not go into the factors that caused many of these entities to no longer be in existence, because that is a whole different tangent.

Since I have only had 4 “professional” haircuts (and have had to go home and re-cut it each time), I cannot really speak about current barbershops with much certainty, but I think most do not encourage people to gather for a cup of coffee, do shop talk, and get no haircut. Though most drug stores now have everything from medicine to the latest “as seen on TV gadget,” I'm not sure they would approve of you pulling out their camp chairs and opening a bottle of soda. A few diners are struggling on and those that do still exist, I think are happy when locals linger a bit, but the diners are too few and far between. I think if you were to try and “gather” too often at your schools, you may end up getting arrested and people would question why you're there. And churches, well, churches are still a wonderful gathering spot, but in most towns, even small ones, there's normally many more than two. So the ones who do go to church only see a small portion of their community and a lot of people just don't go anymore. That leaves the local library. I know many of you may not think of it as a local gathering place, but I think it has the potential to be. I think the local library is one of the few community gathering places that a lot of communities have left.

This is why I've decided to work towards my masters in Library Science, why I someday want to work in a library and a public library in particular. Because I think public libraries are important both as a means for the public to access information and also as a community gathering place. I want to strive to keep public libraries culturally relevant in an increasingly digital age. My wish for doing this is because the aforementioned reasons and also the more selfish reason of, I love stories and especially love paper books which can be held. I am not completely old fashioned, I often enjoy digital audiobooks and have read e-books and realize their worth when traveling, but there is something about the feel and smell of a paper book that I particularly love.

I believe one why to keep physical libraries relevant is through the programs they offer at their building and I would be delighted to be a part of those already established, such as children's story times and book clubs, and maybe help to establish some others. For instance, I know public libraries often feature a little bit of art by local artists, but why not have a rotating selection which features more of it and have a special “gallery opening” in which a percentage of the proceeds goes to benefit the library? Also, I love movies as well as books, so maybe a film club could be established to go along with the book club, featuring movies which have been drawn from books. Then, the following week, the members could discuss the adaptation and just the movie in general.

Around Halloween or periodically throughout the year, have a historical costume party during which people are dressed up either as one of their favorite characters from a story or a favorite author. Depending on how comfortable they are, they could present why they chose who they chose or have cards with information they can hand out to people who ask.

The bookmobile at my local library in TN, which travels around to area schools, caused me to also think that it would be neat to start a lending program with area children's hospitals or children's wards. Also, to have a story time for them there, since they can't come to the library. At one library I applied to, their bookmobile also visited the area senior centers, which is pretty cool.

The next idea is still kind of vague in my head, because I want it to be an area that is aesthetically pleasing, as well as a place to find new books. Wherever I eventually work and get deeply involved, I want to grow a book garden. This would be an area where staff and patrons could put their favorite books so others could find them and there would be a bulletin board or something where people could write about why they placed a particular book in the garden. My desire for this is because people tend to find their niche and genre and then do not really branch out. Until I volunteered in the library, I pretty much went to the adult/young adult fiction but, then as I volunteered and reshelved books and movies, I kept coming across interesting hobbyist books, biographies, and documentaries I otherwise wouldn't have seen. Ideally the book garden would be an area where people could easily be exposed to areas of interest that they didn't know they were interested in.

As I mentioned earlier, I think libraries are important as a means to access information. Well, I think they should be a means to access more than just books and media. I know a lot of libraries have various computer classes but libraries could also make use of their space by having education classes done by local volunteers. Have a hobbyist forum in which people can share why they're passionate about something and what their hobby consists of. You could even involve area schools by doing this in the summer and suggesting teachers have their students chose at least one hobby they have to go and learn about. I believe something like this has the potential to open up “a whole new world” to some people and kids, to expose them to something they could learn to love that they may never have even thought of.

