Ah, the 60's and 70's in Phoenix. It was a very different time then. And browsing through flickr.com, looking for images of the good old days, really took me back!
My family lived near the edge of what was once the edge of town... the corner of 44th Street and Camelback Road. My friends and I hung out in the desert on the N/W corner of that intersection. There were several acres of vacant land. Very fun. Quail, bunnies, creosote, cacti, and mesquite. The most notable landmark on the opposite corner was a branch of the Valley National Bank. It had very unusual architecture, a sort of historic landmark. And as far as I know, it's still there. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostworld/562624485/
But there wasn't much to be had on the Flickr site for other places as they once were... Legend City (the greatest amusement park ever, located in Tempe), Big Surf (back when there was sand on the "beach" and people actually surfed there!!!), the old Central Avenue in Phoenix, Terminal One at Sky Harbor (now demolished), and the list goes on. Not accepting defeat, I looked in Google Images and found a terrific site containing all of the above! http://www.leifswanson.com/history/1970.htm. [pay particular attention to the Big Surf image toward the bottom of the page].
Ah, memory lane. It's a fun place to stroll.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Jumping From Rock to Rock, or the 7.5 habits of highly effective jumpers
The Verde River.
What does this have to do with the 7 1/2 habits of highly effective learners? Bear with me for a second.
Have you ever played in a stream or a river? Especially one with really cold water running along? Often in the beginning, you might be playing alongside the river... making little boats, eating a picnic lunch, taking photos of each other. Trying very hard to stay dry. I used to do that as a kid... we'd pile into the station wagon and drive to the Verde River for the day.
Then, something on the other side catches your eye, and you feel an urge to get over there. So you find some large, flat rocks lined up across the water, perhaps spaced wide apart, but you figure you can jump from one to the other to get across. You make it most of the way across, but that last rock, it's pretty far from the one your standing on. You make a giant leap!!! but oh, you end up on your rear in the water, soaked up to your chest.
You're all wet, but that's okay. And you figure that since you're wet anyway, you'll find another method to get to that desired destination. You simply walk across, learning in a very simple manner that there's more than one way to get across that puppy!
How does all of this tie into the 7 1/2 habits of highly effective learners? To take those habits out of direct context, I love to learn. I love to take chances. I fall on my rear once in awhile (I'm especially good at that one!), but I get back up and keep plodding away!!!
What does this have to do with the 7 1/2 habits of highly effective learners? Bear with me for a second.
Have you ever played in a stream or a river? Especially one with really cold water running along? Often in the beginning, you might be playing alongside the river... making little boats, eating a picnic lunch, taking photos of each other. Trying very hard to stay dry. I used to do that as a kid... we'd pile into the station wagon and drive to the Verde River for the day.
Then, something on the other side catches your eye, and you feel an urge to get over there. So you find some large, flat rocks lined up across the water, perhaps spaced wide apart, but you figure you can jump from one to the other to get across. You make it most of the way across, but that last rock, it's pretty far from the one your standing on. You make a giant leap!!! but oh, you end up on your rear in the water, soaked up to your chest.
You're all wet, but that's okay. And you figure that since you're wet anyway, you'll find another method to get to that desired destination. You simply walk across, learning in a very simple manner that there's more than one way to get across that puppy!
How does all of this tie into the 7 1/2 habits of highly effective learners? To take those habits out of direct context, I love to learn. I love to take chances. I fall on my rear once in awhile (I'm especially good at that one!), but I get back up and keep plodding away!!!
Walking barefoot on gravel
Walking barefoot on the hot gravel. That's what I used to do as a kid, growing up in Phoenix--out in the desert.
It was hot. And rough. My friends and I would run around on the hot gravel while playing outside. Even in the middle of the summer! Denise, Katie, Michael, Holly and I would play outside in 115 degree heat. Heck, we didn't care. Those feet got toughened up. Often we'd step on stickers and pointy rocks, but no, we didn't care. That was to be expected.
I look on that experience as being analgous to challenges that I've taken on as an adult. Challenges are pretty fun to tackle. They can be scary (those stickers in the ground) and difficult (sizzling ground), but taking on enough challenges can toughen one up (the feet, remember?) to become able to take on the next one. And that can be so empowering. Such a rewarding experience.
It was hot. And rough. My friends and I would run around on the hot gravel while playing outside. Even in the middle of the summer! Denise, Katie, Michael, Holly and I would play outside in 115 degree heat. Heck, we didn't care. Those feet got toughened up. Often we'd step on stickers and pointy rocks, but no, we didn't care. That was to be expected.
I look on that experience as being analgous to challenges that I've taken on as an adult. Challenges are pretty fun to tackle. They can be scary (those stickers in the ground) and difficult (sizzling ground), but taking on enough challenges can toughen one up (the feet, remember?) to become able to take on the next one. And that can be so empowering. Such a rewarding experience.
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