Share Your World, September 28, 2020

Where do you feel most at home?  Please be more specific than “at home, doh” please. It could be a room in your home, a person, a location…    

I feel most at home in nature or in a garden. When I am walking through the forest or on a path, with birds singing, I feel as though I am one with the planet, and I repeatedly say, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof, the earth and all that dwell on it.” I just feel connected to the birds, trees, any ponds or lakes, and I realize that humans are not supreme, we are just part of the tapestry, created by the same Creator. It humbles me greatly!

Would you rather ride a bike, ride a horse, or drive a car? 

I never learned to ride a bike and I have never rode a horse, not even been within ten feet of one. I learned to drive for my 50th birthday, and I am a reasonably  good driver. But, when I see the bikers pass us on the trail when we are walking, I wish that I could ride a bike. , I could join Douglas when he rides his bike. But, with two back surgeries already, I just can’t take the chance on falling. So, walking is my best bet!

What song would you sing on “Karoke Night” (if you were forced to do so)?    

I’ve Had the Time of my Life, by Bill Medley and JenniferWarnes. When I have a dark day and depression tries to weigh me down, I put on this song, and I start to dance. Joy feel my soul at the thought of the power of love to heal us and free us. It’s just a joyful song, with slow parts and fast parts. Whenever I hear it, I end up laughing from my belly as I dance away all of my fears and frets. It is so freeing!

University or life experience, which do you feel best prepares you for life?  

A great question for a retired professor, who didn’t start college until age 36. I will tell you that I believe that life experience allows students to do better in college. It is the non-traditional students who made teaching Sociology so interesting, because their experiences and testimonies really helped the younger students “see” the world, and helped them realize that there are more ways to see the world than one and to always question “knowledge in books.”

Also, not everybody should go to college, and I have found that I prefer to be around people with Ph.D’s earned through suffering and surviving what seems impossible to get through. They are humble, because they have come to understand that this life is not as black and white as books make us believe. People who depend on just book knowledge are in for a rude awakening! But, as a teacher, seeing the light go on in their minds is so rewarding!

IT’S AN ATTITUDE – GRATITUDE!  (Participation Always Optional Of Course)

What are you grateful for?

I am grateful for the success of my children, that they are all capable of taking care of themselves and their children. I thank God for blessing them so graciously. I am thankful to be loved and to have a wonderful husband t share the last years of my life.

Written for Share Your World from Sparks from a Combustible Mind. Great questions to answer.