I suppose I will preface this next by saying, I am very much an introvert, I love quiet places. But, saying that, I will say, I think the libraries of today need to get loud and get comfortable. One of the things I loved about my library in Murfreesboro, TN is that the downstairs librarians weren't scared to be loud or have patrons be loud. Upstairs was the reference section where people could go to study and be quiet, but downstairs there was always laughter, visiting, and gossip. If their isn't an upstairs and a downstairs or one section that can be loud and another quiet, maybe even think about having quiet hours and a couple hours set aside during the day for “visit and gossip time.”

I know the “get comfortable” part will be hard for a lot of libraries because space always seems to be an issue, but how hard is it to stick a comfy chair in a few corners or to have a small area that, instead of desks, has a few comfy chairs pushed together? Also, get a few beanbags that can be tossed around the children's area and teen's area. I know funding is an issue, too, well, ask your patrons if they want it and, if they do, ask them to help get it.

Like I said before, offering programs is a great way to keep libraries culturally relevant, but more than that, getting local volunteers involved with these programs is just as important or more so. Have kids volunteer to decorate their areas for each holiday, teens to decorate theirs, and adults to decorate theirs. The more you can get people involved, not only benefiting from but contributing to, the more they will come to view the library as “their” library, the more they will grow to love it and want it to continue.

To wrap things up, recently I've heard from various friends that their stereotype of a librarian is someone who is “mean.” That has not been my personal experience, but maybe it is something to be aware of. Well, until I join your ranks, oh noble librarians, I bid you ado. Keep fighting the good fight and remember that a part of guarding books is to get people to read them and love them.

AmeriCorps: my take on what it is and why you should support it

... regardless of your political leanings.

First I will say, I am somewhat ignorant when it comes to politics, I know enough to know I am not democrat or republican, because both sides support things I do not really support and/or ignore things that I think should not be ignored. I say this as kind a scapegoat, because I do not identify with a particular party, and am a little ignorant when it comes to things political, I am not aware of or do not notice any political issues attached to the thing which is AmeriCorps. From my perspective, because of the wind array of programs and non-profits AmeriCorps is involved in, it transcends party lines. This is not to say certain programs and non-profits which have AmeriCorps volunteers are not political or are not “left” or “right,” some programs are very much those things, but there are “left” programs as well as “right” ones and ones that may identify mostly with republican ideals and those who identify with the ideals of the democrat.

Alright, enough of political mumblings. My “credentials” as someone whom can speak of AmeriCorps, I was a part of the Emergency Response Team at AmeriCorps Saint Louis for an 11 month term starting in September of 2010. In this program I served over 2000 hours of national service doing conservation work, wildfire fighting, and disaster relief. Since then, I have periodically researched many AmeriCorps programs, because I wanted to serve another year, and have almost served a second term twice. I was unable to serve with both because the non-profits had funding issues which caused them no longer be able to have AmeriCorps volunteers.

People oftentimes most simply explain what AmeriCorps is by saying “It's like a domestic Peace Corps,” and sometimes if I know the people asking are not that interested, I will say this, too. But, honestly, I don't know enough about the Peace Corps to really compare the two. I think the most clear, yet simple, explanation is: AmeriCorps is a program which essentially provides modestly paid internships working with non-profits and public agencies, which, in turn, provides those non-profits and agencies with much needed free or partially free labor. I will go into more detail about what AmeriCorps is about in the following paragraphs and, while doing that, tried to convey why I think AmeriCorps is important to all of us.

This is very much as outsiders view, but from what I have learned from public school teachers and researching various teaching techniques, our public schools are less and less providing opportunities for experiential learning; which is one reason I think AmeriCorps is becoming increasingly important, because many of the programs are essentially one long hands-on learning experience consisting of structured training and direct application of learned skills and ideas. Through the program you choose, you can also gain exposure to a wide variety of fields to see if you are interested in pursuing them as a career, they allow you to make connections in those fields, and gain valuable experience, which can then help you break into the workforce in those areas. The program I was a part of granted me exposure to three career paths I thought I may be interested in pursuing, and allowed me to rule them out for various reasons without first having gone to school for a number of years specifically for those paths, only to find I could not or did not want to pursue them.

