Lessons from the Lamp Post: Lesson 394: Leaning Left

Snow has finally arrived in Erie, Readers!

Eloise is in the Christmas spirit tonight,

despite the fact that she is leaning a little toward the left this week.

Now don't get your Santa boxers all in a bunch.

This is not a political post about the circus of American politics.

How I vote is none of your concern.

I'm not a fan of heated political discussions at Christmas parties.

But I am a fan of info-graphics!

I found this one when researching the leftness

and rightness of governments for school.

Try explaining the intricacies of governments to inquisitive elementary school students.

Eloise is leaning a little to the left because she tweaked her back in

a gift wrapping accident, deemed the Scotch Tape Incident.

I was wrapping my last gift on the cold garage floor at 11:00 at night.

I lost the #^@&$% tape for the hundredth time,

and was too lazy to stand up to look.

I did a crazy contortion with a McTwist,

and POP!

It took a couple of minutes to get off of the floor.

With some caring hands and lots of back rubs,

I'm on the mend.

It now only hurts when I sneeze.

Lessons Learned:

#1--Stand up and look for the tape!

#2--I sneeze more often than I thought.

Even my yard deer gave me forewarning and I was too stupid to pick up the sign.

The Momma Deer has a nice lean to the left.

We're always looking for ways to spread the light at the Lamp Post.

I'll share this beautiful display of light my neighbor Bart snapped this week.

He owns 6 Mile Cellars Winery across the street from the Lamp Post.

Their little Grapelet was born a couple of weeks ago.

Lean into the love.

It's hard to believe the boy I babysat is all grown up

and has a baby boy of his own now.

My lean to the left has not allowed for jogs or workouts this week,

but I have taken some leisurely walks in the woods.

The trails were covered with leaves, not snow

and it was warm enough for Josie to swim in the pond!

If you hike the trails of the Harborcreek Community Park,

don't forget to look for your ornament.

They can be found on the east trail,

just beyond the Boy Scout bridge.

Fellow blogger Heather found hers last weekend,

and left us all an added surprise.

She added some angels of her own!

Make sure you take one of those, too!

While you are looking for the ornaments,

if you stumble across this E that someone made for me,

let me know.

I've been to three parks looking and I still can't find it.

I'm glad my spine was straight for the Barber Ball last Saturday,

or I wouldn't have been able to put on my glass slippers

and dance the night away.

It was lots of fun.

Christmas celebrations have started,

and holiday preparations are in full swing at the Lamp Post.

Left and right,

we are using lots of tape.

Sam shopped for all of us at the Clark School Jingle Bell Shop.

He purchased $50 worth of the highest quality

Taiwanese merchandise the store had to offer.

He wrapped them all himself.

I can't wait to see what he got my sister that is round.

Sister Kenyan gets to open lots of gifts this week.

It is her birthday today!

Sibling relationships are special,

and every single one is different.

Take for example the case of my students TR and Elyse.

I get asked lots of odd requests in my job as the Enrichment Teacher for our school district.

This brother-sister combo---only one grade level apart,

asked me this question via written essays:

Who has the right to the Baumann 8 jersey?

They are on the same co-ed soccer team,

and get to pick their jersey number.

After hours of bickering, a clever Momma left it up to Mrs. Eloise to decide.

A teacher herself, Momma Baumann instructed the children to write their

arguments in essay form, and bring them to school to allow someone impartial to judge.

TR, the elder of the pair made several valid arguments as to why he should wear the jersey.

1. It's traditionally been his number

2. He is the oldest in his family and his birthright is the #8

Elyse, of course

thought the arguments were redeculess!

After Elyse's strong comments and a reread,

she thought it appropriate to apologize for not indenting.

The passion to prove her point overshadowed the need for moving five spaces in.

TR diplomatically stated, "I would love for Elyse to have the jersey if I wasn't on the team."

Elyse countered that she has true right to choose first because it was, in fact,

HER team first.

The kids told me I was to base my answer on who wrote the best essay.

I cannot judge on the grammar and mechanics of the essay,

as TR has a one year lead on Elyse, and that would be unfair.

Instead I will have to make my ruling upon based on argument

and offer some solutions to this problem.

Judge Eloise has decided that I feel it is within TR's right to request the #8,

and call first dibs

There are some things that first-borns get the chance to claim,

and in this instance,

could go to TR without argument.

However, just because it should,

doesn't mean that it has to.

Compromises can always be determined.

Here are a few of Judge Eloise's suggestions:

1. Is this co-ed soccer opportunity available for many years? If so, perhaps TR could wear the Baumann #8 this season, and Elyse could wear it the next.

2. Elyse--you are a creative girl. Is there a way you can include the #8 on your jersey by making it part of your number---like #28--the SECOND Baumann in your family to wear #8?

3. If you cut an 8 in half, lengthwise down the middle, and flipped the left side section upside down, you'd have the #33--and that is my favorite number because it represents many good things in the universe. 33 is a great jersey number!

You can push and shove over #8 with the back and forth banter that all healthy brother-sister relationships have. That is completely normal and good for you.

Instead of always pushing against one another though, for a change try pushing together. Give that #8 a big shove to the left. After it leans and teeters, one more nudge will make it fall flat on its side. And you know what you get then? This: