Bed making and Skill building

Today, I found myself thinking at a number of different points in my day...what should I write about today? I was seeking connection. I was seeking delighting. I was seeking learning. I was seeking revelation.

Two subjects have come to mind--

1) I really like getting in a made bed at the end of the day. I'm not a religious bed maker. But I wish that I was. Tonight, I had book club at my house. With a bedroom on the main floor of my house, and having people who visit frequently ask for a tour...I always clean up...the whole house. Okay at least the main and the basement...the upstairs is the craft room and craft room's live by different rules of clean. Anyway, as I turned off all the lights of my clean and tidy house and walked into my bedroom...my bed was just so ready for me. I may have made fun of the book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" a few times tonight (I actually really like and often think about various principles from that book) but you know, something that truly brings me joy is my bedroom. I love all the things in it and they all truly bring me joy. From the pictures on the wall, to the nightstand I bought on my first day of living away freshman year of college, to my grandmothers sewing chest (which matches nothing), to the lobster pillow, to the curtains that let the most incredible white light shine through...I love this space. I love the way it makes me feel and I love how it welcomes me to a restful night sleep. Maybe I should make my bed more often if it evokes such strong feelings.

2) Skills. I feel like there are a lot of skills that we tell people to have. We say things like, have a better attitude, eat healthy, lose weight, connect better with your child, "get down on their level." I've always kind of hated phrases like this because while all these things are important we often just expect that people know how to do this or how to find the resources to do it. I've been impressed recently by this multidisciplinary aspects of rehabilitation. I'm not going to go into it all now because, then, we would be on one of Erin's wild soapboxes...but the point of the story is this...

If we don't consider the whole picture, all the barriers, and support participation by addressing both environmental and personal factors, how can we expect change? If we don't teach families what connection with a book and a child and a parent looks like how will they know? If we don't understand that giving them books isn't the solution but actually teaching a skill, which isn't just something all people are able to just "figure out." How will they know? I personally want all parents to be able to have this skill. These are some of my most treasured memories I have with my mom and my brother growing up. She would lay in the middle of her bed with my brother and I on each side. We would each bring a book and she would read. As she would get tired, she'd get the words wrong and I'd correct her. Then, if we were all still awake, and it was the weekend, we'd get to watch some I Dream of Jeannie or Bewitched...classics on Nick at Night's Block Party Summer. Oh the times. But these are treasured times. They're the best times. They are cherished times. Teach the how and the why. The how and the why. Model. Teach. Test. Model. Teach. Test.