tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315159922024-03-07T00:56:13.008-08:00Teachergrrrl and the Morning LessonA blog for building relationships as a means to creating joy, wonder and awe in the world.Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-11356699111577218522015-03-26T21:21:00.000-07:002019-10-11T13:12:47.597-07:00Whim - There is No Other Way to TravelWhile traveling, we spent our time lazily choosing the next locations. Whims one might say or the direction of the wind pointed our noses to new locals. Sometimes he would make the arrangements and sometimes I would. In my former married life I made all the arrangements for every trip. I planned every day of trips out in detail, made hotel reservation in advance or planned to travel through to a particular destination. I researched restaurants and local sights to see and kept detailed notes on everything to be expected in the trip to ensure our budget stayed in the black. <br />
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This trip was completely different.<br />
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First, very little on the itinerary. Aside from a week in Crete and 3 days in Pamplona and a weekend in Berlin planned, we had two and a half months stretching before us. Such luxury!<br />
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Our first whim was while in Turkey, we bought a 6 day excursion into the heart of Turkey to see the Byzantine Churches of the first century. Of course this led to the worst and most awkward massage in the world!<br />
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Next whim, we spent an extra week in Crete and wound up celebrating St. John's Day on the beach with our adopted Greek family, got a car and drove to the pink beach.<br />
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Then to Venice for my birthday! Wondering the canals led us to a fantastic restaurant off the beaten path where the menu changed everyday. In fact, it was such a find we went back and had a whole different experience. When you return to places and are recognized, the hosts often treat you with a little extra.. . we enjoyed a birthday brandy after dinner compliments of the house. It was delicious.<br />
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Whim, my partner wanted some more beach time after Spain. We were on our way to Italy when he decided we needed to go to Sardonia. So we checked out of the hotel and were off to the airport from Nice.<br />
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While on Sardonia, I recieved a message from friends who were also traveling around Europe. They had double booked their hotels in Rome and had a spare room paid for and could not get a refund. Were we interested? Heck yeah! So we left our prepaid hotel a day early and grabbed the next flight to Rome!<br />
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From Rome, it was time to head north to see friends in Berlin. On the way to catch our plane, I found a bookstore with English language books. I had not had a fun book to read in what seemed like years! I found Dan Brown's novel Inferno - and devoured it. I enjoyed it so much, I handed it over to my travel partner and he read it as well. While drinking tea at a local Armenian coffee house in Berlin, I mentioned how I regretted we had not gone to Florence - so much there! While we continued in conversation, my loving partner looked up from his phone and said our next stop was Florence. He booked a hotel and flight while we had been talking!<br />
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Florence is such a romantic city. We had been traveling for two months by that point and we were both pretty tired. I will say that one of my favorite memories of the whole trip comes from a tired day when we sat at a restaurant on a plaza drinking prosecco and nibbling tasty treats until the sun went down.We watched the people, we talked of our adventures, we held hands and enjoyed the luxury of just being.<br />
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Our final whim led to saying yes to joining a wedding reception in Oslo, Norway which then led to a private tour of the local countryside. This tour took us to the hall where their constitution was signed, a WWII POW camp, a hunt for wild berries and ended with a gift of a local treat - a traditional crown cake!<br />
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Whims - a complete luxury when traveling... make sure you plan some of those in your next adventure. You never know what they will bring you.Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-29753195684565287242015-03-02T07:42:00.001-08:002015-03-02T07:52:20.885-08:00No Bull!As a young girl, I once went out with my dad and uncle to my dad's land. My uncle's cattle were grazing and I was playing near by. Something spooked the cattle and they began to run... run right toward ME! Stampede!<br />
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Now, I am no cowgirl... no, indeed this Texas girl has no knowledge of how to rope or ride but here I was in a field with cows running right toward me. Obviously I took off running for safety ie. the back of the pickup truck. As I threw my leg over the back end and leapt (gracefully, I am sure) I was grateful for the years of gymnastics and vault training.<br />
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I stood in the pick up and watched the cows part like a wave and rush past the truck. Their power and their intensity was overwhelming. I was scared - I could of died! ( okay - I was a dramatic teenager but this was serious!)<br />
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Several years later I read Ernest Hemingway's account of his run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain at the Feast of San Fermin in his book <i>The Sun Also Rises</i>. (One of my favorite books of all time) From that moment, watching the running of the bulls in Spain was firmly placed on my "bucket list." This past summer, I checked that box.<br />
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First of all what is this whole thing? Why the running of the bulls? What is the purpose? <br />
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The run is part of a larger festival that celebrates the patron saint of the area, San Fermin. San Fermin was a Roman in the 2nd /3rd century who converted to Christianity and later was Bishop in Pamplona. He was martyred later while in France - and there are various stories around this. The first day of the festival, the saint's statue is paraded through the town and at various stops locals pay their respects via song, dance, music etc. Our place on the parade route allowed us to enjoy the chorus of children from a neighboring town. This particular town had been sending their children for 700 years singing the same hymns each year.<br />
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The run itself is said to have originating in the regular market at the beginning of the fall when cattle were brought to market. Bullfights evolved from there. It was all so very Roman if you asked me.<br />
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You, of course, can research more about this festival. The point of my writing is to speak to what I saw in the evolution of human beings via these kinds of rituals and entertainments.<br />
