100 Lighter Days

Ten Minutes of Math

Today's guest post is from a young mom named Lisa Ruiter, who happens to be in my local Writer's Circle. "Ten Minutes of Math" models an important moment. When she let go of "should-ing" on herself, her mind was free to pay attention to a young "teacher" who inspired her. She walked just a little lighter that day, and she shared it with our writing group.

by Lisa Ruiter

Each Tuesday and Thursday morning, I volunteer in the office at my daughter’s school.  Yesterday, a teacher associate for the 4th grade room was gone, so the principal asked me to fill in by helping students with math for just 10 minutes.  Fearing trouble, I hoped I could swing 10 minutes. 

The teacher smiled at me as I entered the room, handed me the answer book, and reassured me, “You just need to oversee five 4th graders while they figure out their math problems.” 

Moments after sitting at the small oblong table with the students, a boy asked me,” How do I figure M in question 10?”  It was written something like 3 x M = 180 + ____.  All the answer book gave me was the number 90, and I didn’t know how M could be 90. 

I couldn’t remember how to calculate problems with letters—besides, I never liked math in school. I asked the student as many questions as I could in hopes he would figure out M on his own. Exhausted, I finally confessed, “I have no idea how to do the problem but the answer is 90!” 

The answer was not good enough for this 4th grader.  “But, I still don’t know how to figure out what M is,” the boy replied.  Having great pity on me, the student sitting next to him taught the boy how to calculate M.  When I was a kid, all I cared about was getting the right answer! I guess things have changed. The 10 minutes were finally up, so I happily returned to the school office where I found out I gave the answer to one of the brightest boys in school.  I guess I don’t have to worry about volunteering in the classroom again!

A Little Bit of Air

“Just so you know, Grandma, get ready for your butt to hurt,” my granddaughter cautioned me. I nodded, grabbed my sled, plopped down on it, and pushed off toward the snow jump.

She was right. Foolish Grandma, jumps are for kids. Well, at least if you’re this grandma.

When I landed, my butt wasn’t the only thing that hurt—so did every vertebrae, the base of my neck, my tongue, and my teeth. I stood up, brushed off the snow, scooped up the plastic saucer, and yelled, “You’re right! I’ll stick to the bunny slope now.”

She flashed an I-told-you-so smile and giggled.

Play! That’s what I love about being a grandma. Stuart Brown, the play guru, says you travel to a parallel universe of free-floating time and creativity when you play. You get to do stupid things, laugh about them, and hopefully learn something. You get to taste the joy of getting a little bit of air—even if your butt still hurts the next morning. <sigh. . .>

Can You See Hope?

 

My friend Amos just came back from an internship in a Ugandan orphanage. When I listen to his stories, at first I think of a hopeless place where children have been permanently scarred by AIDS. Their mothers have died or realized they couldn’t care for a child who needed medical attention. The orphanage’s goal is to bring children back to stable health, so they can possibly return to family members where they’ll be loved even though they can’t be cured.

One child’s story, particularly, touched my heart as I listened to Amos. In his arms, he held a baby named Yuben, whose lungs had filled with fluid. His breathing was labored and shallow much like the rasping of an old man near death. Oxygen tubes delivered air he needed to stay alive, but recovery didn’t seem all that possible. In that hour, Amos cradled and rocked him. Tears streamed down his face. He was firmly seated in a place of deep suffering. Optimism was no match for this scene. What they both needed was hope.

In that frozen moment, Amos instinctively held out his finger for Yuben to grasp. A prayer floated from his lips, “God, hold out just a finger of your love for him to hold.” His other hand rested on the little boy’s chest. “Let him breathe.”

Weeks later, it was obvious that Yuben’s infant mind and spirit had turned a corner. He was gaining weight and breathing on his own.

Amos still fights back tears today when he tells this story. He sees that place of deep suffering. But, he also sees a light-infused time when he and Yuben reached beyond reason into hope.

