Minda Goes West

When I was young, my dad was a celebrity in our town. People said hi to him everywhere we went, and if we were out without him and someone learned he was my father, they often expressed envy. He'd even had his picture in the paper.  He was The Science Teacher with the Snakes.  (Photo of my dad in his early 30s, holding a boa constrictor with one hand and a baby with the other. The baby is reaching a hand toward the snake's head.) He was also--I suspect from the stories I heard and one memorable day where I hung out in his classroom after kindergarten--the sort of strict-but-entertaining-and-fair teacher I loved most, although I never attended a school where he taught.  Adult former students and parents of students greeted him cheerfully. Current and recent students said hi, but seemed stunned that teachers existed outside of school, which my siblings and I found highly amusing.  One of the things I appreciated most about my dad was that he was remarkably unconcerned ...

My sister, Kristi, introduced me to the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop several years ago, and she and my mom are both regular participants and current co-hosts (with others). I am not a regular participant because A) I post very infrequently, and B) I often have snarky or not-particularly thankful things I want to post about. But the blog hop is celebrating its seventh birthday this week, so I decided to join in this week. Of course, this week has been a tough week in a tough year, and so this list will reflect that. 1. I am thankful for the protests. Do I worry about large groups of people, many not wearing masks, increasing the number of COVID-19 cases in my city and potentially slowing down our reopening? Yes. Am I disgruntled by the vandalism and looting in my city? Yes. But I have seen how videos of the protests are changing the hearts and minds of some people in my life and making them more aware of the lived experience of others, and so I am thankful.  And some of the prote...