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It started in Crete really, at the ruins of Knossos (the Greeks pronounce the K). The frescos restored show the pivotal importance of the bull in the ritual life of the Minoan people. The bulls are shown in a dance with youths (male and females) leaping over them playfully. I am reminded of the Hindu reverence for the great cows, And that in Egypt a Goddess fills her temples with golden cows. Indeed didn't the Hebrew people get in trouble for reverting back to worshiping a golden calf!<br />
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Cows are money in some African tribes. In the west, cattle is king. I am sure some researcher out their could do a fantastic job writing about cows much like the books <i>Salt</i> and <i>Cod</i> which inform us about these small commodities.<br />
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This was my mindset when I researched Pamplona. We watched the first run from the street level. I wedged myself near the fence, I sat on the booze soaked street. The smell of an all day party hung in the morning air. The runners bounced in excitement. They stretched and they turned to look down the filled street as hundreds of people all dressed in white with their red kerchiefs on. The bouncing intensified, the energy swelled. Some runners changed their minds and climbed to the other side of the fence.<br />
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The rocket exploded indicating the fence would be opened. The second rocket went off and the police and other officials began to yell for the runners to run, not to wait for the bulls to come... run, run!<br />
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The bulls swept past us in a blur of chaos. There was no way to make any sense of the images at that speed from the street level.<br />
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What does this say about us as beings? This kind of thing peppered the Roman Empire and indeed are our sport games any different? Each night of our travels World Cup Soccer followed us on the televisions where ever we went. These rituals filled with energy, danger, and violence speak to us deeply - but are we developing beyond them? I don't know.<br />
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But in this experience I felt that thread to those ancient people living on a rock in the Aegean Sea. The sacrificed their bulls and fed their people and their Gods. Here too the bulls would be killed and would feed the people.<br />
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What in your ritual life feeds you? What brings you into community? When did you last feel charged with energy that is larger than yourself?<br />
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<br />Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-86256083344285329282015-03-02T06:53:00.001-08:002015-03-02T06:53:53.317-08:00Just One More Day in the Sun! - BeachesThroughout our travels we visited some beautiful beaches. In Greece, the beaches varied from a strip of sand to rock inlets to beaches with colorful pink sand. We were on a quest to find the most romantic and beautiful beaches. As I sit snuggled in my blankets watching the snow fall outside, I long for those golden summer days on the Aegean.<br />
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Our quest began with the rental car. Having a car allows for flexibility and adventure. My partner decided he want to see the pink beach in on the western side of the island of Crete. The drive itself proved to be phenomenal. What many do not realize about Crete is that it is a big rock - and there are few roads and in some places those roads are one lane roads... generally those are in the mountains - whoa be the inexperienced driver who meets a bus! </div>
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Our trek to the pink beach twisted through the mountains providing breathtaking vistas - if you like to drive and see beautiful scenery this is the place for you! Nestled in the mountains are villages ready for the tourists and locals to stop and take a little break. I declared an ice cream break upon seeing the first village! My partner said we had to eat real food first, so we sampled the octopus before the ice cream Sundays. After we settled in for our snack a huge bus came through the village and we wondered how it got up those twisty roads! And what would we have done upon meeting a bus?</div>
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After 3 hours of twisty turny roads, we arrived at the pink beach. Beautiful sand dunes and native grasses, flat horizon of the sea and various pools of water created a breathtaking landscape suitable for watercolorist everywhere... however, the sand was not really pink. Our trek to find a secluded spot away from the folding chairs and the sporty people on the beach ended at a stretch of beach nestled in the sand dunes, those were not pink either. We spent time relaxing and napping, then into the water! While in the water we found traces of pink ribbons of sand laced throughout the regular sand colored sand. It was lovely but... I am not sure it was worth the hype.</div>
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The following day we drove west from our humble apartment at Mike's and found a small fishing village where tourism had not yet come. The beaches were primarily rock but we drove the coast and found one of those cute little enclaves of private beach... you know the kind honeymoon ads always picture but you can never find because when you get there there are always people on the beach? Yes, we found one of those... at first we thought we were the only ones but we quickly saw that two other couples were nestled in private areas enjoying their day in the sun. We found our spot... shooed the scorpion away! And picked through the pebbles finding some of the most lovely rocks of the trip. </div>
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In Santorini, our next stop we played on a black beach and swam in water near a red beach. The water sang from the iron content and wild chickens perched on the ledge. Many more beaches were explored but I don't think anyone can beat the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean. After returning from Tulum recently, I realize the Americas must have appeared to be an incredible paradise to those Spaniards all those years ago. </div>
Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-62742269719748847762014-10-16T13:29:00.003-07:002014-10-16T13:29:57.202-07:00People Make Travel FunAs we settled into our economic no frills hotel apartment in Crete (near Heraklion) we were ready for a week of beach and waves and sun. Little did we know that we would meet some of the most interesting people of our whole travels here.<br />
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To begin with the owner of Mike's Apartments greeted us asking where my partner was from... Colombia - little did we know that Columbia had just defeated Greece during the World Cup game! Mike pointed his finger and said "I don't like you."with his heavy Greek accept. I chimed in that I was American and surely Greece would beat us! Mike replied that he did like me. from that moment we knew we would be having some interesting encounters with Mike.<br />
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Our relationship grew with Mike over the week. He was warm and funny and very helpful. He introduced us to his daughter and girlfriend; he shared his wonderful homemade raki with us, and fed us the most delicious olives and other tasty treats. We even had the opportunity to celebrate St. John's Day with him and his daughter.<br />
