Farr-Out Links to Learning » Sunday Inspiration http://farroutlinks.net/blog Link to Learn, Learn to Live, Live to Learn Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:17:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 FAIL often to SUCCEED sooner! http://farroutlinks.net/blog/inspiration/fail-often-to-succeed-sooner/ http://farroutlinks.net/blog/inspiration/fail-often-to-succeed-sooner/#comments Sun, 25 Jul 2010 04:02:07 +0000 Jen http://farroutlinks.net/blog/?p=13873 As parents and educators how often do we stress success when working with students? Perhaps, there are times when me must stand back (as painful as that may be) and allow children to fail. Certainly, I am not suggesting that we want our students to hit rock bottom, but perhaps children need to realize that failures, as well as successes, can teach life lessons. Individuals who only experience success in school (and life) may have trouble when they inevitably hit a “bump in the road.” Students who learn to overcome failure (even if it is only perceived) tend to be more tenacious, self-confident, and fearless. So… my poster today honors those who have failed and learned through their failures to succeed!


The image used to create this poster was posted to Flickr by Hans Gerwitz.
Click on this mini poster if you would like to view a larger version for printing.
Click on the title of this blog if you would like to email this post to a friend.

If you enjoy this poster you might also enjoy reading the following archived posts:

]]> http://farroutlinks.net/blog/inspiration/fail-often-to-succeed-sooner/feed/ 0 Reach and Dream http://farroutlinks.net/blog/inspiration/reach-and-dream/ http://farroutlinks.net/blog/inspiration/reach-and-dream/#comments Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:05:02 +0000 Jen http://farroutlinks.net/blog/?p=13794
The image used to create this poster was posted to Flickr by Jessica Tam.
Click on this mini poster if you would like to view a larger version for printing.
Click on the title of this blog if you would like to email this post to a friend.

]]> http://farroutlinks.net/blog/inspiration/reach-and-dream/feed/ 0 Lessons from my Cat http://farroutlinks.net/blog/farr-sighted-thinking/a-cats-lesson-of-hope-and-determination/ http://farroutlinks.net/blog/farr-sighted-thinking/a-cats-lesson-of-hope-and-determination/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:04:44 +0000 Jen http://farroutlinks.net/blog/?p=13724 These last few days have been very hectic as we moved from Oneonta back to Dansville after I completed a temporary position that ended June 30th.  Shortly after unpacking our U-Haul, we were surprised to learn that my mother-in-law had been walking around on a broken hip and needed to be hospitalized.  Boxes and spare furniture are still spread throughout my house as we have been trying to attend to my mother-in-law’s needs. We have spent days in the hospital keeping her company, trying to keep her spirits up, and conferring with doctors.

Our return home has not been what we envisioned.  Instead of taking time to organize and put our house in order we have been hit with a heavy dose of responsibility reality.  Before you stop reading, don’t worry.  I’m not complaining or looking for pity.  Life simply takes some twists and turns and you deal with each day as best you can.  Actually, this post is about my cat and hope.

Our cat, Sweetie, was recently diagnosed with renal failure.  We are diligent about giving her two pills a day, have been mixing special nutrition powder into her food, and have started to give her subcutaneous fluids (I am still squeamish about this procedure).  Despite our best efforts to help her adjust to our house in Dansville, she has been living in the basement since we returned home.  We thought she was having trouble adjusting to a space that is much roomier than the one-bedroom apartment we shared back in Oneonta .  We also worried because we have not had a lot of time to keep an eye on her.  Yesterday, as soon as we finished administering the fluids via her IV,  Sweetie raced for the basement.  Before going to bed I went downstairs and could not find her.  My heart was heavy…I felt sure that she had found a spot to die.

Around 2:00 a.m. I heard the dog pacing and knew he was agitated about something…no doubt something was wrong with the cat.  Sure enough.  I jumped out of bed and raced for the cellar.  Much to my surprise the cat greeted me in the kitchen with a mouse in her jaws and a twinkle in her eye! She seemed to have an extra pep in her step as well.  I thought the cat had been hanging around in our cellar looking for a place to die; in fact, she  had been hunting the mice who had found a home while we were away. Did I mention that our cat is 16+ years old (approximately 82 in human years), de-clawed, and has lost 25% of her original weight?

As I struggled to get my cat to release her prey, I realized nature was once again teaching me a lesson…a lesson of hope and tenacity: “Keep going!  The prize is within reach no matter what your age (or in Sweetie’s case…health).”  Also….never presume to know what a cat is thinking! :)

If you have pets you might enjoy perusing the material and links found on my For the Love of Pets site. I originally developed this site as a research portal for students who were writing a persuasive essay to convince their parents that they should be allowed to own a pet. Click on the screenshot below to access the site and please feel free to share the lessons you have learned from your pets using the comment link at the bottom of this post.

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