Tuesday, May 12, 2009

on time and peonies

peonies seem to be everyone's favorite. they have all the characteristics of a flamboyant friend who visits once a year (bigger than life, brightly-colored, gone while we're still enjoying their company). we always anticipate the visit and delight in every single knock-your-socks-off second of it.

this year, they seem to have arrived early. I can relate and appreciate; I too am an early girl. ken and I we're just having a discussion the other day about telling time and analog clocks (we have the strangest discussions sitting outside at night!). it was part of a larger discussion about the digital generation (our students) and what we feel they are gaining and losing. anyhoo, I vividly recalled the moment as a child that I "got" the clock and learned to tell time. it was the very first sensation I had of control. I now had a tool that would help me have some control over my own life. I had the power to organize some chaos. that's huge. ever since then, I have been a time and schedule fanatic. I am almost always early and chronic lateness is one of my pet peeves.

what about you? is the clock your friend or foe?

I hope you have peonies exploding around you too.

{p.s. look closely at the flower, it has a friend holding on under the petal.}