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St. John's Day was a simple celebration that included taking the flowers that had been gathered on the first of May, digging a shallow hole on the beach to put the flowers in, set the flowers on fire, leap over the flames. Eat dinner. Drink raki.<br />
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Getting to know Mike and his family and the waiters at our local restaurant where we always ate or drank at (it was connected to the apartment building after all) coupled with the fact that all we did for the week was enjoy the beaches prompted us to stay an extra week thanks to the blessing of a flexible schedule.<br />
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In the second week, we rent a car to tour the island and see the sights. Our rental agent, Dimitri, was a wild eyed Greek who had an opinion about all the things we should see. But most important to him was visiting his friend Nickolas who owned a restaurant with authentic Greek food cooked on the open fire in a stone oven. His restaurant was in the mountains near a 2,000 year old tree and on the way to the birth place of Zeus... yes, that Zeus.<br />
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The twisty turny road led us up and up and up. The Fiat with the duct tape key and navigation system which did not understand the multiple ways the Greek language were translated into English (spelling really does count kids when talking to machines!) handled the curves quite nicely and was small enough to pass the large buses coming at us from the opposite direction.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnueA_ErCs2-3n9akHsTojJbWcrgJp1qSkFe5y3H7dlF9mTu3D3qxOJZrx-rdfxesBqrd76aXAFwoLEbITYuk4NGB2NqBAygbJBoHCfIjC9G-vetNX1N5QyDipUaJkO31Ni4I7/s1600/IMG_20140625_233426_632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnueA_ErCs2-3n9akHsTojJbWcrgJp1qSkFe5y3H7dlF9mTu3D3qxOJZrx-rdfxesBqrd76aXAFwoLEbITYuk4NGB2NqBAygbJBoHCfIjC9G-vetNX1N5QyDipUaJkO31Ni4I7/s1600/IMG_20140625_233426_632.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Driving into the appointed town, we saw three restaurants on the square. But one of them had staff waving at us to park. So we did... we spied the wood burning oven and the well in the front (clues we received from Dimitri) and sure enough Nickolas approached us and "Did Dimitri send you?"<br />
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" Yes... yes he did."Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-34066183499805734742014-09-08T12:36:00.001-07:002014-09-08T12:36:20.185-07:00Home of the Olympics - AthensIt will surprise no one that after two 10 hour bus trips, my traveling partner who can not sleep on buses decided the planned ferry from Athens to Crete was a no go. Upon arrival to the Athen's airport, he immediately inquired about the next flight to Crete. Lucky for me his generous nature paid for my way too!<br />
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Ahhhh but we were in Athens - how could we squeeze a little sight seeing in I wondered. Not to fear - I asked the ticket agent what we could do during our 5 hour wait and was pleasantly surprised to find out we could take a city bus to the heart of Athens and see all the sights Athens is known for. The very kind ticket agent even offered to keep our backpacks in his office! This turned out to be a huge gift that my back is still thankful for... remember I did not get the world's greatest massage and was now no longer so trusting to try again.<br />
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In short, we took the bus (very easy! and inexpensive) and were let out near the downtown area. Equipped with a map and directions, we made our way to the Olympic Stadium ( the one built for the recent Olympic games in Athens), then walked to the ruins of the first Olympic Stadium - taking time to pose in front of the great columns. But I must say our true goal was to reach the Acropolis.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IjwfpiKm9PSfxVTUTQJP96FJqGl_hSjKj5v5d6x5gnAQ8gfLyKcpMq3mQXQYIP3K4mTiG7ylkCBXeSJHDLc2f-og70Od8kcskQmJcbmvHndjMDKiPCitr5ibk8pvK45UKq6m/s1600/IMG_20140615_145421_728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IjwfpiKm9PSfxVTUTQJP96FJqGl_hSjKj5v5d6x5gnAQ8gfLyKcpMq3mQXQYIP3K4mTiG7ylkCBXeSJHDLc2f-og70Od8kcskQmJcbmvHndjMDKiPCitr5ibk8pvK45UKq6m/s1600/IMG_20140615_145421_728.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>This is the remains of the theater on your hike up to the top. This statue looks like it is someone very important... I don't know who. Let's imagine who it might be. A play write? A poet? A patron of the arts?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28aqA13xQjGxC5o3qKm_0Y-aQYughRH2IT0R-G4uU1CZjJYgQcki5Qhkc3nK8pMR4YUOn0y5X-hQzvhyphenhyphenqBMHld4-RpX5jopWu32fxEFYB9n9k_6acfbkz5J7y_5bvwgftIj-A/s1600/IMG_20140615_145600_742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28aqA13xQjGxC5o3qKm_0Y-aQYughRH2IT0R-G4uU1CZjJYgQcki5Qhkc3nK8pMR4YUOn0y5X-hQzvhyphenhyphenqBMHld4-RpX5jopWu32fxEFYB9n9k_6acfbkz5J7y_5bvwgftIj-A/s1600/IMG_20140615_145600_742.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a> This chair belong to the important folks who came to see the plays.<br />
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And these fellows are holding up what looks to have been the backstage area.<br />
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And here is the theater in its entirety - this is just one of the several theaters on the mountain.<br />
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I enjoy the theatres - it is the actor/director in me. i love the thought that here was the space where the art of theatre came into being - and was elevated to such a high form. ***spoiler alert*** In Rome we ate in a resturant housed in a 2000 year old theater that was copied from the Greeks. General Pompey was inspired when we came home from his campaigns. But you have to wait for that story.***<br />
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Views from the top - Modern day Athens goes on and on!<br />
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SCAFFOLDING!!!!ARRRGH - This is a theme throughout the trip. Much of these treasured places are being worked on or cleaned or refurbished in some way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiZCofPrZifGmHC6BZ6dNw_ojcXgiRP_0eY3Q4bnNBaogsne2dVpxgbjVt4asjx292gCW1tv-3IH6EI46fv4baX4UfFWotwQIt2bAKhksDWpt286-crs5wAVZhGfNpZEe8-LH/s1600/IMG_20140615_152029_794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEiZCofPrZifGmHC6BZ6dNw_ojcXgiRP_0eY3Q4bnNBaogsne2dVpxgbjVt4asjx292gCW1tv-3IH6EI46fv4baX4UfFWotwQIt2bAKhksDWpt286-crs5wAVZhGfNpZEe8-LH/s1600/IMG_20140615_152029_794.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJxBcfAkR7KZ5uYapMryEcYfWJd9MDUhyphenhyphenOPDw8GLTToegvQge8nWwCEe8teR2_Ia7ZeAGRBGxOVgqogYEVeoh-1msXqkZuwc3qq5MS82WjyOTZ59QqHdQZJHkV5-V5EkiKoIz/s1600/IMG_20140615_151557_887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJxBcfAkR7KZ5uYapMryEcYfWJd9MDUhyphenhyphenOPDw8GLTToegvQge8nWwCEe8teR2_Ia7ZeAGRBGxOVgqogYEVeoh-1msXqkZuwc3qq5MS82WjyOTZ59QqHdQZJHkV5-V5EkiKoIz/s1600/IMG_20140615_151557_887.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
Oh well.. still more to see.<br />
