My TCK

I read this yesterday and it got me thinking about my own TCK. This is to her, at the age of five and a half…

You know the Lebanese National Anthem, but have no clue as to any line of the Pledge of Allegiance.

An airplane flight isn't long until it is more than nine hours.

In a new place you start to put toilet paper in the garbage can and then ask, just to be sure, what you should do with it.

You expect to be able to talk a price down for something you really want, especially if you are paying for it yourself.

Doing errands that end without at least one nibble of something from a shopkeeper is a strange outing.

You understand the rules of the road and can distinguish between when the rules have to be followed, when they don't, and that which side of the road you're driving on impacts rules about when you can turn. (Yes, you're a back seat driver in the making.)

Your version of "Happy Birthday" has three different languages.

You love adventures, be it for vacation or moving to our next home.

You're still working on which sport people mean when they say 'football', knowing that not everyone is talking about the same thing.

Will It Backfire?

We start "Summertime" (aka Daylight Savings) tonight at midnight. I think I have outsmarted the little one's internal clock.

She had a birthday party this afternoon and they were running and dancing for a good long time. She was tired.

Usually we would have come home and had rest time. Naps no longer happen during rest time, but she does recharge. (Yes, she's an introvert.)

Today I cancelled rest and changed the clocks ahead upon arriving home.

I feel about ready to succumb to my scheme as well. Tomorrow morning I expect will be fine. Even if she wakes up 'early' she will play quietly in her room, especially since she didn't get the chance today. Tomorrow night could be a challenge. Come Monday morning, and the need to be up and functioning for school, we'll find out if the plan backfired.

Applause, Applause, Applause

I am just as quick as the next person to show my appreciation for a performance I have enjoyed and/or want to show support for what went into the performance. (It could be courage, practice, time, etc.)

Tonight we got to play handbells for a going away party. I LOVE playing bells. It is especially fun when my husband and I get to play duets as the pressure is low and the joy is high - we have fun doing it and others see that joy. I am glad they enjoy it, even a small fraction as much as I do, and I understand showing that appreciation with applause.

However when we play during church I have a completely different reaction to applause. (It really isn't about when I play as I have a hard time with all applause during church, but I am thinking about it tonight because we were asked to play again on Sunday.) Why this dichotomy about applause?

When I play during a worship service I am playing as an act of worship. I am not performing for anyone, therefore I do not feel that applause is the proper response. Shout an "Amen!" if you have to do something to respond, but let's keep it about worship and not about those we are worshiping with.

Your thoughts?

Not The Post I Expected Write When The Day Began

There are great moments of life that poked up here and there during the events of this afternoon, but the fact that it took me four tries to get the beginning of this sentence in the correct word order with English grammar and spelling tells me that I should not attempt to formulate anything deeper than the basics.

My daughter fell off the monkey bars at school today. (Another kid, heading the opposite direction, put their hand where she was expecting to put hers.) She caught her fall with her wrist. There was a sub in my room all afternoon while I was at the ER. There is a bright green cast on my daughter's wrist for the next three weeks (including our Spring Break in Paris).

Thankfully she is not in pain.
Thankfully we have medical care available.
Thankfully the much needed cleaning of her tonight was successful and the double bagged cast stayed dry.
Thankfully I remembered to post a slice.

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

This picture is a slice of many lives. This is such a typical sight in Beirut. I think an entire novel could be made out of the imagined lives that take place in each apartment. What can you dream up?

It’s Friday!

Here in Beirut it is Friday! No, I am not reading my calendar wrong and no, the time difference hasn’t grown exponentially. There is no school tomorrow, therefore it feels like Friday.

The even bigger news is that the holiday tomorrow is a religious holiday recognized by both Christians and Muslims. Yes, it is the ONE thing that is agreed upon by all here in Lebanon. What is the special day? Feast of the Annunciation

For those of you that are still wondering what I am talking about ‘annunciation’ means ‘announcement’. Tomorrow is March 25th, nine months before December 25th. Has the light bulb lit? Tomorrow is the day tradition says the angel Gabriel told Mary she was going to have a baby. Jesus.

The fact that it falls on a Wednesday, the middle of the week more than a week before Spring Break is a wonderful mini-break as we try and hold on for Spring Break itself. I have been looking forward to this week and its two ‘Fridays’ for some time.

Even my daughter declared it to be Friday this morning. For her that means that tomorrow morning, after practicing piano, she gets to use the iPad time she has used by being ready on time so far this week. She came to this conclusion herself and I agreed. Today is Friday after all.

What I Love To Do

This is really about passion, but putting passion in the title made it seem like something it isn’t.

Last night, as I was letting my husband head out to play Ultimate Frisbee, which I enjoy playing as well, I had a revelation.

It’s about passion.

I enjoy Ultimate Frisbee, but I am not going to rearrange life to make it happen. If I end up playing I enjoy it, but I wouldn’t say it is one of my favorite things in the world.

For my husband this is another story. Ultimate Frisbee is his favorite sport. He LOVES to play. He love to teach others to play. He enjoys both encouraging others and a really challenging game. He like the physicality, the strategy, and the disc tossing aspects. Ultimate Frisbee is a passion for him.

For me, it is handbells. My husband enjoys playing, when the opportunity arises. He is even really good, but he isn’t going to rearrange his life to make it happen.

For me, on the other hand, I will do just about anything to get to play handbells. They are my passion. Fortunately I figure out a way to play a few times a year. One day we will own a set ourselves and then I will be able to play even more. (Just the thought is terribly exciting – proof that it’s my passion.)