Believe - and You Will Succeed

Most of us know little about the gifted and talented population. As a public school teacher, I learned quickly that there are several myths about this group of people. Every parent believes their child falls into this category, an obvious falsity. Parents also truly believe that studying for the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) exam given each year around this time, will help their child into the infamous cluster group. Again, not true. Finally, there are those who believe that if their child tests into the GATE program, it will ensure success. This couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, the statistics are bleak for the academic misfits who are labeled as GATE. That said, I was always pleased to get to know, and eventually challenge the one or two GATE students in my classroom each year. 

We educators have had a tiny number of these students pass through our lives. Now that I'm retired from that profession in the traditional sense, I still find myself educating impressionable minds in my daily life. For example, yesterday I found myself "reffing" a basketball game at the local park between a girl, approx. age 8, and a younger boy. They played half court - to 5. It was a close game, but the girl pulled off the win, by one point. Because she was so good, it made me stop and think. Up until now, most, if not all, of my work has been with kids who have been academically gifted, not athletically gifted. In fact, up until this past week, I've never considered how some people are physically gifted, and in doing so, I have overlooked a valid population. 

Next week I embark on a journey that takes me back to my birthplace, as a tutor for high school football players - who are most likely athletically gifted. I could not be more pleased, not just to be able to teach again, but also for the revelation. In my career, I have had only one student who aspired to become NFL worthy - and he currently plays center for the local High School. I remember helping this boy learn to read in 2nd grade. When the light bulb went on for him, he became an avid reader. Math wasn't a problem, but writing was a huge challenge. I am pleased to report that he could get the job done after our time together - quite well, if I do say so myself. I am acutely aware of the differences here, but as I prepare myself to tutor what I believe is the equivalent of one of our future gladiators, I believe that there are some things that come naturally, and the rest can be learned. The mental trick for all of us is in believing it to be so.

How One Who Loves a Garden Takes a Bath

Last weekend Brad and I went to the coast to celebrate Valentine's Day.  While there, we experienced the most exquisite sunset. I snapped this photo of it with my old camera phone. It has been touched up a bit, but this depiction is how I remembered it. One week later, and I realized that I needed to share it here. At the end of the day, it was the only photo I wanted to post.

What does it have to do with taking a bath?

Because taking a good bath is an art, and I am a professional bath taker, so I would know.  In fact, I just got out of the tub with a few ideas about how to really enjoy a bath which I'd like to share. I must note that I realize it is a huge water waster. The bigger the tub, the more guilt one must endure and let go, but large or small, take the time to get in one soon. 

Here's how to make the experience a little better...

First, pour in your bath salts and start running the water at a nice warm temperature. The salts don't have to be expensive or scented, but they are great for alleviating your aches and pains, and afterwards it makes the water good for watering plants (I'll get to that part later). Also, make sure to have a decent amount of bottled water to drink, and remember to hit the play button on your favorite relaxing playlist before you get in too. 

I like to start with a hot bath, leaving some room to add water later. I add cooler water when I wash up at the end. I give myself a time limit, because just like a massage, all good things must come to an end, but like most folks, I have responsibilities. About 10 minutes before I get out, I add the cooler water, and as I wash off, I psyche up for what's to come: bailing the water for my garden. When I get out, I don't drain the water (it's not very dirty, but even if it was, plants live in dirt so I don't worry about it). 

Before I bail, however, I do apply a lot of lotion to my whole body, and I suggest you do too. I relax a bit more before bailing, with a different more upbeat playlist. When I'm ready (dressed with hair and basic makeup done), I put Miracle Grow in the tub water, and I use my 4 buckets of water to begin watering my flower garden and fruit trees. I do this in an assembly line fashion. I fill all 4 buckets, I cart them all to the bottom of the stairs in the first heat. Then I water the plants in the second heat. Sometimes I rest in between, but I repeat this process until all the water is gone. It's a great workout and my garden is gorgeous!

