Good Morning

I must have done something right. This day welcomed me with a multitude of good experiences. Driving into town, the sky was illuminated deep pink as the sun gently nudged the darkness off of the horizon. Rolling down the country path, my four year old described the horses she saw eating their breakfast of hay. She looked at the rolling road ahead.

Turning toward me, she said, "You know, the earth is in space."
"That's true," I affirmed.
"And if we are driving on the earth, [pause] then in fact, we are driving in space."
"That's true," I affirmed. Thinking of the abstractness of her thoughts, I was amazed. "Good thinking, Ev!" I assured her.

After delivering her to daycare/preschool, I ventured toward Clearbrook-Gonvick High School, just outside of Clearbrook. I had the pleasure of judging the Poetry Out Loud contest which students in Vanessa Pulkabrek's class were required to enlist in. Today's contest was the city level, which is a stepping stone for 2 students who will advance on to the regional, state, and national competitions (hopefully).

The contest consisted of each student reciting a poem of their choice. The students gussied up to perform the chosen poems with dignity towards themselves, their audience, and the original authors of the works. How refreshing to hear high school students performing poetry. These kids had truly learned the meaning of the poems. They brought them to life. What a treat. Poetry is life, distilled. Teenagers drinking up such an elixir is magical.

So, I am thankful that the sun still dyes the sky at dawn, that young children allow their senses to be saturated and still think far beyond the concrete world they live in, and that teenagers can find the simple peace and universal understanding in poetry. Good day.