A Woman Like You

Last night out of the blue
Drifting off to the evening news
She said "Honey, what would you do
"If you'd have never met me"
- Lee Brice

This is a sweet song, about a man who lists off some things he'd be doing if he hadn't met his wife, but then compares them to things he has because he's with her and how those things are so much better. Today is my 29th wedding anniversary. Wow! Twenty-nine years. I was thinking about how different my life would be if I hadn't married Greg...

Certainly there would not be the stand-alone experiences I've had or we've shared. Things like me learning to fly airplanes because he had a membership in a flying club, or learning so much about astronomy, or being friends with certain people. But it runs deeper than that.

My thinking.... Greg is a deep thinker and an extremely analytical thinker, and he's someone I don't always agree with. To keep up with him, I've had to challenge my own thinking and learn to think on my feet quickly. And I've had to learn to be extremely assertive in order to stand up to his very strong personality. That's served me me very well in so many life instances, most importantly in the work place. Those qualities, coupled with the attributes learned from my parents - compassion and hard work - are things that have gotten me where I am today.

My educational philosophy....an understanding of giftedness and that one-size-fits-all really does not work in our schools. It didn't work for Greg, and it didn't work for one of my daughters. It was from truly trying to understand their world, that I began to better understand all learners and why we, as educators, have to step up to the plate and do what we're doing differently, better, and more thoughtfully.

A sense of routine....I am probably more Bohemian than most people realize, doing things when I feel like it and operating on gut instinct. Greg is rather obsessive about his routines. We truly have a case of opposites attracting in this arena and it hasn't always been easy. But his desire for weekly routines, holiday routines, and special little things we do as a family have been good for everyone. And when I get impatient with his routines (me? never!) I remind myself it's his way of saying "I love you".

My lovely daughters....of course they would not be who they are if I hadn't married, or if I had married someone else. But I see so much of their Dad in each of them. Sarah thinks like her dad, they understand each other in ways I never will. Theresa has her dad's interests in all things science-related. Laura has her dad's insatiable desire for knowledge.

There is an interesting movie called Run, Lola, Run that shows how any single change in events can completely change the outcome of a given situation. We make our life choices, but even with the best of choices, we never know things will turn out. We have to do our best, and we have to be thankful, because there are always things to be thankful for.