Teaching With Our Actions

Last week I repeated a column from a few years ago that asked we adults to reflect on the question that many young people are asking now as they return to school,  "Who is your teacher?"  As I reflect on this question for myself, I am aware that one of my teachers is a former United States President, Jimmy Carter.  For the last several decades he has continued to teach me a great deal about love, service, and the capacity to transcend political ideology in the service of a higher purpose. Two weeks ago Jimmy Carter announced that he has been diagnosed with liver cancer, and that it has spread to four spots in his brain.  So what did this former President and Nobel Peace Prize winner do the Sunday following his announcement?  He did what he does most every Sunday, he taught Sunday school at his church, Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.  In fact, this was the 689th time he has taught Sunday school at his church. This time though he did something he had never done before. This past Sunday because there were more than 800 people lined up for his Sunday School class, more than he could accommodate in his regular class, he agreed to teach a second class later in the morning at the local high school.  And the topic for this past Sunday's double-header Sunday School class?  Former President Carter taught his 800 students about "loving your neighbor as you love yourself" while his wife of 69 years, Rosalynn looked on with pride.

I don't know the specifics of what Jimmy Carter taught about loving your neighbor last week, but I think I have a pretty good idea of what he might have said because I have been watching how he has lived his life for so many years.  I don't need to know the specifics because the former President has modeled loving his neighbors through his life of service, his thirty years of volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, and his founding of the Carter Center, a non-profit whose goal is to wage peace, fight disease and build hope throughout the world.  The teachers that I admire most, the ones that have taught me the most about life, teach with their actions and by how they live their lives, as much as what they say or teach with their words.

Some things transcend political divides.  Things like love, coping with a serious health diagnosis, and facing death with dignity and grace.  These are things we all need to learn how to do and we are wise to seek out teachers who can teach us through their words and deeds, teaching us to live our lives in ways that model dignity and grace.

I am blessed to have many teachers from whom I continue to learn these important life lessons. A few are well known like Jimmy Carter, but most are people I am simply blessed to know as family or friends. I am grateful for all the teachers in my life, but this week I am especially grateful for a man of deep faith from a little town in Georgia.

Now I  ask each of us, in honor of our teachers, to reflect upon these questions.  Who are your teachers, and perhaps just as important, who are you teaching? Who might be looking to you to teach them important lessons about life or love? Who might be watching how you live?

Who's Your Teacher?

Beginning this past week, all across the country, students have returned to school. Feelings of excitement mixed with a tinge of stress are ubiquitous for both children and their families as rhythms of summer are replaced by the rhythms of the school year. One question that is especially on the mind of every younger child as he or she begins school is, "Who's my teacher going to be this year?" Parents, along with their children, are hoping that their children get the teacher they desire. For most of the readers of this column, it's probably been a few years since you have started a new school year. However, I invite you to think of the question, "Who's Your Teacher?" as it applies to you in your adult life.

We may not be in school any more, but we are learning our whole lives. Life is our classroom and the potential lessons are limitless. As you reflect on your own life right now, who are you learning from? What teacher or teachers are you seeking to learn from? What lessons are you wanting to learn from this teacher or teachers? There is an old saying that when the student is ready, the teacher will arise. What in life are your ready to learn right now? Who will you learn it from?

In this classroom called life we are all students and we are all teachers. We are all lifelong learners. We turn to our friends, family members, mentors, colleagues, pastors, rabbis, coaches, therapists, and others to be our teachers. And along the way, others turn to us to be their teachers as well.

We often turn to someone to be our teacher who has more experience in what it is we need to learn. This is often someone who has already been where we are going. A parent turns to other parents, especially those with more experience, to learn from their wisdom. A person struggling with a cancer diagnosis turns to other cancer survivors to learn from their life experience. A person wanting to deepen their spiritual life turns to their faith leader and members of their faith community to learn from and be inspired by their faith journeys. A person starting out in their career turns to a respected leader in their field. A singer hires a voice teacher and joins a choir. A person wanting to start exercising takes a fitness class or joins a fitness club. A reader joins a book group.

When we were school children we did not have a great deal of say about who our teacher was. As adults though, we get to choose who our teachers will be. Choosing our teachers is very important. And just as important is being humble enough to acknowledge that there is always more for us to learn. To be a lifelong learner is to relish the fact that our awareness and consciousness is always expanding.