For those who are opposed to illegal immigrants receiving so many of the same advantages citizens receive, AmeriCorps will appeal to you in that it requires that you are a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident to join. At the same time, for those who love the fact that America is a mixing pot of different nationalities, it also fosters diversity and understanding. The program I was with had a few first generation Americans and people with many different cultural heritages and backgrounds.

I know some people feel that the government gives too many “hand-outs” while others feel our government isn't doing enough to help those in need. This is yet another area where both types should feel they can support AmeriCorps, because though it does provide many goods and services through the programs it is associated with, many programs are also very focused on educating those who are largely dependent. Some programs strive to teach healthy eating (so they better use the food benefits they have) and try to develop and encourage community gardens so people can grow some of their own food. Other programs teach literacy, life skills, and many other things. In other words, though some programs are giving hand-outs, they or others are also striving to give the dependent the skills they need to be less dependent, or at least to be more responsible with that they are receiving.

AmeriCorps is also about developing leaders. I earlier compared service with AmeriCorps to an internship, but do not get the idea that they are just gophers doing mundane tasks. Within my program, at the Joplin, MO tornado we had a couple members who were put in charge with developing a missing persons' database, one put in charge of the volunteer reception center that dealt with thousands of volunteers, another who was largely in charge of coordinating the fieldwork of many of those volunteers, and other members deeply involved with key components of disaster relief. When our crew was on a wildfire in MO or IL, we were treated much the same as the other wildfire fighters and had as much responsibility in controlling the blaze as others. I do have to admit, MO and IL fires are not as intense or vast as Western fires, but we were considered a national resource that could respond to those fires as well, if need be.

The leadership structure in my program was particularly designed to develop leaders; we had groups of 5 or 10 which would go out for a week or two at a time to do conservation work and, once us “first-years” were established, different ones of us were given the responsibility of leading these groups. This gave us the unique opportunity to be lead by some of our teammates and then later lead those same teammates, giving us a chance to see different group dynamics, to learn about ourselves and each other. I learned about myself that I do not really like to be the leader, but I do like to be in an advisory role close to the leader, calling their attention to areas or factors they may not have noticed and helping them to work through problems.

From looking at the position descriptions of other programs and talking to various non-profits about those programs, I know many others, besides the program I was a part of, also have a focus on developing leaders.

Finally, AmeriCorps is about making responsible, service minded, citizens who are involved in the welfare of their community, their environment, and their world. Many AmeriCorps alumni go into public service jobs and continue to volunteer in their communities.

I will finish by saying, it is true I was only a part of one AmeriCorps program, so I am taking liberties talking about the good of the others. I know there is probably waste, that some programs do not use their volunteers well, and that some people who volunteer to do AmeriCorps may not be serious about it and so waste resources. But I will also say, during my time of service, I came in contact with quite a few other AmeriCorps programs and, while some individuals were not hardworking, many of them were. Also, since my term of service, I have researched quite a few non-profits and something I repeatedly come across is that some of their staff inevitably were a part of AmeriCorps in the past.

What do I want you to do with this information? I'm not sure. I just want you to have it and, if you ever hear that the program is being done away with, keep in mind that in its 20 years of existence “more than 800,000 AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1 billion hours in service across America.”* This is service to non-profits, schools, public agencies, community and faith-based groups; this is service to our citizens; this is service to our future.

I will end with the AmeriCorps pledge:

I will get things done for America - to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier.

I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.

Faced with apathy, I will take action.

Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.

Faced with adversity, I will persevere.

I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.

I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.

*Taken from the AmeriCorps website.

Harry Potter, adults, and love

I definitely don't want to just wrote one book review for the whole Harry Potter series, because I feel they deserve more than that, so I'll just write about a particular thing relating to the series having to do with one of the reasons I enjoy it so much. Actually, a couple things, another thing just occurred to me.

I enjoy reading/listening to young adults books, I really do, but one thing I don't like about most of them is the fact that they almost always make out adults to be dumb or to be mistrusted. I suppose this is just catering to the fact that most of the audience are teenagers, so maybe this is how they feel toward/about adults, but you don't have to do so much to reinforce these feelings.

