Make It Sweet

William Whelen Biddle died early this morning, sleeping peacefully with Barbara at his side. He’s being cremated and there will be a memorial service in July (details TBD – stay tuned).

In the past few days Pops condition changed quickly – he went from being engaged and dynamic to more restful. The Kline Galland hospice staff refer to this as “transitioning” and in hindsight I think that’s exactly what it was. He was alert to the end but he had stopped really talking. He was transitioning.

At about 6pm yesterday I read Pops the New York Times and told him stories about work and the weekend we spent at Creekstone. He went to sleep at about 730 and never woke up again.

A wise and funny family member said “he woke up dead”, a saying I now love. I’m happy he’s no longer in pain nor discomfort, but I already miss him.

Life is short. It’s up to us to make it sweet. Hug your kids. Call your parents. Txt yer peeps. Love your friends.

Make it sweet.

Why aren’t more teachers crazy?

I think that most teachers aren’t insane and depressed because there simply is no time. Every day brings a new set of challenges – every day is “small very present doses”.  Sure many may be the same as last weeks or last years, but a few of them aren’t, and even if they are, they are so very human, and as such are constant and changing enough to require cleverness, and required cleverness is a charm against depression. Postal work is constant and requires no cleverness – today’s “small very present doses” are EXACTLY the same as yesterdays. Teaching is different in the ways that matter most. By the time you have actually figured it ALL out – by the time you could just run standard protocols for every single event – you will be wizened and wise and beyond insanity and depression, and well into eccentricity.