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Do you see the Muses above? Zoom in on the picture if you can. Those are the lovely Muses from Greek mythology who inspire. If you go to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, you will see them there as well holding up the Museum still inspiring us all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrGIdSxHB2RfDbFb9jSmixvziLBN4-2HqaHwckUXn7x6VExb_WVhOo-f5M1kJ-ZIVwC40nfrBWXZpI3pjF5jofG-jgesXwQqV_QME8_ekCz1IrSNPA2ToMddhhhbXRC8Vdale/s1600/IMG_20140615_151842_341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrGIdSxHB2RfDbFb9jSmixvziLBN4-2HqaHwckUXn7x6VExb_WVhOo-f5M1kJ-ZIVwC40nfrBWXZpI3pjF5jofG-jgesXwQqV_QME8_ekCz1IrSNPA2ToMddhhhbXRC8Vdale/s1600/IMG_20140615_151842_341.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPGdtEOb8d8ndLNagG5Wtn8_yy_4Mla_QEZjcXHTEK9VKZYG4gJPwyjlImjD1YCAjPIrjywZn78OODiduXK9M1RNrTmy3Y83CfPEdAvzvEmOhRk0Lg3aYBU6EaSPQL-sSlrqX/s1600/IMG_20140615_151353_090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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With our goal accomplished, we were back on the bus and to the airport. This whirlwind tour of Athens took us a total of 4 hours. More then enough time to make our plane. Note, however, I foolishly wore flip flops not realizing how much fast walking we would be doing. My tootsies would pay for that in Crete.<br />
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-3Ca1ibnS2jY%2FVA3_SEDTm7I%2FAAAAAAAAAU0%2Fnbw_oaTY2L0%2Fs1600%2FIMG_20140615_151353_090.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPGdtEOb8d8ndLNagG5Wtn8_yy_4Mla_QEZjcXHTEK9VKZYG4gJPwyjlImjD1YCAjPIrjywZn78OODiduXK9M1RNrTmy3Y83CfPEdAvzvEmOhRk0Lg3aYBU6EaSPQL-sSlrqX/s1600/IMG_20140615_151353_090.jpg" -->Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-51526421850547454892014-09-05T07:56:00.001-07:002014-09-05T08:29:18.662-07:00Massage or Groping...you decide.Aching legs, aching backs, aching feet and sign in the hotel advertising massages. Ahhhh...relief, a mere phone call away. After checking into the hotel at the end of our Turkish tour, my partner and I sat by the pool for the better part of the afternoon. The beautiful sunshine, crystal blue water and the ocean view from the lounging area provided the perfect place to rest after seeing so much and absorbing so many stories.<br />
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After a nap and a shower, I called the front desk to order two massages as a way to thank my traveling partner for enduring the two 10 hour overnight bus rides to and from the interior of the country, and the miles of walking around ancient ruins, and for his extreme good nature through it all. We waited eagerly.<br />
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Perhaps I should have put a stop to it earlier... perhaps he should have as well. But no, neither of us made any move to stop this train wreck of a massage from happening. We didn't stop it when they went to the kitchen to get olive oil because they did not bring any of their own, we didn't stop it when the children they brought made a racket, we didn't stop it when we smelt the alcohol on their breathes, we didn't stop it when we suspected a lack of training on their part. No indeed, we can not really complain too much - the signs were there.<br />
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A husband and wife team - actually an entire family complete with four boys. FOUR BOYS! The boys entertained themselves in the room next door and delighted us with the relaxing sounds of Foosball, weight lifting, and shouts that only young brothers know how to make. The woman who was working on my partner kept going out to tell her children to be quiet.<br />
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The man who worked on me began on my legs and spent the majority of time rubbing them back to life. As he worked his way up my back, I began to get the feeling that perhaps he was not an actual massage therapist. This was confirmed when he started to lazily draw circles on my back with the copious amounts of olive oil. You know those circles ladies... the ones men make on your back early in the morning? Ah... yeah.<br />
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He continued on my front without much concern for my exposed body or the open door, or the noise from the children. As he worked his way around my breast, clearly not quite sure what to do - looking to his wife for some guidance - I decided to just relax and roll with it. I was committed after all and hopefully the woman was an actual massage therapist and my partner was getting a wonderful massage...at least this was my hope.<br />
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But my partner fared far worse! The wonderful gift I meant to give him...The gift of a relaxing moment when all his aches and pain could drift away...turned into a full fledged <i>groping.</i><br />
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The smell of alcohol on her breath filled my partner's nostrils, and her strong hands reached into ever crook and crannie they could find. The bathing suit he wore meant nothing to the woman who reached under and went over in every way. Her hands pushed and pulled everything on him from his face to his groin.<br />
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Upon the table, the woman climbed and straddled my partner's head to do a full body rub from the chest to the thighs... He made the mistake of opening his eyes and spying her amble bosom in his face as she began to work her way down his body.<br />
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Neither of us moved when they left - quite frankly the man was in the middle of my shoulders; I thought he was coming back! I was left unfinished and my partner too well done! He reported she knew how to give a real massage and did at least work on his aching areas relieving them of some pain.<br />
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Noisy children, boozie masseurs, full body groping with the kitchen's olive oil... and I got to pay for all that in American dollars. No good deed goes unpunished, so the saying goes.<br />
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Next stop Greece!Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-23437877718290420232014-09-04T17:51:00.000-07:002014-09-04T17:51:11.666-07:00Turkey - Where the Ancient's PlayedWhile I began my travels by flying into Copenhagen and then meeting my travel partner in Amsterdam,<br />
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it was in Turkey where the real adventure began. A sleepless overnight flight into Istanbul, a tango marathon and four days of sightseeing left our legs aching and us exhausted! We stayed in an Airbnb.com and met some lovely people from Chicago, Canada, Holland, and Syria.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjV7RDPLFlSvEtU8SAEmtWmJnhC23SZEzne8YN1eWNEkhfwltfcr7j6Ws-Y7iEVENqLl6ImL2jj4cs9I__wQH7_pYwBJgzLGtE0f4pusJfR82uZajSMsjQb31e4kOT_9J7Use/s1600/IMG_20140606_205535_414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjV7RDPLFlSvEtU8SAEmtWmJnhC23SZEzne8YN1eWNEkhfwltfcr7j6Ws-Y7iEVENqLl6ImL2jj4cs9I__wQH7_pYwBJgzLGtE0f4pusJfR82uZajSMsjQb31e4kOT_9J7Use/s1600/IMG_20140606_205535_414.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gSRQEBvcHUaQFg2wZBJm9j2u1Xg144uzIzi6K0AJKU99syRcDY5wDFx5Mtczi0YS8kBVEoiTwlFgx6QYBFq4yKYw5K51jCy0_ePCWe4EmH_2h8uZGpTaIldLj2XOSxGMSR5U/s1600/IMG_20140606_182332_408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gSRQEBvcHUaQFg2wZBJm9j2u1Xg144uzIzi6K0AJKU99syRcDY5wDFx5Mtczi0YS8kBVEoiTwlFgx6QYBFq4yKYw5K51jCy0_ePCWe4EmH_2h8uZGpTaIldLj2XOSxGMSR5U/s1600/IMG_20140606_182332_408.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Our adventures included shopping at the spice market, drinking lots of tea, eating fantastic food (pictured above in the clay pot on fire), seeing the sites, and tangoing. In Istanbul there are many tours you can buy that will take you into the heart of the country... and after a ten hour bus trip, we arrived at the location of the remains of an ancient Christian community who hid from its enemies in caves. Elaborate churches and many communities pepper the area revealing a thriving community of like minded souls striving to be free. This is of course the communities at Cappadocia.</div>