In contrast, though in the Harry Potter series there are a lot of awful adults (Voldemort, Harry's aunt and uncle, Bellatrix, etc., etc.), there's also Mr. and Mrs. Weasley (with their fierce love for a boy not their own), Mrs. McGonnegel (with her strict but loyal heart), Dumbeldore (with his trust and belief in Harry and his abilities), Haggrid (with, well everything that makes up Haggrid), Professor Lupin (with his patient wisdom), and some others as well. Harry sneaks around, gets into trouble, goes where he shouldn't go, and sometimes the adults don't trust him with as much information as they should, but there are adults that he can depend on, that he can ask advice to (if he's willing to ask), people who are proud of him, and want what's best for him. There are adults who love him and he loves them back.

The other thing I love about the series is that, as much as it promotes Harry being an independent and strong person, it also very deeply promotes friendship, companionship and love and, also, being willing to accept help from friends. As much as Harry so often wants to go out on his own, he has friends who are determined that he shouldn't have to face those trials by himself. That's one of the biggest differences between Voldemort and Harry, Harry has the ability to have loving connections with people. Ruthless people always seem to think (at least in fiction) love makes you weak, it is true that it gives you some weaknesses, some new ways in which others (those loved and enemies) can hurt you, but it can also give and lend strength. Love can give you allies whom you can trust far more than the trust you can have with allies who are ruled by fear.

On a side note, I wish the friendship trio would have been better friends with Luna Lovegood. I love her and wish I could have her as one of my friends, oddball though she is, or maybe mostly because she's such an oddball...but she's so loyal and wise (when she's not completely mad). I also would have liked to get to know Ginny and Neville better, especially since Neville comes close to being one of my very favorite male characters in literature. I love how he grows and changes.

I will end by saying, I know because they have been out for so long there's really no need to write reviews on any of them, but I still think I want to the next time I read the series. If you haven't read them, I encourage you to do so. I mentioned this in another review but, for the most part, the series gets better and better as it goes along. If you read the first one and think it's too amateurish and beneath your “reading level,” keep in mind the series kind of grows up as Harry does. This is also something to keep in mind when you recommend these to a kid/teen, too. When the series was first written, it was perfect, the kids who read and loved the first book developed as the series developed/was published but now, well, even though the first one is okay for a 10-year-old to read, it may not be okay for them to read the last few. The last few get into some pretty heavy stuff, have more detailed violence and death, and are just a little more “grown-up.”

To the Mothers of Superheroes

I know it's difficult to be any type of mom, so it must be super difficult to be a mother of a superhero because they have superpowers and, as is unfortunately always paired with superpowers, they have super obstacles and supervillains they must face and overcome. Some of these children have the potential to someday become supervillains themselves, if they store up bitterness and hate, but from what I have seen of you, dear mothers, you are raising them in such a way that goodness and greatness are, by far, the most likely outcome.

I know oftentimes you don't want your kid to be different, to stand out, to draw eyes and attention, but you see, that's part of their superpowers. Other kids may occasionally attract attention, but in a crowd most kids go unnoticed and, because of this, most kids have to wait until they're grown up before they make a big impact. Most kids yell, “Look at me and what I can do with my superpower” and, even if they actually have one, not many people see. But your kids, your superheroes, almost from the moment they were born have inspired and impacted.

I know you already know your children's superpowers, but in case you forgot or in case some who read this don't know what they are, I'll just share a few. Because of the many eyes on them, your child's smile has incredible power. Your child's smile also has incredible power because of the many obstacles they face, when they smile people know it is genuine. Whether the challenges your little superhero face are mental or physical, partly because of how you are shaping your child and partly because of how God is shaping them, that little superhero has a superpower's worth of empathy and compassion. I think this can arise from their deep awareness and understanding of their own trials or their innocence or both (or you may have better answers of which I am unaware). Because of the hurdles they face, they have more wisdom than many of us will ever gain. It seems oftentimes your little hero or heroine has an ability to reach through armor no others can breach, to touch the heart and soul that lies hidden beneath, to make a hard and harsh person gentle, to draw out the warmth in a cold person, and to make a friend of the seemingly unloveable. Because your child leaps tall buildings by climbing the four steps to the library, plays a solo concerto by learning to sing “Jesus Loves Me,” and builds the highest skyscraper by tying their shoes, they inspire great acts in others and teach them that they too can fly.*

I know I have only begun to tell of the superpowers some of these little ones possess so, if your are a superhero's mom or, even better, know a superhero, be sure to leave a comment (without identifying details where the superhero may wish to remain anonymous) and, also, be sure to tell them and their parents that you've noticed their superpower and that you think it's pretty cool.