So who are your teachers right now? As you think about who your teachers are right now, also think about whether you are looking for an additional teacher or perhaps an additional learning community at this point in your life. If so, this time of year is a great time to make a change.

And so to all the students out there, both young learners and lifelong learners, "Happy back to school!"

     This column originally appeared several years ago and is being repeated with some updates this week as Scott is on vacation.

Road Trip!

What do the following songs have in common?  

On the Road Again, by Willie Nelson

Counting Stars, by OneRepulic

Blue Suede Shoes, by Elvis Presly

Barracuda, by Heart

Drive My Car, by the Beatles

Truckin’, by the Grateful Dead

Born in the USA, by Bruce Springsteen

Lean on Me, by Bill Winters

Sweet Child O’ Mine, by Guns N’ Roses

The Wolf, by Mumford and Sons

Stronger, by Kanye West

That’s the Way I Like It, by KC & The Sunshine Band

Summertime, by Kenny Chesney

Happy, by Pharrell and

Hot Fun in the Summertime, by Sly and the Family Stone

Give up?  All of these songs are songs I have recently heard on a Sirius Satellite Radio called “Road Trip Radio.”  This station, just  available for the summer, is a collection of songs from multiple genres—country, hip hop, R & B, classic rock, and pop—that all have a driving beat that makes you want to turn up the volume and sing along.

Sirius Radio is offering a free thirty day trial and so I signed up a few weeks.  I stumbled upon “Road Trip Radio” on channel 18 the first day of my trial subscription and I’ve been living ever since.  I haven’t had the pleasure of going on an actual road trip during this time—like so many others are doing this time of year—but I certainly have enjoyed the good vibe and energy that the station creates in me as I drive around town.

Going on a road trip is an American tradition, something not surprising at all given our love affair with the automobile.  The first transcontinental road trip in America took place in 1903.    Route 66, begun in 1926 and completely finished in the late 1930’s, became a “ must do” road trip for many Americans.  The completion of America’s interstate highway system meant that long distance road trips were then possible for anyone with a car.

While most people who go on a road trip have a destination in mind, perhaps a tourist attraction, a national park, or to visit friends or family, the actual road trip itself is often an important part of the fun.  Experiencing the freedom of the open road while driving with the windows down and the music turned up loud is often as much fun as arriving at the intended destination.

Can you remember any memorable road trips you have been on in the past?  Have you been on a road trip this summer, or are you going on one soon?  If so, lucky you!  If not, don’t fret.  As I have discovered the last few weeks, tuning into the right kind of music, rolling down your windows, turning up the volume and singing along can instantly create that free and easy feeling that one experiences on a road trip.

Road trips are a great experience in and of themselves, but they also provide some great reminders for us about living life.  Life is more fun when accompanied by a great sound track.  We feel most alive with the windows open and a breeze in our face.  Whenever possible, take others along with us to maximize the experience.  And most importantly, we are wise to remember that enjoying the journey is sometimes just as important as getting to our destination.

Encourage One Another

Have you ever set a big goal for yourself, spent a long time preparing for it, and then finally had the joy of achieving that goal?  Perhaps it was a goal of going to back to school, making a move to a new home, retiring, going on a special trip, changing careers, getting in shape, or running your first 10K race or first marathon.  Six years ago I set a goal of riding my bike from my home in Milwaukee, WI to Fish Creek, a quaint little town in Door County, the "thumb" of WI, where my wife and I spend two weeks each year. After years of wanting to make this ride, I determined earlier this summer that this would be the year I would attempt it.  I started training, putting in lots of extra miles on my bike.  I studied maps and plotted my route along remote country roads so as to avoid as much traffic as possible.   I spent extra time at the bike shop picking up some last minute tips from experienced riders who had done similar kinds of rides and I am happy to report that I completed my ride and accomplished my six year goal this past week.

There are many memorable experiences I could lift up from my fourteen hour ride, but the one that I want to reflect on here is the overwhelming and completely unexpected encouragement I received from perfect strangers  along the way.