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We slept in a cave hotel but because these tours are so full of activity, we had only a brief rest before<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBwqphqMmpLUptrgZBpfNSZ0KpJvQSxxdQOuEXN13fBZbkct-n_v5plILXZMZSfET2Jcphrl6JxowjU4nud08-yx6a6kxyTRB_a8noZzrtTsJVGJG7p-wfm-zmFeHh6WfD4yS/s1600/IMG_20140611_051116_751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBwqphqMmpLUptrgZBpfNSZ0KpJvQSxxdQOuEXN13fBZbkct-n_v5plILXZMZSfET2Jcphrl6JxowjU4nud08-yx6a6kxyTRB_a8noZzrtTsJVGJG7p-wfm-zmFeHh6WfD4yS/s1600/IMG_20140611_051116_751.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTKlXj5cVQBi0Mne78zsoySMHsYeKUHEIr9wAsdkVHR_dL2t7hm1PZU-87ygSo0GZ-Wql5XwW__CzV2pnxqv1F7ONA3NULzK5ggB0gmg8l2xG11LU6uY8EX1wDKd-pzQdeAWC/s1600/IMG_20140611_052442_520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTKlXj5cVQBi0Mne78zsoySMHsYeKUHEIr9wAsdkVHR_dL2t7hm1PZU-87ygSo0GZ-Wql5XwW__CzV2pnxqv1F7ONA3NULzK5ggB0gmg8l2xG11LU6uY8EX1wDKd-pzQdeAWC/s1600/IMG_20140611_052442_520.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVNNyFopkhnpJM0RrwqvIUabxekQ3VNF4l38FmrvDFDQPB8sdhhYIxX4BScFP0vmbGQZ9uEWpmtZeFRD1-dbG2b4Ka-pBU25ol-SGbArAFVL5XthYwJb-wRLZLb08bVI2pkhu/s1600/IMG_20140611_115842_413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXVNNyFopkhnpJM0RrwqvIUabxekQ3VNF4l38FmrvDFDQPB8sdhhYIxX4BScFP0vmbGQZ9uEWpmtZeFRD1-dbG2b4Ka-pBU25ol-SGbArAFVL5XthYwJb-wRLZLb08bVI2pkhu/s1600/IMG_20140611_115842_413.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5wzSNHF2XeDVE3dp4vrq3pZ2m5yUN8z87NRB2rP_O10c_RnJIxbDfr3GIIsbDysohzJ1Wzu6_K3oSCPjQShsHw3BhpSywJx3bHBid93eCCV_VYdrpkLrf5x0MP12-yH8qa9F/s1600/IMG_20140611_114627_530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5wzSNHF2XeDVE3dp4vrq3pZ2m5yUN8z87NRB2rP_O10c_RnJIxbDfr3GIIsbDysohzJ1Wzu6_K3oSCPjQShsHw3BhpSywJx3bHBid93eCCV_VYdrpkLrf5x0MP12-yH8qa9F/s1600/IMG_20140611_114627_530.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
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The day continued with a hike through a gorgeous river valley also peppered with caves from the various hermits who went into the wilderness to find God. Ancient Thoreaus experimenting with the true needs of life.<br />
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Once this fast paced tour was finished - complete with stops at the rug store (where we bought a rug and made a friend of th esalesman - quiet a character!) and a stop at the oynx and silver shop - we had adsorbed as much as we could in a very short amount of time. We boarded the bus again and headed to Pamukkle, the fantastic spa waters where Cleopatra and Marc Antone once bathed. I felt like a queen while wallowing in the calcium filled mud. I gave my self a very public facial with the healing muds - luckily no cameras were present to record it!<br />
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Our tour continued to the ancient city of Epheseus and the modern city of Selcec. Our tour included excellent hotels and breakfasts and lunches. But by the fourth day of touring we were exhausted.Luckily we had scheduled an extra day to lay by the pool.<br />
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After 10 days of Turkey, we were ready for a break. We took a day off to swim and sleep....<br />
Read about my gift that turned into a nightmare on my next blog post!<br />
<br />Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-66839578946212436192014-08-20T15:22:00.001-07:002014-08-20T15:22:55.009-07:00The Traveler's EyeI have just returned from two and a half months backpacking through Europe." Lucky" You say? No luck..but alot of planning.You are Jealous, you say? Yes, me too - I am jealous of myself. I had longed to take a trip like this and explore this gorgeous world we live in for 10 years but circumstances made me wait. You know what they say, "all good things come to those who wait!"<br />
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So with backpack, cheap airfare, and romantic traveling partner I set forth to experience the world and emerge myself in the various subjects I have spent years teaching.<br />
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I want to say thank you to NomadicMatt <a href="http://www.nomadicmatt.com/" target="_blank"> www.nomadicmatt.com</a> for his great tips, Norwegian airhttps://<a href="http://www.norwegian.com/us/?gclid=CKX68LTvosACFQQT7AodGTUAOw">www.norwegian.com/us/?gclid=CKX68LTvosACFQQT7AodGTUAOw</a> for their super great deals, to Southwest <a href="http://www.southwest.com/">www.southwest.com</a> for their free flights for credit card points, and to the people I encountered who gave us hotel rooms, meals, drinks, free gifts, and great conversations.<br />
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For the next few post I will take you dear readers on a tour of the western world.<br />
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<br />Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-69717289788704185652014-05-25T12:39:00.001-07:002014-05-25T14:59:22.991-07:00Does Anyone Even Care? The Need to Feel SignificantWe can do everything in the world right but if no one notices, we can feel that there is no point. If we work and strive and all that people comment on is what we don't do well, we can feel dejected and worthless. When we strive with no reward, we will become angry and want to walk away.<br />
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Significance - feeling significant in someone else's life is one of the six human needs that must be fulfilled in order to live a life of joy.<br />
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We can and do meet this need in positive and negative ways. For children it is classic in a classroom for a child to create a system of bad behaviors to get attention. The child knows they will get attention if they poke their sibling - they will be significant -significant to the sibling and to the parent. All of a sudden the checked out, busy, distracted parent will be very present in the child's life.<br />
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In family dynamics, children find ways to be significant. Oldest children usually strive for being perfect. Youngest often seek to be the wild child - the opposite of the eldest. Children stuck in the middle seek to make peace and want to be valued as the peacemaker - in fact they begin to thrive on drama if they can then be significantly involved in it. Your birth order can have a stereotype, but we can all find ourselves into each of these categories.<br />
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And how many children who are not nurtured and never made to feel significant as children - and in fact often feel there is a favorite child in the home, develop into adults whose buttons are pushed when they are not the center of attention. Do you know anyone like this? I do - and it is not pretty to watch. In fact it is heart breaking.<br />
