Today is ball practice at 9:30, a haircut, pay some bills, attend a celebration of life for a wonderful man, and coffee with a friend.
What would Judy do? What would she tell us? Live life to the fullest. Rejoice. Don't wallow in pity. Wake everyday with thanksgiving in your heart. Enjoy the sunrise. Love with abandon. Be happy. Don't take yourself too seriously. Get real. Get over it. It's all good. God makes even the bad good. Things are cracked. That's how light gets in. Learn from your pain, don't react with more pain. There is more than just this life. Smarten yourself up. If it can be changed then change it. If it can't be changed, don't worry about it. Live!
Principal's Message
Do you remember playing catch
before all the snow had melted? Do you
remember ante-i-over, kick the can, 1-2-3 red light, red rover, four square,
hopscotch, riding a bike without 21 gears or shock absorbers, walking to the
store, timing how long you could stay under water, shooting hoops in the
driveway, and playing shinny on the street?
Some children are still doing these unorganized sports.
Some people
go as far as saying we have organized sports to death but I would not go that
far. Organized sports have their place
although they can be expensive, time consuming, and rife with politics. Studies have shown that children involved in
physical activity are less likely to drop out of school, have a child out of
wedlock, or get involved in crime.
Playing sports creates friendships, builds character, and teaches
valuable life lessons. Moreover,
physical activity should lead to a healthy body as well as a healthy
lifestyle. Health Regions have realized
that spending a million on promoting healthy diets and exercise will save our
healthcare system several million on treating respiratory ailments, heart
disease, high cholesterol levels, and a host of other chronic health concerns.
During the
last school year one of our teachers was at a conference and chatted with
Silken Laumann, a Canadian Olympic hero who won a silver medal in the 1996
Summer Olympics. Her message was:
Children (and adults I might add) need to do more than get involved in
organized sports. They need to do a lot
more unorganized physical activity. Indeed, playing unorganized sports such as
road hockey or shinny helps a player become better at organized sports such as
hockey. One of our school goals this year is to involve student leaders in
organizing monthly physical activities as a way of promoting healthy
living. Organizing physical activity
will be a good thing while the activity lasts, but we all need to work at a
greater challenge. We need to organize
unorganized physical activity. I’ve
taught in schools where most of the physical activity was organized. I remember healthy competition, but I also
remember unhealthy competition. There
were complaints about the chosen activity, the reffing, lack of participation,
and the fairness of the teams. When the
organized activities were over, the children wondered what to do. I’ve also taught in schools where children
were given a place to play, things to play with, time to play, and a few ideas.
What I am
asking is for teachers, parents, school community councils, grandparents, and
anyone who loves unorganized physical activity to help our children organize
unorganization. Teach children the games
you loved to play. Play with them. Stock your house with a tennis ball, skipping
rope, soccer ball, basketball, volleyball, football, hockey stick, Frisbee,
toboggan, and dare I say skateboard.
Provide a safe place and lots of time to play. Hide the remote control and let’s get
unorganized.
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