I made frequent stops for food and drink in many small towns on my route, and in every town I met people who asked me where I was headed.  Apparently, I was not the first biker to make this journey as  the locals seemed to be used to meeting bikers who were passing through.  Several times when stopped on the side of the rural roads  to rest and take a drink, strangers in cars, and even a farmer on a tractor  stopped and asked me if everything was alright.  One passerby even offered me a bottle of water he had in his car.  The support of the strangers I met along the way, along with the support of my wife and friends, is what gave me the inspiration to complete my goal.

All of this reminded me once again of the power and blessing we can be to one another by offering the simple act of encouragement.  It reminded me that when any of us has an important goal we are seeking to attain, or when we have an important journey that we need to make, whether it be a literal journey or a metaphorical journey, we need to let others know about our dreams and to surround ourselves with others who can encourage us.

My experience this week served as a reminder to me to offer words and acts of encouragement to those in my life, those I know are going through a challenging time or are seeking to meet a new challenge in their lives.  It reminded me that giving encouragement can truly help people accomplish things they are not sure they can do on their own.

Who do you know right now that needs a little extra encouragement?   What might you do to cheer on someone who needs support right now?  My experience this week not only with family and friends, but with total strangers opened my eyes. It has inspired me to look around and see who needs a little extra encouragement. Going forward I will not only be looking at my friends and family and wondering what support they need, but I will also look at the mother struggling with her toddler in the grocery store, the person who needs a hand crossing a busy street, and others, both known or unknown to me, who happen to cross my path and could benefit from a little extra support. And whenever I see a biker stopped along the side of a country road, I will most certainly stop to offer him or her a little encouragement and if I have one, a cold bottle of water.

Nature Deficit Disorder

Author Richard Louv, in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, coined a phrase that has stayed with me since I first heard it.  In his book he states that children are spending more and more time indoors and are thus suffering from what he describes as "Nature Deficit Disorder."  There is plenty of data to back up Louv's claim that children are spending more time indoors.  The American Pediatric Association recently reported that an average eight year old child in the United States spends eight hours a day in front of a screen (computer, mobile device, or television) and that the number increases to eleven hours a day for teens.  Nature Deficit Disorder is not a medical diagnosis, but is a way to call attention to the fact that children are too often missing out on the whole-health (body, mind, and spirit) benefits of spending time outdoors. Apparently  Nature Deficit Disorder is not only affecting children. It seems that most everyone, when given a chance, retreats to nature for renewal. As I view emails and Facebook posts from countless friends who are taking a vacation now, I see that almost every one of my friends is choosing to spend a large portion of their vacation time doing something outdoors, away from screens. They are cherry picking, mountain climbing,  camping, kayaking, biking,  golfing, hiking, fishing, spending time at the beach, going to summer camp,  gardening, attending picnics, and enjoying countless other outside activities. People seem to be naturally aware of the restorative health benefits that come from spending time outdoors.  I understand this myself and thus my wife and I have just finalized our plans for a Canadian wilderness canoe trip in a few weeks.

A friend of mine who is a grade school teacher loves to spend time in her garden, and when she is not in her garden, she is often biking, hiking, or kayaking.  She is concerned about children experiencing Nature Deficit Disorder and so when I visited her classroom last year I was not surprised to see that there were many nature-themed posters on the walls.  Each of the posters contained a motivational quote to inspire the children to spend time outside.  Not being able actually hold class outside, she had found a way to bring the lessons of nature indoors.  I remember one poster of a large oak tree in particular and I will close this week's column with the wisdom from this poster.  The photo of the mature oak tree was stunning and it drew you closer so that you could read this message that was the central focus of the poster.  Here's what it said:

Advice From a Tree

By Ilan Shamir

Stand Tall and Proud

Sink your roots deeply into the Earth

Reflect the light of a greater source

Think long term

Go out on a limb

Remember your place among all living beings

Embrace with joy the changing seasons

For each yields its own abundance

The Energy and Birth of Spring

The Growth and Contentment of Summer

The Wisdom to let go of leaves in the Fall

The Rest and Quiet Renewal of Winter

Feel the wind and the sun

And delight in their presence

Look up at the moon that shines down upon you

And the mystery of the stars at night.

Seek nourishment from the good things in life

Simple pleasures

Earth, fresh air, light

Be content with your natural beauty

Drink plenty of water

Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes

Be flexible

Remember your roots

Enjoy the view!

I need to go now-I need to get away from my screen and get outside to see what important lesson or advice nature has to offer me today.