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For people whose number one need is significance, they must be watchful of the ease of negative patterns which may already be created. They must learn that they could be the juiciest peach in the world - but there is always someone who doesn't like peaches. They must learn to flow with those who value them and celebrate them - never worrying about those who don't. AND they must learn to take turns. Sometimes it is not your turn to be the most important person in the room - and that is okay.<br />
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How can you make your partner of children feel significant today? How can you teach your students to take turns being the most significant person in a group? How can you remember that just because your spouse compliments your friend's cooking, it is not an insult against yours? How can you keep the ugly jealousy monster at bay and know that your presence in the world is a blessing to others - therefor making you very significant?<br />
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<br />Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-63124911770735276832014-04-17T11:10:00.001-07:002014-04-17T11:10:17.052-07:00Bread Crust and Other Small ThingsMy daughter loves the crust of bread. I, however, hate eating the crust. This has worked out well for us for a long time as I would give her my crust off every sandwich -- well , I say give, actually she use to steal them from me.<br />
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I tried to be grown up and eat them as a good example to not waste food. My daughter is grown and I am faced with those long brown rectangles.. dry and tasteless in my mouth. Here at midlife, I have to tell you... I just don't want to eat those crusts on my sandwiches anymore. Not even a little bit.<br />
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So here it is, a little bit of joy just for me... I am not eating crusts anymore. There are other small things I will no longer put up with and then again there are huge things I also will no longer allow for in my life. Bread crust on sandwiches is one of them.<br />
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I encourage you to delve into yourselves and decide what you will and will not do or tolerate in your lives... It is your life after all, don't live it for anyone else and don't let anyone live it for you. Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-20421071512438409722014-03-26T09:07:00.000-07:002014-03-26T09:07:02.894-07:00Time to Give BackOnce we know where our next meal is coming from, once we are not in fear of any danger, once we have various activities in our life to keep it interesting, once we have people to share experiences with, once all these foundational stones are in place, we find that we have created the ideal situation for joy, for happiness, and for blessing. So what comes next? It's time to give.<br />
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Contributing to the world allows us to be conduates of the Spirit in the world. Generosity allows us to be part of the magic in someone else's life. Have you ever experiences a random act of kindness - I know I have... many times. Once during a particularly difficult week. A week when I was holding everything together with duct tape and spittle - one of my students surprised me with a crown of flowers. This was an 8th grade student! She and her mother had been up making flower crowns the previous night for one of her mother's horticulture classes and they decided that I needed one too. They did not know it was a rough week for me. They didn't know that that simple flower crown - which I wore ALL DAY LONG brought me such relief and blessing. Small random acts can mean everything....<br />
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But big acts are great too! What would our world be like without the many charities and the volunteers who serve selflessly to raise up their brothers and sisters in need. One of my favorite charities I have worked with is a little group in Keller, TX. Their goal is to make sure all students in Keller are able to graduate from school and none drop out from lack of stability - they focus on stabilizing the families and students of this little town. It was interesting volunteering at their food bank and at their resale shop. First of all, I met people from all kinds of churches and organizations who had a few hours here or there and could give their time. Next, I met the people we were serving. Folks who were just like me but were caught in the recession/depression suddenly overextended and jobless. Those were rough years - I would watch the "For Sale" sign in the back window of the BMWs drive away with the bags of food I made up because this family was filing bankrupcy. I didn't feel superior to them - I felt love, and I was glad I was in a position to give back.<br />
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My own future is currently murky. I graduate my 8th grade class this May, and they will all flutter off to various high schools in the city. What to do? There is no class for me to take at the school - and truth be told, I am in need of a teaching sabbatical. What will this look like? I am in the planning stages - but I can guareentee it will involve giving back, paying it forward, being grateful for all that I have and all that will come and spreading the message that abundance is the true nature of the universe. Wonder, awe and joy are ours for the taking if we stabilize our lives, add variety so we are not bored, make connections, and give with an open and generous heart.... Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-89089950216631534832014-03-20T13:08:00.000-07:002014-03-20T13:08:01.706-07:00Connection - It is All About the LoveThere is no way we can speak of living a happy life without speaking about love, friendship and connecting to other human beings.<br />
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Life will treat us roughly from time to time, but it is those whom we love and who love us that allow us to swim with the current of life's little and big tragedies. These are topics that poets write about, musicians create tunes for, and artists dedicate their lives to capturing and expressing.<br />
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Love - Connection - Friendship - meeting another who reflects your own sense of self. Meeting one who meshes with those places in you that need partnering, whether it is someone who helps you unleash the wild and crazy side of you or the person who helps you settle down, is what we call joy in relationship and can create a loving community.<br />
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We all need these connections to remind ourselves that we are really all fragments of a whole. Soul mates search for each other encounter themselves - it is the same for friendmates. Friends and lovers are the people whom we call when we are sad and lonely, when we are soaring high filled with joy, and when we are everywhere in-between. Just today I received a phone call from a friend of mine who lives five states away. It was the middle of the day. She called because it is National Happiness Day, and she called me because our friendship makes her happy! This was such a wonderful gift. So, make some friends - they are good for you!<br />