Beast Mode - Part 2

The room was sparsely filled at first, but the crowd increased exponentially as the first hour passed.  Most folks stood along side the bar, drinkless, waiting for the celebrity bartenders to pour them their first cocktail. Not us. We got on with it, and parked ourselves near the dance floor, making small talk with some of the San Francisco 12s, who had shown up in their number 24 jerseys. Again, not us. We were dressed for a night on the town. 

Up to a certain point, most of the people in the room were what one might expect to see in a night club, but they all had a single purpose other than to party: they wanted to meet Marshawn. The wait got really interesting when a 6 foot tall, blond woman, basically captured the crowd's interest for about 30 minutes. Like a reality show diva, she danced around, aiming her camera phone flash on herself as she moved. She wore thigh high red boots, a short skirt, a skimpy revealing blouse, and had a hoop piercing in her nose. Brad and I couldn't decide if her silky long mane was a wig or a weave. 

When he came into the room, it was obvious. The crowd thickened along the bar, and practically everyone's camera was aimed towards him. He was wearing a simple black tee shirt, with a long gold chain that was suspending a thick ring and a golden Beast Mode symbol. His hair was braided, and he had a black hat on his head. He looked happy, and got straight to work, lining up about 8 highball glasses in a row - filling them up as he worked his arm over the lot. This cleared out the first group, and made room for me. I was grateful the blonde woman with the flash was near, or my old iPhone 3 wouldn't have captured a thing.

The next thing I knew, the side door swung open, and Kenny Mayne walked into the room. I reached out and shook his hand as he made his way around the bar to help serve. The blonde woman was to my left, working a weight bearing pillar like a pole dancer, while I stood there wondering if I would ever get served a drink. Then he looked towards me and the lady next to me. He seemed to recognize her. We were both served a glass of wine, and shortly afterward, I learned she was Cooper Helfet's mom. The pic below has been cropped to show his face as he recognized her. I'm not apologizing for the quality, and I think he'd like it that way. 

Beast Mode Night in SF - Part 1

Brad and I hustled down the dimly lit San Francisco street towards a huge Jeep that was parked diagonally up ahead. Two fairly large, intimidating men were standing next to it, like guards, on the sidewalk. I double checked the address where we were headed, it was correct. But there was no door to the night club, Verso, in sight. I looked at the Jeep, again, this time noticing an angular shape in the form of the capital letter B on the door. "It's the Beast Mode symbol," I said aloud. 

The next thing I knew they were opening the doors of the car and showing us how it had been customized both inside and out. It reminded me of the bat mobile a little, only on steroids. Money had obviously been spent making this vehicle a one of a kind collector's item - fit for someone very wealthy to own. One of the men pointed out that it would be auctioned off and the proceeds would go to Marshawn Lynch's charity, Family 1st Family Foundation, which was what had brought us there in the first place. We wanted to attend the organization's NFL Celebrity Bartending Event, starring Beast Mode himself, but we didn't have tickets.

Our plan was to arrive early, purchase tickets, grab dinner someplace, and come back when the party started. We were about to learn that this would be a bit of a challenge, however. After an interesting conversation with the men about life, football, the movie Concussion, volunteering for Family 1st, and how obtaining tickets needed to be done online, we decided it best to go sort things out elsewhere, and come back when the doors were open. We headed towards the symphony hall, knowing there had to be someplace to eat nearby. 

It turned out we would have no trouble finding a restaurant, but after consuming a delicious dinner, we remained ticketless. We wandered back to the night club, passing by venues for both the NFL Honors Awards, and an event featuring Bennet Omalu, the doctor Will Smith played in the movie, Concussion. This time we found a line of about 15 persons outside our event. To our delight, one of the men we had befriended earlier, Boon, recognized us. Knowing our predicament, he came over, pulled us from the line, and ushered us inside the night club. 

The inside was illuminated in a deep ocean blue color, and had a long, well stocked bar along the left wall. There were two floors of VIP booths that surrounded the room stocked with wine buckets and champagne glasses, and there was a decent sized dance floor in the center with a DJ booth up front. Hip hop music was playing, and the floor vibrated a little in time with the bass. We were among the first guests inside Verso. The night was young, and held the promise of meeting perhaps one of the best running backs of all time, Beast Mode, Marshawn Lynch.

To be continued...