October 1, 2012

Ironies and coincidences (if there be such a thing...) abound.  I stopped at a Starbucks in Brunswick, GA to get a coffee and a bite to eat.  A couple of really weird things happened to me there...  First, I used a gift card that I had gotten last Christmas from one of my students, Sam Moore.  To be fair, many of my students gave me gift cards for coffee - both Starbux and CBTL, but this particular card has Sam's signature on it and a note that says, "Hope you have a wonderful happy break!"  (Did I mention I love my students?)

I ordered my usual, which is a Grande Soy Hazelnut Latte (stop snickering!), and a Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake.  I handed the barista my card and waited for her to tell me that the card does not have a sufficient balance to cover the purchase.  (Why am I forever carrying cards with no balance on them in my wallet?)  She paused, and I had my wallet open; poised to cover the inevitable shortfall...  She looked puzzled, handed me the receipt, and we both reacted the same way...  The card covered exactly the balance owed of $7.31 and not a penny more.  The remaining balance was ZERO.  She said, "That never happens.  I had to look twice at that."  I have no idea what this means, but I wonder if it's part of a zero sum gain in energy between teacher and student?  If you recall in my last post, I mentioned that I feel like I put out more energy in my classes than I expect students to spend in return.  Clearly, I'm not the kind of person or teacher who would be comfortable asking students to kill themselves to excel in my class, but I am killing MYSELF trying to help them learn...  Like the Starbucks transaction, shouldn't their be an equilibrium in this equation? 

I am still sorting through this and reading the Celestine Prophecy and it's focus on the give-and-take of energy from one person to the other, so this is a work in process.  Hey, I've got another 4000 miles to go to figure it out (and a lifetime after the trip...).

Today's song was "All Things Must Pass" by George Harrison.  I really don't know the lyrics; I just kept repeating the refrain, "All things must pass; all things must pass away..."

Perhaps I was just reminding myself of my own mortality?

Very tired now.  Riding.  Eating.  Drinking.  Blogging.  I'll leave you with one final set of observations from the road:

- South Carolina had the most people riding in the bed of pickup trucks.

- Florida panhandle area had the most people hanging out in front of gas stations

Not sure what any of that means, nor I am trying to figure it out...  All things must pass....

Good night, all.