Found objects

I found an object this week and kept it. Redeemed it. Saved it. Prevented its being hauled to the landfill and dumped ignominiously into a trash heap. Buried with so much moldering and smoldering refuse. *The object was lying next to a dumpster in an alley near an apartment complex. I walked past it on the way from my work to the Family Dollar store. Also strewn nearby were several old tires and a broken bookcase. *The object was an old mountain bike that someone had cheaply spray painted. Miraculously there was still air in the tires. I got onto the bike and rode it to the store. On the way back I saw three employees from Drug Emporium throwing stuff away in that dumpster. I asked them if the bike was theirs. They said no, that someone had thrown it away. "I'm going to keep it then," I said. "Have fun," one of them replied. And I have. A couple of days ago during my lunch break I rode over to Austin Elementary to check on the progress of the remodeling job. Austin - where I started my teaching career in 1977. * I love bike riding. I ride my bike at home almost every day. I love the forward motion feel of cranking the pedals and experiencing the speed that is faster than running, the wind whistling past your ears, and the tires singing over the pavement. And it is nice now to have a bike here at work that I can take for a spin whenever I want. Also there is a satisfaction, a sweetness, in making use of something that others have rejected. * In the last school paper of my high school senior year the staff made predictions for all of the seniors; predictions as to what each person would be doing ten years from now. For me they said "Kregg will still be riding his bike." They predicted well, because 34 years later it is still true.

Modified prayer

My mom died two years ago today. For a year after her death I found that I was still in the habit of praying for her, even though she no longer needed my prayers. I would, out of habit, start a prayer: “Lord, please bless and watch over my mom…” and then would remember that she is no longer here and thus no longer in need of such prayers; and so now I modify the prayer from one of supplication to one of thanksgiving. “Lord, thank you for my mom. Thank you that my life was enriched by her presence. Please take care of her there in heaven. Thank you that she is happy and is living without pain.” * My mother led a difficult life and was often in need of prayers. (Who among us is not?) She was an interesting and caring person. I miss her, but I am glad she is with her family.

Longboard

I purchased a new skateboard over the weekend. Got it at a local bike/skate shop where one of my students works. It's called a longboard, and unlike most skateboards it is designed specifically for riding in the streets. It stands about waist high and has wider trucks and softer wheels than a traditional skateboard. (For you non-skaters "trucks" are the metal apparatus which attach the axels and wheels to the board.) It is a far cry from the skateboard I had when I was ten, which was a metal skate nailed to a two by four. Saturday evening I rode the board for about an hour up around ACU and let me tell you - it's pretty sweet. * I realize some people may worry that I am having a mid-life crisis, but there is no cause for concern. A mid-life crisis is where tell your boss to shove it and then you buy a convertable and hit the road. This longboard is just another way I have found for having fun and getting a little exercise.