Don't call it financial aid if you're not helping anyone with it

I had plans for a different blog post today... But after finding this on Pinterest I couldn't help but share.  The slam poet is Carvens Lissaint - and I've decided that the rest of my day will be dedicated to finding more of his performances. 

Although he uses his Haitian heritage and ancestor's ensalvement as a focus in the poem there is an underlying truth that the majority of post-secondary students can relate to.

Six things I've learned from gnomes

The end of the school year means the beginning of money making for University students.  I am insanely blessed to have a job that I've been working at since May of 2010 - including a year of full time of employment between high school and university.  This job is not glamorous.  It does not pay the big bucks.  There is no air conditioning. Other than the two bosses there are only two current employees who have worked there longer than me.  But I get at least full time hours every single week.  My boss is like a mother to me. The ratio of inside : outside time is perfect - not too much sun, but I'm not stuck inside on a beautiful summer's day. And I get to sell things to customers, carry heavy things (hello muscles!), and the best part of my job is painting.

I am no artist.  I was the kid in elementary school whose art mark was the lowest on her report card.  Actually gym might have been lower... But there is something totally fantastic about painting concrete.

I mean, how cute is this little guy?  Adorable right?  And super fun to paint.

But my day isn't all fancy fountains and pretty birds.  Sometimes we get the duty of painting gnomes.

So here I present six things I've learned from a gnome.

1. Smile always.
Doesn't matter what these guys do - travel gnome, hunting gnome, gardening gnome, etc. - they all do it with a smile on their face. Rain, sun, hail, snow, tornadoes... Still that jolly little smile. I'm not saying you can never break down or to keep emotions locked up - I know as well as anyone this isn't healthy. But there are times when a smile, even a forced one, is the best course of action.  Choose your battles wisely.

2. Do what you love.
These gnomes are going to be doing that one thing for the rest of their little lives. I assume if they plan on keeping that smile for the next 30 years they're probably doing something they love.

3. Not everyone will get you.
There are lots of people who will point and laugh.  Some will go home and giggle about that gnome.  That's just the way things go.


4.  Eventually somebody will.
Some of our gnomes get painted special for a customer.  Some of the gnomes sit on our yard for months or years before somebody comes along for them.  Eventually though, every one finds a person who will take them home and likes them just the way they are.

5. And that person won't care about the flaws.
I've been trying to figure out how the painter fits into this personification.  I'm the one who sees the little mess ups where the ear is missing but we painted it the colour of hair so that nobody would notice.  I'm the one who can blatantly see that the eyeballs are not the same size.  But the customers never see those things.  They see a gnome that they fall for.  Maybe in time all those little flaws show themselves and they become the things that make you unique and more lovable.

6. You will get broken.
Your paint will chip. The base below you may crumble. The ones who love you will help you fix yourself, or bring you back to a professional who can help.  These things make you who become the gnome you were meant to be.  You are made from concrete - there are people who believe it is unbreakable and they will throw you outside through winters and believe you can take it.  Surround yourself with people who understand your weaknesses.

Well, apparently only one week at Merv's Patios and I've already lost my mind.  I just wrote a blog post about gnomes.  And a super cheesy one at that...

I promise, someday there will be something more academic in the works.

All You Need Is Love

My goals for this weekend:
-sleep
-sleep
-read something for fun
-sleep
-make some gnomes

Things I've accomplished on a Saturday morning
-sleep
-filing taxes
-finding a cheque from our lovely government (from February) that I never cashed
-reading

Considering how accomplished I felt I easily could have justified spending the rest of my weekend playing WeTopia. Instead, I googled what to do with a PhD in English and proceeded to question what I was doing with my life.  Why did I transfer schools but stay in my English undergrad? Why didn't I transfer to accounting, get a well-paid, stable job for 40 years, retire and spend my last years on earth reading the complete works of Shakespeare?

At this point I was in the fetal position hidden under a duvet with 3 stuffed penguins (I wish I were exaggerating...)

Then I rolled over and saw  my bedside table. It had a lamp (because I stayed up late reading), an 843 page novel that I was beyond excited to have the time to read, and my text book from my fall semester English course.  We didn't read the entire book in class... So I'm reading it for fun.

I remembered the smile on my face while I was writing my Reading Fiction exam because I used the word synecdoche three times in my essay.

I realized then that this is what I love.  Maybe following your heart is a crazy thing to do, and I've never been the reckless one, but today I'm ignoring the future, I'm going forward with an open mind, open heart, and open eyes.

So bring on the future, show me what I can and cannot have. Teach me more about myself. Let me explore the things I've always wanted to do and force me into situations I've never imagined.  Because that's what life is, and what is life without the things you love?