It's Friday, the birds are singing, it's humid, warm and everything is blooming!!! I love it! I'm so sick of winter that I was about ready to come undone! It's so nice to be able to sit outside on the deck and enjoy life! I was watching a bird in the road this morning and it reminded me of a story that takes me back to 1st grade!
In 1st grade, our playground had several big trees on it. The big roots had grown up out of the earth and made great places for little bodies to sit and talk! On this particular day, I was sitting on one of the roots talking to Gretchen McWilliams when PLOP!!! I felt something wet and warm hit my head. I reached up and there was something gooey in my hair and on my fingers...it was...black...and white....and gross...."SICK!" A bird from up in the tree tops had just shit in my hair! I went to the teacher on playground duty and she sent me inside to have another teacher help me out. So, I begrudgingly, gave up the rest of my recess time to go inside and have the poop cleaned out of my hair. I timidly walked into the center room where the teachers all gathered on their breaks. They were all sitting at the table talking and drinking their coffee and I felt like I was interrupting some kind of private ritual. Of course, I didn't think in those terms as a kid, but those are the feelings I remember having. The teacher that cleaned it out was from the "older class". You know, the 2nd graders! She was Mrs. Eunice Oliver, who incidentally, is my best friend's aunt! I can remember standing in the bathroom with her as she used wet paper towels to clean it out of my locks...laughing the entire time....that made me feel much better about the situation, because she made it funny instead of weird. When I got home that day and told Mom what had happened...she just laughed...and immediately washed my hair! There's some kind of profound lesson in here somewhere, I'm sure...but the only thing I can think of is: Being a music educator is much like being a 1st grader...I have to deal with shit and it's usually on my free time!
In 1st grade, our playground had several big trees on it. The big roots had grown up out of the earth and made great places for little bodies to sit and talk! On this particular day, I was sitting on one of the roots talking to Gretchen McWilliams when PLOP!!! I felt something wet and warm hit my head. I reached up and there was something gooey in my hair and on my fingers...it was...black...and white....and gross...."SICK!" A bird from up in the tree tops had just shit in my hair! I went to the teacher on playground duty and she sent me inside to have another teacher help me out. So, I begrudgingly, gave up the rest of my recess time to go inside and have the poop cleaned out of my hair. I timidly walked into the center room where the teachers all gathered on their breaks. They were all sitting at the table talking and drinking their coffee and I felt like I was interrupting some kind of private ritual. Of course, I didn't think in those terms as a kid, but those are the feelings I remember having. The teacher that cleaned it out was from the "older class". You know, the 2nd graders! She was Mrs. Eunice Oliver, who incidentally, is my best friend's aunt! I can remember standing in the bathroom with her as she used wet paper towels to clean it out of my locks...laughing the entire time....that made me feel much better about the situation, because she made it funny instead of weird. When I got home that day and told Mom what had happened...she just laughed...and immediately washed my hair! There's some kind of profound lesson in here somewhere, I'm sure...but the only thing I can think of is: Being a music educator is much like being a 1st grader...I have to deal with shit and it's usually on my free time!
No comments:
Post a Comment