The Plunge Down Under

Back to School, Me Included

It's that time of year again.  For most North American parents the end of August means an end of one season and the beginning of another.  Lazy mornings, mid-morning smoothies, afternoon trips to the pool, and late evening strolls are over.  Instead we will be making lunches, overseeing homework and enforcing early bedtimes.  The mood in our house has varied greatly from one individual to the next.  When I suggested a shopping trip to buy clothes and supplies last week, each of our four children displayed a different reaction.  If you know them at all, you can probably guess which description applies to which kid.

Child number one was ready to hop in the car and go shopping immediately in spite of the fact that she has had her backpack ready to go since mid-July. Her back-to-shool shopping, in fact, began at some point in June, approximately one week after school let out. She has binders with color coded dividers for every class.  Outfits are organized on brand-new hangers, pencils are sharpened, and her locker is decorated and filled with supplies.  The first day of classes can't come soon enough.

Summer from my Phone

Love them or hate them, smartphones contain amazing cameras.   Here are a few moments that have ended up on my phone this summer--most of them taken by me, but others texted to me by family and friends.  

His dad said "Yes" to Fairy Floss--He knew which parent to ask.

Summer Reads

 

This summer for me has been a summer of books.  I had the goal of writing up book reviews for all of the books on my current reading list, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon.  Instead, here is a list of the books I have read lately, each with a short blurb.

 Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.  

I may well have strained the bonds of several relationships by talking about this book too much.  It sat on my kindle for many months before I was motivated enough to start reading it, but once I did, I was hooked.  After establishing a working definition of introversion, Cain explains how American culture changed from valuing character in the 19th Century to favoring personality in the 20th.  This has given extroverts a clear advantage in recent decades.  Cain examines environments such as school rooms, corporate offices, evangelical churches, motivational conferences and the Harvard Business School, just to name a few, showing how most reward extroverts over introverts.  She then deftly demonstrates what we as a culture have lost by failing to recognize the contributions of introverts.  The book finishes with advice for both introverts and the extroverts seeking to understand them.

A Canadian Summer

Loons calling, petals waving, fish nibbling, children casting, lake water lapping, branches sighing, grandparents smiling, wisteria climbing, berries ripening, cousins squealing, wood stacking, oars dipping, bald eagle swooping, marshmallows roasting, sun sinking, twilight lingering, flowers glowing, rocks gleaming, flies biting, stars blinking.