I will end by saying, I didn't know how to fully convey in words what I was feeling and wanted to share through this, it turned out more simple than I would have it to be, but I hope it is enough. Enough to let you know that your child is special, that you are special and that both of you are powerful.

I know I am an outsider, that I can't really understand...so I am sorry if I said something wrong, if I somehow hurt your feelings. Also, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, that you should feel okay with all of the people who stare because you should be “an inspiration,” some people just stare because they're rude, uninspired people...well, let's not dwell on them. My intention is to uplift and encourage you and to show that I admire you and the hero you are raising.

* In case that was confusing to some: Stairs are Kyptonite to some little superheroes, learning the mentioned song can comparatively be as big an accomplishment as learning to play a solo concerto, and, well, everyone knows that for some of us, tying our shoes can be as difficult as building a skyscraper.

P.S. This, of course, all goes for the dads of superheroes, too, but I know a few superhero moms better than I know the dads, so I addressed it to them.

No More Room for Daydreams

I actually wrote most of this a few weeks ago and I just never got around to posting it...

I was vaguely aware of this before I got a smart phone but it has become more apparent to me since I got one a few months ago; there is no more room for daydreams in our technology saturated American world. At work I eat lunch by myself (there are other people working in the room, but I am the only one on lunch) and if I am not actively eating or doing something on my phone, if I am staring into space, someone inevitably asks me if I'm tired or tells me that I look tired. This caused me to think of daydreams in general and the fact that our society may very well now “advertently” or inadvertently frown on this activity. I believe we have come to expect people to always be doing something, on their phone, e-reader, etc., even if they are riding a bus or a subway or waiting for their lunch break to be over. We think it odd if someone is just sitting there “not doing anything.”

Before I go on, I have to be a little confessional so people will not think me too judgmental, or maybe I will be too judgmental, but I am including myself in the judgment. I waste a lot of time on the internet, with unlimited access to (some of the time correct) information, I choose to look at Failblog and on-line comics.

Saying that, there is something to be said about being drawn out of our selves and exposed to new ideas and information, it keeps our ideas from getting locked in place, our thoughts going in circles, and our dreams running into dead ends because we cannot see beyond a certain thought we have; but when all this outside “information,” all this stimuli, involving singing cats, angry birds, and dancing dogs, it is not enriching our dreams and developing our ideas, but distracting us from potential dreams and ideas. In the constant bombardment of outside stimuli, our fragile dreams are chased away, our unformed ideas float away as mist, and the echoes of our hopes cannot be heard.

When someone is staring into space or even staring at (through) you, they may be a million miles away, may be “building a castle in the air,” imagining a reunion with a long-lost friend, working out a detail of a masterpiece story, or developing a cure for a disease. Regardless of what's going on behind their eyes, do not rush to judgment, thinking they are strange because they aren't “doing anything.” In fact, I encourage you to put your phone down and sometimes “do nothing,” too. Also, it's an interesting REAL world out there, full of unique sights, sounds, and people. I absolutely love photography, but actually seeing a sunset, a beautiful flower, or a lovely friend, is much better than seeing an instagram picture of it or them. That's another reason to put down what you're holding, listening to, or looking at.

On a side-note, there used to be more activities during which you could be “doing something” and still have room in your head for dreams at the same time. Some things that come to mind are knitting, milking a cow, whittling, washing dishes, etc. Another side-note, it seems more culturally acceptable to “stare into the fire” than to stare at/through anything else, maybe that is one reason we enjoy campfires so much, they give us an excuse to dream in an environment that is often free of most modern disractions.