Watch Your Time

 

Click Emergent Task Timerto download the PDF.

David Seah is generous as well as brilliant. His Printable CEO Series works whether you consider yourself a home executive. . . .a corporate executive. . . or something between those two. I'm fighting with time right now. I know it can become my friend, but I'm not ready to shake hands yet.

The Emergent Task Timer has been a great place to start. I'm a person who often gets lost in a project—while the balance of my life inches toward chaos one day at a time. I'm using the printable sheet to take my “temperature” and realistically figure out where my time is going each day.

This morning, I woke up eager to get going on this week's writing project, which happens to have a Wednesday noon deadline. As I emerged from morning meditation at 8 a.m., I received phone calls a few minutes apart from two different people. Each wanted to download swirling thoughts and sort them out. I took out time to do that because both relationships are important to me, but my Wednesday writing deadline didn't move. Now, I'm starting my project at 9 a.m. rather than the intended 8 a.m., so I'll have to choose to give up something else later today.

Hmmm. . . wonder what that will be?

It's about time!

photo courtesty of Flickr's Creative Commons and ali edwards

Why do I have a love-hate relationship with calendars and day-planners? Danielle La Porte offers an answer on Leo Baubata's zenhabits. What I really want is to feel calm and connected—with family, friends, work, self, and the world out there.

She tells me to identify core areas that are important to me in life, so my calendar respects them. I sorted through Oprah's Best Life categories and checked for ideas in Julie Morgenstern's Time Management from the Inside Out. Finally, I sat down to a cup of java with Jen James, my friend and blogging partner.

An hour [and lots of doodling and chatting] later, we landed on our Top Six:

• Work

• Relationships

• Wellness

• Surroundings

• Finances & Possessions

• Spirituality

Honestly, what really bogs me down is the truth a calendar tells. My right-brain self gets emotional hives just thinking about boxes, check lists and “shoulds.” My neck feels tense as I consider all the space occupied by the word “Work.” But, Danielle suggests I de-stress by finding a way to be as balanced as I can be—while I'm at work. . . as well as in the other areas of life. Good point. I want to experience simplicity, connectedness, freedom, and creativity wherever I am. Interesting.

I might even be able to look at a calendar that lets me do that. I'll mess around with that tomorrow.

What are your Top Six? Leave us a comment. . . and your favorite links.

Let micromovements change your life

  

photo courtesy of Flickr's Creative Commons 

Rather than plunge into improving our lives with the wrath of Brunhilda, choose micromovements --something personal, such as those suggested by Planet SARK , or global as suggested in the Small Act Network. And. . .share your ideas with friends. Like us.

My friend Jen and I discovered when we created our own incremental changes in small blocks of time, lightness started to become a state of mind. . . rather than a number on the scale or a deluge of perfect expectations. Think in terms of 7 minutes. Be gentle, but effective. Pick a few areas of your life, and let us know what worked for you. We need inspiration too. Let it go. . . .

• Want to lose weight? Grab 7 fresh strawberries instead of a cookie.

• Want to get in better shape? Walk for 7 minutes at lunch hour. (Option: partner with a friend.)

• Want to improve your mind and your career? Skim 1 magazine article or online story. (Check out Suite 101 for lots of short, practical articles.)

• Want to make space for spirituality? Take 7 deep, slow breaths and meditate on a simple, focused phrase---several times a day.

• Want to increase your generosity? Give away 1 item today--book, music, magazines, shirt, etc. or . . . collect 1 item each day of the week and put it in a bag. Bring it to the thrift store on Saturday.

• Want to reduce clutter? Get rid of 1 box of stuff you're not using (such as college lecture notes or inactive client files).

• Want better relationships? Spend 7 extra minutes really listening to someone.

• Want to be more effective professionally? Choose 1 simple action to move you closer to one of your top priorities.

What 3 micromovements did you make TODAY?