Inspiration: The Wisdom of Fred Rogers

Just because we are technically "too old" to sit down and watch Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" doesn't mean we have to leave that era completely behind. Recently, I saw a documentary on PBS called "Mister Rogers & Me," which tells the simple and affecting story of two brothers who knew him personally and wanted to find out what motivated a man who seemed so good and so driven to make a positive, simple change.

Many of Fred's philosophies and personal nuggets of wisdom are included in the film. One of my favorites keeps coming back up in conversation. It's a reminder to keep in mind how easily we can affect others, and to strive to keep those effects positive: “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”

Here's the documentary's trailer: 

You could buy the film here at the Web site or cross your fingers and hope your local PBS affiliate replays it.


NB: A commenter recently pointed out that if a reader is to judge the contents of this blog, he might guess I am in my mid-60s and retired. I am okay with this.

Five towns in one day!

People have asked Josh and me how we decide where to go and what to visit as we pursue our goal of visiting all the towns in Massachusetts. Sometimes we have a particular place in mind that brings us to a particular town, but lately we've just been looking at a map and picking a route that would allow us to hit several towns in one area. Last weekend we chose to head southwest along the Connecticut border, our main destination being Lake Chaubunagungamaug in Webster, MA. Sometimes that lake name is spelled Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaug and has been cited as one of the longest place names in the world. You can understand why it is more commonly called Webster Lake.

That day we just set out with a road map and decided to see what we found. Our only rule about visiting these towns it that just driving through them doesn't count as "visiting." We have to stop and see something, or at the very least make a small purchase at a store, even if it's just a 7-11. We stopped in Uxbridge first and walked through a deserted town center. The hot dog place? Closed. Gift shop? Closed? We settled on gawking at the town hall and checking out the old jail windows in its basement.

From there, we went to Douglas where we stopped in at a flea market and took a look through costume jewelery, old tools and coin collections. In Dudley, we drove through the Nichols College campus and wondered what it must be like to go to college in such a small, rural town.We drove around Webster looking for Lake Street, and drove around the edge of the water, which was dotted with speed boats out for Memorial Day weekend. We ate at Waterfront Mary's, a burger and sandwich place and debated the merits of summer recreation vs. winter. We started to head home, but not before stopping in Oxford, an adorable old-fashioned town with tree-lined streets and plenty of park space. We strolled through the cemetery in the town center, which remained rather undecorated considering the holiday weekend.

This was one of our favorite days so far in the expedition because our only task was to get to the lake, and everything else along the way was a surprise. We broke our record with five towns in one day and brought our total towns visited to 30. We're gonna hit 10 percent soon and you're all going to want to throw us a party.

Things I learned while substitute teaching

After I came back from Panama, I needed to find something quick, local and flexible while I prepared for months of job searching. Substitute teaching felt like a natural step after all the education I did during Peace Corps, so I went for it. Full-time employment has descended from the clouds and into my hands, so I am leaving my school days behind for now, but I did learn a few lessons along the way.

1. Middle schoolers can actually be pleasant people. Do you remember middle school? Because I was a rather manipulative, cranky, self-loathing little pre-teen and I remember spending entire days thinking THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING TO ME. And mostly "this" just meant sitting in a classroom with my peers, but somehow it seemed totally unfair at the time.

 I had no particular memories of substitute teachers, or really what I did in a day, which is why I expected the classrooms I subbed in to be filled with 25 versions of my middle-school self. Well, guess what! Middle schoolers were the easiest age group for me to manage. They were polite, self-directed and generally didn't give me any guff. One boy even was so kind as to warn me that he was going to get a knife that he was using for a project. He wanted me to know so I wouldn't be alarmed when I looked up to see a young person wielding a weapon. What a dear, thoughtful little lamb.

2. Slacks are your friend. A 24-year-old working in the high school could blend in pretty easily with the student body. So, in order to avoid confusion, I dressed as professionally as possible and I think for the most part, I fooled them into thinking I was a proper grown-up.

3. You are powerless, but have to spend all day pretending otherwise.  As a substitute teacher, you are confronted with the fact that you can't make anyone do anything, and all hell could break loose at any moment and you may or may not have a clue what to do about it. Well it's a good thing I got my associate's degree in Faking It Til You're Making It, because for the most part, acting like you're in charge generally means you are.


