Fulghum Fridays

In high school, I had an incredible English teacher named Mr. Gardner. This man epitomized what and who I wanted to be as a teacher, and as a man in many respects. In my mind, I could see my Teach For America self being a Mr. Gardner-esque English Language Arts teacher in some Kansas City middle school. That vision is gone for now, delayed by a redirection that gives me angst even though I know it is the right thing to do.

Anyway, Mr. Gardner was in love with Robert Fulghum. Perhaps it was his writing style, his tongue-in-cheek (but honest to God) way of pointing out life lessons, or perhaps it was just a personal indulgence. Whatever caused Mr. Gardner's love, I am grateful for it. The best days were Fulghum Fridays, when Mr. Gardner would use the last five minutes of class to share a bit of Fulghum wisdom with us. The worst days, by the way, were the nights before and mornings of the days that papers were due. True story. Since today is Friday, I'm going to share some Fulghum with you. Two years in that classroom convinced me of the greatness and inspiration that comes from such a man. Mr. Gardner knew his stuff. Robert Fulghum knew his stuff. It was a perfect combination.

If you want to read more Fulghum, simply go to robertfulghum.com. Buy all his books on Amazon. You won't regret it. Here's a little sample from a post entitled, "In the Middle of the Middle."

Being alive is not a destination, it’s a place on a moving bus.

You will always have more questions than answers.

You will never get yourself or the world all figured out.

You will never ever really know what other people think about you.

You will never ever really understand what you think about yourself.

And -You are not as alone as you think, but it always seems that way.

In the words of Mr. Gardner, "Have a great weekend! Don't do anything stupid!" Happy Fulghum Friday!