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But how can we make good friends? Often friendships arise in school situations - you have class, you study together, you go to football games (at least if you live in Texas!), you tip some cows, you go dancing... etc. You travel in large groups that overlap other people's groups. You meet new people... you sometimes find your love. As adults, we often move and must find new friends, new social circles. The above mentioned friend and I met 16 years ago at church. It took about a year for us to become friends.<br />
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Regular meetings involving shared experiences give relationships places to evolve and grow. Dinners, hiking, tours, working partnerships and study, dancing, watching movies, book groups etc. all create the oppurtunities to make more and more connections and to deepen relationships. Shared experiences is the name of the game. The same friend above and I have survived multiple moves - each time one of us moves, we visit each other's new home. We share experiences in each other's now hometowns. We keep connected to their lives.<br />
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Want more friends or deepen your current relationship networks - try having dinner once a week with someone different. Want more couple friends? Try couple dating - have another couple over for dinner and or game night. Go on an old fashion double date - movie? putt putt? dancing? bowling? Want to maintain long distance relationships? Plan vacations that bring you together. I have a small group of friends who regularly travel from all over the United States to meet one weekend a year. We bonded over a teacher training during an intense three years. we love each other and look forward to each meeting. This last year we laughed and cried together. We shared our pains (two of us are in the middle of a rough year). We gave each other support, reminded each other how much we love each other AND how awesome we think each other is. We also gave advice - direction- light and wisdom. These weekends are empowering and uplifting.<br />
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When all is said and done, without friendship, without love, without being connected to others - life is boring. Make a date with a friend today! Please feel free to share some of your favorite activities to get connected with friends.<br />
<br />Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-7380105687561753652014-03-03T08:13:00.000-08:002014-03-03T08:13:45.152-08:00Variety is the Spice of Life!Yes, yes.. I know… I just said last week that certainty and security were fundemental to your happiness in the world. This is true but not true all the time. We human beings are playful beings. We love to be up and doing, playing, getting into and out of trouble. We love to spice things up when we get bored. In short, we like variety.<br />
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There is nothing wrong with this! And in fact for some of us, having a life filled with variety is the most important ingredient for a happy and successful life. When life is too stable, we get bored and no longer feel we can grow.<br />
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Once in my classroom after a guest teacher had been teaching for a three week block, one of my students said she was surprised that there was another way a morning lesson could be and that she loved how she never knew what would happen in the morning lesson with the other teacher. The guest teacher was funny and taught in funny voices, made jokes and was generally unpredictable. For her this was perfect! For others in the class, it created discomfort at first but as trust grew, they grew to appreciate the diversity. For myself, teaching in the Waldorf style of staying with a class from grade to grade, always learning a new curriculum and never teaching the same lesson more then once, provided me with the needed variety in my work that fueled my continued growth as a human being. If you are a teacher, how do you add a bit of surprise and wonder into your classes? What variety is available to augment the stability you must have in the classroom?<br />
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As a parent, planning little surprises for my daughter as she was growing up allowed her to feel loved and cared for. These positive surprises allowed her to develop a sense that the world is a loving and beautiful place -- even when it appears otherwise. Positive variety allowed her to grow and decide to follow her own path in life - to try different courses of study until she found the right one for her. Of course negative variety in the form of divorces, deaths, burglaries, and other life events that cause trauma also create variety. For some people who are not able to cultivate positive variety, they will draw almost magically to themselves crisis after crisis. This kind of variety in a family creates many more challenges that eventually need to be tackled by a professional.<br />
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In loving relationships, the conflict between variety and stablity can create tension for couples (with or without children). Couples early in their marriages (or dating) love how everything is new and mysterious. The undiscovered of the other person creates anticipation. What will the other say or do in this context or that? This variety fuels relationships for the first few years. But when we get familiar with all those beautiful surprises, we grow bored... remember what happens when we are bored? WE no longer grow.. and as they say if you are not growing, you are dying. So, the relationship dies a little everyday for lack of variety.<br />
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This happened to me. After 21 years, I was too predictable and steady. And he was too predictably as well. We knew each other backwards and forwards. So, someone had to do something. And he did. Our divorce certainly added variety for both of us! But more importantly, it made me mindful when he said to me, " I just want a little mystery."<br />
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So how in your long term loving relationships can you and your partner create healthy variety that enables you to grow?<br />
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My best friends tackled just this question 20+ years ago. They have no children - children are great sources of variety in a relationship! They decided to make a effort early-on to grow together by pursuing interests together. They take classes, explore new places, take up new hobbies, and have been able to thrive inbetween moves for school and jobs, crazy work schedules, and the dreaded midlife time of life. Some of these pursuits they truly both love, and some is one person or another's passion. But the inspiring thing about their focus on their loving relationship is how much exploration they have taken up. Ballroom dancing, hiking, kayaking, fantasy football, wine collecting, pottery, photography, art collecting, travel of all kinds, bourdon tours (neither really drinks very much!) working out, bread making, healthy eating, herb gardening, and on and on it goes. I am always intrigued to hear about the new hobby, class, passion they are exploring and whose interest it is. Currently, bird watching is high on their lists. Pick something to feed yourselves with - pick anything, there is no wrong or right!<br />
