Supermoon, superfood, supertramp?

You may have heard, if you're alive, that last Saturday we experienced a phenomena called "super moon". What this basically means is that the moon was really big and closer to the earth than it had been in 18 years. Weird people who predict things predicted that the world would basically fall apart thanks to said moon. It is now Tuesday. I am alive. I hope that you are also. Thus, epic FAIL on the part of those who talk so much and know so little. I, for one, never believed that the world would tip sideways or the oceans would split or all my students would turn into monsters . . . wait. . . maybe I believed that one! You see, I used this really basic thing called reasoning. This was the biggest the moon had been in 18 years, not the biggest ever. So it follows (to those who reason) that if catastrophe waited on the heels of giant sky orbs, then it should have all gone to hell 18 years ago. That's just my thinking!

Still, the SUPERmoon did cause one seismic shift - Joshua and Israel Roe entered Gainesville! The significance of this statement depends largely upon who you are. If you are one of my students, this is probably pretty exciting news. If you are anyone else, I expect a response somewhere along the lines of "Joshua who?" or "big deal." Oh, it is a big deal. :) While these boys coming to town may not satisfy anyone's 2012-esque longings, they are bound to shake up something. Tomorrow, that starts with my students.

Joshua Roe is perhaps one of the coolest guys I know. When I met him a little over a year ago, he shook my world view. I hope that I also shook his, because that is what friends do - they challenge and push, they stretch and they pull, they make us stronger and support us when we are weak. It was Joshua who told me to go, to experience, to live with less fear and less caution. I was never a particularly cautious girl, so this could have been a risky thing, but I got it. There are all sorts of ways that we hold back our own living, all kinds of fear that keep us exactly where we are. To put it simply, his message to me was most people never LIVE, so don't be a "most". I heard him loud and clear and I began to find the tethers that held me in place. Joshua's message isn't that everyone everywhere should leave their lives and travel the planet (although he would find that pretty cool), rather, his message is that if you embrace where you are as your end, then you will miss a whole lot of journey. That means different things for different people, but there IS a message for everyone. I love this message. I am proud that he's my friend. I count him now as one of my favorite people in the world.

And now he's here, the myth, the man, the . . . biker. He and his little brother Israel arrived with the supermoon into my little neck of the woods. They left San Diego, CA on January 9th, and on March 19th, they pedaled into Ft. White, FL where I met up with them. They were tired, but they were in excellent spirits and it was great to see each other after months of separation. One of the first questions that I asked them was, "Are you guys hungry?" When they were finally able to silence their laughing, they said, "That's a joke, right? We've been hungry for two months!" So I cooked and cooked some more. Then we cooked and shared meals with great people. My house has been a whirlwind of activity, but we are happy and their bellies are full - mine too as Joshua is a great cook. It has been a great reunion and I have loved the commotion of my house.

Still, sometimes, sneaking away onto the front porch swing is a great prospect because it offers a tiny bit of quiet. That is where I am now, happily typing away while sitting on my porch swing and listening to man in the house next door yell a little too loudly. There is also a woman down the street who is probably homeless and is yelling about pills that she may or may not have in her purse. So it isn't exactly peaceful like a mountaintop here (the last time I saw Joshua, we were climbing peaceful mountains) but it is a cool, brisk night and a lovely end to a good day. As I write this, Joshua is out having some strange procedure done that will leave him with big welty marks but feeling great, and Israel is inside finishing up a movie. I feel at ease and happy just knowing that they are both around and that we have more time together.

And tomorrow, they will be at school. This is good. I am very excited to see what they have to offer my students and how much more I will learn from them as well. Seriously, Joshua must know everything. I want to play stump the supertramp, but alas, he would win. I will think of something. No worries. Don't forget, I have an 80 mile bike ride ahead. Lots of stumping time! I can't wait to share my amazing friend and his dear brother with all of my students.

Extra Credit soon to come. One more for Spring Break!!!!