Family Literacy Day

Pain and an infection have kept me from sleeping well for several days, so I am a bit fuzzy and bleary-eyed lately, but I can't blame that for last night's lack of shut eye. No, I have to 'fess up.  It was a book that would not allow me to close my eyes until 2 a.m. 

Fitting then, to learn that today is Family Literacy Day.  According to ABC Life Literacy Canada's website, Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative created to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.  To mark the day, we are encouraged to engage in some kind of literacy activity with people we love today, whether that is learning something new together, playing a game, or simply reading time.

Reading our respective books has provided beautiful quiet time together in our home over the years, but reading aloud has been provided some of our best family moments:  tears in my eyes and choking out the words while reading the battle of Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange; not being able to get through the passage where Beth dies; the look on my son's face when we learned the meaning of Ender's final battle scene; feeling compelled to stop and re-read parts of alarming beauty between Atticus, Scout, and Jem. 

To mark Family Literacy Day, I offer my top 10 list of beautiful books to read out loud:

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
3. Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel
4. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
5. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
6. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
7. The Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osbourne
8. Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park
9. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
10. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

This list, of course, could be a lot longer.  What are your favourites?

wishing you a beautiful day of celebrating literacy in your own way,
hk

How are you?

Everyone in the part of the world I live in asks it: "How are you?"

This question is so much a part of our culture that most of us ask this several times a day without even thinking. Around here, even the faceless voice taking my coffee order in the drive-through asks it. And we don't normally answer honestly. We say something like, "Fine. You?"  

This essay is not going to delve into the origins of "How are you?" nor will it offer a cultural explanation for why this question is such a systemic part of our language, but I have to say that of all the things that could and should bug me, "How are you?" nears the top of my list. Perhaps this is because most days, due to the reality that I live with a complicated body which then tends to complicate my life, I can't answer in an honest way. No one really wants to know, or so I tend to believe, how I *really* am. Certainly not the person taking my coffee order. I realize that we don't intend to be insincere.  We don't mean to be superficial.  Of course we don't. People are generally beautiful beings, after all.

My pragmatic husband would say that we do not have room in our day for every single conversation and expression to be deep and meaningful. He's probably right. We're busy. There is always a lot going on. Furthermore, I am not saying that we should stop saying it. What I am suggesting is that we pay more attention to these words that so easily roll off our tongues, that we ask with genuine concern more often, and that when we do, we lean in and listen. That's when I believe something beautiful might just happen.

wishing you the beauty of meaningful interaction...at least some of the time,
hk

The Beauty of Slowing Down

 Time is the coin of your life.  

It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.  

~ Carl Sandberg

If you are a regular reader of this blog (and I thank you if you are), then you might have noticed that I have not written in a few weeks. The reason is not writer's block or depression or that I have given up on finding beauty every day. It is, very simply, that I have been busy. There was Christmas, a notable anniversary in my family, projects with strict deadlines to finish, health concerns that needed my attention, and kid's activities. You know, busy stuff.

At first I was anxious when I realized so much time was passing where I was not writing any blog posts, but I also realized that feeling anxious about it did not serve me well at all and I then decided to just give myself a break.  After all, I wrote 80 + essays last year.

Those 80+ essays have reached so many people and helped me remember why I love the Internet. I love having readers from every continent and I enjoy Facebook for keeping the relationships I would otherwise have difficulty maintaining. Sometimes though, the Internet moves too fast for me. I have yet to "get" Twitter - the play by play action makes me weary. It just seems to yell at me to hurry up! catch up! go faster!

I think many people with mobility disabilities have issues with time and the "normal" pace of life.  It takes us longer to get things done and we use more energy in the extra time to get those things done.  It is often tough for us to hurry up, catch up, and go faster in many daily activities, from getting in and out of a vehicle to using the bathroom.

It is probably no coincidence then, how I tend to appreciate show things.  Like bread that takes the better part of a day to properly rise twice and braised ribs that require hours to become fall apart tender.  Like writing and receiving a hand written letter instead of a text to the time it takes to think about a response to a question instead of answering right away. Like sitting around a table with friends and sharing a leisurely meal and listening to an entire LP - an actual concept album that tells a story.

Thank you for being patient with me while I took a little time out.

wishing you the discovery of finding beauty while slowing down,
hk