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Variety - create beautiful healthy variety that will allow yourself, your children and your loving relationships to grow and flourish.Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-83612447035500140562014-02-22T16:41:00.003-08:002014-02-22T16:41:59.414-08:00Fulfill Your Needs, Fulfill the Other's Needs<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>All human beings live in a push and pull between meeting their needs and having their needs go unmet. When our needs are unmet, we often are overwhelmed with stress, self loathing, low self esteem, fear, anger and just about any other negative emotion you can think of. As parents and teachers, the needs of the children must be met in order for academic growth to occur. But this academic growth is not our only concern - but the rich human soul development of good and worthy human beings is also at stake. </i></span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This begins a series of posts regarding human needs and how to address them based on the works of Maslow, Erikson, Robbins and Steiner. Teachers, parents and bosses - well, really anyone can use this knowledge to improve their lives and the lives of others</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Maslow puts at the foundations of his Hierarchy of Needs the base of Stability. Tony Robbins calls this certainty. Both words sound good to me, and as I am not reinventing the wheel, merely showing the wheel off - I will use both terms. Steiner speaks of the rhythmic life - and I think this points us to how to meet the base of these two pyramids of needs. </span></i><br />
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</i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In order for all of us to have this security in the world, we need routines. Routines and rituals build strength in our selves to handle stressful situations which always occur. There are always times in life when our need for security will be challenged but by building strong inner sense of certainty regarding how the world works, we can fall back into a place of strength.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At school, teachers can help fulfill these needs by keeping a weekly rhythm, a daily rhythm and even an hourly/subject routine. Be predictable. Begin each class by setting the stage - let students know exactly what is about to happen today. This can even be done before recess. Ask the students what they are planning to do at recess. For shy kids, this can help them get ideas if they hear their friend's plans. For students experiencing trauma at home like the death of a parent, this is critical for their sense of safety and security in life.</span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Children need to know that home is home and their room will be just as it was when they went to school. They need to be secure in the knowledge that there will be food for each meal, and that their parents and other adults in their lives will act in ways that they can predict. This makes their world stable and secure. But there is more to it. </span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At home, a simple morning routine and night time routine allows children to feel safe. Activities such as a nightly story allow parent and child to develop a bond that lasts over time. Evening meals, which have become more difficult to do, allow the family to practice conversation skills, create a picture for children of a wider world, and allows parents to hear about their child's day. Some children who are quiet all day at school look forward to the evening meal to talk... they have been holding it in all day! Home is at the heart of security.</span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In loving relationships, little things compound to create certainty that can make either partner feel loved; especially if this is that person's number one need. The bills getting paid, the dishes being washed, laundry and floors cleaned, etc. all set the stage for a stable atmosphere at home. In addition to the physical space of the home being well cared for, the emotional life of the home must also be predictable. Can your partner predict how you will come home? Or is your spouse (or children) walking on egg shells around you not knowing what mood you are going to be in? </span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You can do something as simple as waking up in the morning, realize you are cranky, and say to your love, your child, your class - "I am cranky today... it is not you - it is me. I don't know why...but there it is. I am sorry I am going to be cranky for a little bit." You will find that your partner will appreciate this - and if you are a teacher - so will your class! But it will also help you get out of your rotten mood. You can begin to laugh at this ridiculous rotten mood - and everyone around you can trust you when you say you are in a bad mood that it will not last forever. </span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One the way home, let your spouse know you had a great day or a rotten day. Tell them up front what you need. They might start doing the same. Imagine how much easier life would be if we let each other know where we are emotionally? How much easier your day is when you know what is going to happen next? </span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This week, your homework is to be predictable. Become an announcer in your life. How can you make sure everyone knows where you are emotionally? How can you meet other's needs for certainty and safety? Post your experiences both good and bad - let us learn from each other. </span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Have a wonderful week filled with certainty.</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31515992.post-337474982949828742014-01-30T11:18:00.001-08:002014-01-30T11:59:18.175-08:00Generate the Life You Want Welcome to my new blog, <i>Have a Cup of Tea with Teachergrrrl.</i> This blog is devoted to helping students of all ages, parents and other teachers to live their best lives. Here I will explore various tools that will serve you in finding how you can meet your own needs and the needs of those around you.<br />
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I have been an educator for over 20 years - in fact my favorite game to play when a child was make believe school. I would line up my dolls and teach them to read! To my friends I was always the one to come to to talk about problems and find solutions. As a teacher, I have helped many students from grade school age to college age navigate social and emotional challenges in their lives as well as teaching various subjects from preschool to high school subjects. I have worked with parents, guiding families to work to create success by introducing systems that create powerful changes.<br />
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Currently I teach 8th grade in a Waldorf School - a school that looks at the whole child in a whole way. I use artistic, nutrition, intellectual, and rhythmic solutions to address life's problems.<br />
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Send me questions, problems, or wonderings. Let's explore together!Laura Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473511374917211445noreply@blogger.com0