January 2012

January - Full Wolf Moon

This full Moon appeared when wolves howled in hunger outside the villages. It is also known as the Old Moon. To some Native American tribes, this was the Snow Moon, but most applied that name to the next full Moon, in February.

Everyone who has ever known John would say he was funny. He was the life of the party and even at home he had a way of turning everything into fun…it was rare when you would retell a story were he was the one who was aggressive or took a situation to a place that made people uncomfortable. I know he took a few board games very seriously but when people talked about it I don’t remember them thinking it was anything other than a quirk of his. ( but I could be wrong about that) 

Some people (teachers and administrators) thought he just didn't take life seriously but they were so wrong …clearly his teachers just didn’t take the time to get to know him…because when you did you realized that John knew exactly what was important in life and how he was going to get there. In college, he would sit in on many classes at the beginning of the term to determine which ones would benefit him. I have to admit when he told me of this practice I smiled…I thought back to the courses I took in college that I suffered through and thought…God John, you are so clever! He knew what was going to work for him and he did it…and graduated with honors to boot! He “ audited”  courses in photography and wine making or tasting..I can’t remember which…he would just go and sit in…not getting credit for it…just doing it for the pleasure of learning. I once told him he could take any course he wanted but he was on the clock and had to be finished in 4 years, because if I had said anything else he would have taken 8 years to graduate but have several degrees…and that was not happening (now that I write this I wish I had let him stay in school forever..)

I think the best example of how much fun he had in life was when once, in high school, he came home and told me he was starting a new club. He found a teacher who had agreed to supervise, and people had joined. When I asked what the new club was called he told me VAG…and then answered my facial expression with “Video Audio Group mom, get your mind out of the gutter”  The club was to make a video each month and the local cable channel agreed to air it…which did happen…and the videos were hysterical ! The club was disbanded when John and another kid tried to join a " learn to swim group " at the YMCA dressed in goggles, a Speedo, flippers and the blow up things little babies put on their arms to stay afloat (swimmies). The Y didn’t think it was as funny as the rest of us…and the high school agreed with the Y…so the fun was over. I think his reputation with teachers suffered because of this event…and it is a shame because the kids were really learning about technology and how to stage and edit video as well as working within deadlines…real life lessons…ones that may have put them on a path towards an actual job…but that is not the point of my blog…my point is that they had fun doing it and other kids had real fun watching it…so lots of learning happened along with lots of fun…how often does that happen in life?

And that brings me to my thought for this month and maybe for the year. Try to have some fun in life…it makes you happier, more productive and it makes everyone around you happy…what more can you ask of life than that? It was a lesson John taught me that I didn’t even realize until today and I hope that it can become a part of your life too!