V is for Vertical

News today of two of my geographical preoccupations:

Going up

This time of year I click over every few days to a couple of climbing websites and follow the news as team after team tackles Everest during the narrow window of opportunity that nature offers. These days, technology allows you to follow the expeditions in real time-- several climbers tweeted their attempts at the summit, and there are all sorts of video clips and photos posted within hours of any push for the top.

The virtual proximity does not make the mountain any less deadly, however, and in some ways makes it even more cruel. In 1996 while trapped near the summit, mountaineer Rob Hall spoke to his pregnant fiancee by satellite phone and even chose names for their unborn child, before he froze to death where he huddled, too weak to make his descent. His body still lies a few feet from the path any climber takes from the South Col. For me, that story alone hollows the peal of those who clamor that the risk is worth it, because it's there!  

Going down

Even today, with 50-75% of the water flow diverted to power most of Western New York and much of Ontario, Niagara Falls is by far one of the most impressive natural spectacles I have ever seen. Since we have family in Buffalo, I have the opportunity to visit regularly, but I never get bored of going out to the falls.

Yesterday a guy actually survived going over them, the third person to do so in recent years. Despite his wish to end his life, circumstances aligned to allow him to survive what an average of 20 people a year do not.

Hopefully his experience will mirror that of Kirk Jones, who threw himself into the wild and irrepressible waters of the Niagara River in 2003. "I honestly thought that it wasn't worth going on," Jones told ABC News. "But I can tell you now after hitting the falls I feel that life is worth living," he said.

Life Lesson: Without life, the lesson is lost.

U is for Umbrella

It was a rainy spring day here today, and on such occasions, I delight in popping open my giant rainbow-striped umbrella. It enchants me because it's big and colorful and automatic: I never tire of simply pressing a button to instantly produce a huge canopy to protect me from the rain; it seems as close to a magic spell as I'll ever conjure.

When I was a child, umbrellas were way too much for me to manage; I needed a third or fourth hand to carry, open, and carry them, and getting wet seemed like a small price to pay to avoid such frustration. Even now, if there's no compelling reason to stay dry, I forgo any shield, no matter how nifty, and turn my face to the rain.

Life Lesson:  Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet. ~Roger Miller

T is for Here's One Thing I Know

 All my life, you're a friend of mine

We spent the day beginning to adapt to the Bingo-shaped hole in our lives. Oh, it is certain to shrink over time, but right now there are so many little things that remind us of our loss-- the extra food in the fridge, the unused bowl on the dish drain, the vacancy at the end of the couch-- you get the idea. He's gone and we really miss him.

At the end, it was our responsibility to ensure that he did not suffer. Such a choice is hard but very clear.

Life Lesson: 

And you can count on me until the day you die

S is for So Long

and thanks for everything, Bingo! We'll miss you.

Life Lesson: I don't know. It's hard to find a lesson in loss.

R is for Remorseless

My email pinged at around 10 last night alerting me to the fact that one of my students had shared a document. It turned out that it was the candy thief herself. Here is what she wrote:

I am so sorry that I stole candy from your tin thing. But well first let me tell you what happened. M. and E. dared me to. I know I shouldn’t have listened to them. Now I learned my lesson about stealing something that wasn’t mine. I also didn’t want to turn myself in because I thought that you were going to yell at me and make me sad. I am really emotional you know. Also I heard you were going to write me a reformer. I truly deserve it so I don’t blame you. I am nervous for tomorrow because you might put me out of the hallway in front of the class and tell you what happened. So that is why I am writing this letter. Also I was going to tell you that a few weeks back I saw M. and E. steal candy, too. I mean I was going to tell you but I was nervous to because you might think I had some, too. Once again I am truly sorry and I would do anything to make it up to you. Please type back no later than today.

I closed the document and went to bed.

Life Lesson: Sincere apologies do not include the word but.

Q is for Quite a Day

It couldn't have been more than 2 minutes that I stepped a few feet away from my room to answer a colleague's question. I didn't think twice about leaving my class; they were all busily working on an assignment, and there were only about ten minutes left in the period.

Still, when I returned, there was something off about the vibe in the room. I wish I could be more specific; were they too quiet? Too fidgety? A little too involved in the papers on their tables? I'm not sure, but I felt a bit wary and very alert when I sat down at my desk. A student popped out of her seat and moved quickly to the bookcase to my right; mumbling something about finding a book, she banged into the candy tin I keep there.

My suspicions mounted. "Did someone take candy from the can while I was out of the room?" I asked. The chorus of It wasn't me was as good as a yes, and I frowned.

I'm a big fan of the Dateline feature, My Kid Would Never Do That, and later when I thought about the whole thing, I realized how similar this situation was to some of the quandaries they set up for the kids on the show. In fact, we have used some of their segments on bullying, racism, and cheating with the Tolerance Club.

I could almost hear the promo: A student brazenly steals from the teacher, and the other kids in the room are thrust into an ethical dilemma. Do they snitch or go along? The stakes are raised when an adult discovers the misdeed and confronts the group. What will they do?

"Do you mean to tell me that I can't trust you to watch out for my stuff if I have to leave the room for a minute? Really?" I accused my class. "I'm disappointed."

I saw a few sheepish looks being exchanged. "She's right," one student whispered to the guy next to him. They made eye contact with me.

"I'll talk to you after class," the other one, who happens to be a member of the Tolerance Club, said quietly.

The bell rang, and, seeing those boys stay behind, some students made a quick exit, but some others joined them at my desk to tell me what happened and expose the culprit. Just like on TV, when they saw someone else standing up, they were encouraged to do the right thing, too.

Life Lesson: Bystander or upstander? The peer pressure is intense.

P is for Patricia Says, "Hi!"

Or was it Ann?

Eight years ago, I taught one of a pair of identical twins. She was a nice enough girl; smart and conscientious, and a good writer, too, but there were days when she was really out of it. Since her grades were fine, I let it go. I chalked it up to early adolescence and dismissed her confusion.

When I was in sixth grade myself, my best friends were identical twins. Lois and Laura lived next door, and a week or two after they moved in, it seemed ridiculous that anyone considered them identical. They were soooo different in both appearance and personality that none of us neighborhood kids ever got them mixed up. The same could not be said for adults who didn't know them, and we laughed at their confusion.

Thirty years later, it was definitely a challenge for me to discriminate between Patricia and Ann. I rarely saw them together, and I just didn't get to spend enough time with either of them to get to know their distinguishing features. I was tempted to believe that they were more identical than Lois and Laura, but their friends assured me that they were easy to tell apart. To be honest? I guess I deserved it, but the kids kind of mocked my confusion.

Late in the year, it became apparent how much. "You know Ann and Patricia switch places all the time, right?" some well-meaning student asked me.

It took a moment for the significance to sink in, but I laughed when I realized all the times that ditzy Patricia must have been Ann.

Later I wondered why they bothered. It must have been so stressful to be in a situation where you could have been busted at any moment. Their classmates were totally in on the joke, and as helpful as they were, they might have given them away just as easily. I guess the thrill was worth the risk.

I have their little brother in my class right now. His sisters are home from college (They both go to the same university-- I wonder if they switch classes there... I'm guessing no.) and today he told me that Patricia says, "Hi!"

"Was it Patricia or Ann?" I asked. He frowned, and for just a beat I enjoyed his confusion.

Then I told him what pranksters his sisters were. He was delighted.

Life Lesson: Appearances can be deceiving.