Sunday, December 4, 2011

Three Beautiful Things 11/29/11: Bigger than School, Imagining Soup, Comfort Soup

1.  I tried to explain to my WR 121 students how the work we've been doing is bigger than school.  Yes, they earn credits and grades along the way, but to explore age old questions like happiness and reconciliation is to enter into a realm of thinking that goes way beyond earning credits, earning grades, or writing assignments.  A few students voiced agreement.  I wish they could see the whole of their education this way.  Plenty of pressures in their lives make seeing studies this way very difficult, though.

2.  Sometime this morning, maybe while driving to school, I began to imagine a beef barley soup.  I began to long for it.  I decided I'd make one up and see if it worked.  I imagined beef pieces, browned with Montreal seasoning, beef broth in a box, mushrooms, onions,barley, and thyme, and so I browned the meat, sauteed the onions and mushrooms, and put it all together and slow cooked it.  Later, I fixed the barley and dumped the pearls into the soup.  I'd also imagined thick crusted bread and bought a loaf and it all came out great and the Deke and Samantha and I had a wonderful soup and bread dinner together.

3.  I was feeling physically and psychologically worn down by the end of the quarter and this soup relaxed me with its thick flavors and comforting warmth.  It soothed me and inspired me to go to sleep early again.

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