4. Teachers are awesome. I already knew this, and have always been something of a teacher's pet, but working alongside them as an adult made it all the more obvious how hardworking and dedicated they are in conditions most people would be unwilling to put up with. They love their students and talk about them all the time, and talk about how to improve things in the classroom so the kid get more out of it. Teachers I had were so happy to see me again, even ones I never thought would remember me. They've got big, open hearts and great memories, so stop by to say hi and thank one if you ever get a chance.

5. You will disappoint children in the same way adults once disappointed you. Kaylie called Abby a name, and Caleb won't let Matt play with him at recess. These are major crises for young children, and in that moment, it's obvious they are just barely holding themselves together in the face of such wicked injustice. What they really want to be doing is trashing a hotel room in a blind rage, or writing cruel taunt in permanent marker on the forehead of their bully.

But, as an adult, there's just not time to deal with these things all the time, and even if there were, what do you say? Veteran teachers have answers, but I, a cheap, inexperienced day laborer, was often left muttering, "Um...that's not nice but maybe you can find something else to do...?" The baleful looks of the third graders on the receiving end of such useful advice sent the message loud and clear. Miss Basham has no clue.

And really? They were so right.

Ashland, Hopkinton, Sherborn

People are so happy to be at Ashland State Park, everyone greets each other with a smile or a wave. The 470-property contains a 157-acre reservoir, camp grounds, a beach, picnic tables and several walking trails. We walked the 2-ish mile loop around the water  passing through wide woods trails and a straight sunny path passing over the reservoir's dam.

After that, we scratched Hopkinton off the list, stopping in at Weston nurseries. They were hosting a crafts fair and we browsed booths of handmade soaps, breads, jewelery and art. When it's not hosting events, this nursery is one of the state's go-to destinations for flowers and trees. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has also asked me to tell you that May is Flower and Nursery month and also that he is launching a Plant Something campaign. So, you know, go put some pansies in a window box or something.

After that we headed to C+L Frosty's, an old school burger and ice cream place in Sherborn. Sherborn is known for its snotty attitude love for historic, pleasing-to-the-eye commercial areas, and this place fits right in as an adorable, old school alternative to another BK or Mickey D's. We shared a burger platter--two cheese burgers, fries and a soda for $9.95. Good food, but this place is more remarkable for what it represents. This is where you take someone for a cute summer date, or a kids soccer team after the big win. I like to go here and pretend it's the 50s while I sip a raspberry lime rickey on the picnic tables outside and discuss date options for the sockhop.

And with these three towns, we reach 24, which for the dozens of you tracking our progress at home represents 6.8 percent of the total towns in Massachusetts.That's a really impressive amount, I know, and it's about to become even more impressive with spring and summer weather upon us. In case you can't tell, I am still competitive and feel the need to trash talk even though Josh and I are in competition with no one. EXCEPT THE TICKING HANDS OF FATHER TIME. Except not even that really. What? This post has come to an end.

Linkfest

As the blog gets back up and running, it's time to reboot some of its old features. Today I bring you Linkfest, where I share some of the favorite things I've come across lately as I wander the web.

The Huffington Post wrote a rather obnoxious article recently called "Turning 30: 30  Things Every Woman Should Have and Know." A Boston blogger called their list "oudated, sexist, heterosexist [and] materialistic" and wrote her own, much better, version. Read it here.

Anyone who listens to Radiolab probably wants to be friends with Jad Abumrad and/or Robert Krulwich in the worst kind of way. While I love both men with a magnitude that is inappropriate for strangers, I am most endlessly enchanted by Krulwich's voice and his childlike curiosity about humans, science and how the two fit together. He keeps a blog which sometimes overlaps with the show's content, but generally features any cool, science- y things my fake friend Robert comes across. Here are two of my favorite recent posts. This one, "Books So Good You Want To Become Them" features the Best Animated Short from last year and is a must-see for book lovers everywhere. Or take a look at this one, where a high school math genius explains why stars are the coolest.

I worked on a cookstove project in Panama, so it's interesting to read about a new study highlighting the challenges of promoting them in the developing world.

And now for something more materialistic, I love this blog Frugal Fashionistas. I'm still a bit challenged when it comes to putting an outfit together, but this blog shows you budget alternatives for celebrity outfits, piece by piece.