Nothing is urgent.
That has been my motto of late.
Nothing is urgent.

This can arouse suspicion in the part of my mind that believes everything is urgent.
The challenge for this part of my mind is that in holding things as urgent, the tension does not allow for the energy to flow so that things get done.

Each day I sit and remind myself that nothing is urgent.
As my mind runs through lists and old questions and concerns, I breathe and remind myself that nothing is urgent.

It is not urgent because it will get done.
It is not urgent because all of my needs are provided for by a Love that goes beyond my mental concerns and timelines.

What about screaming kids and honking cars?
Aren’t these things urgent?
I say that these are simply other people who need reminding that nothing is urgent.

Most of us live in a world that includes food, shelter, family, friends, entertainment, transportation, and so much more.

So, we made it!
Why keep rushing?
Nothing is urgent.
We are blessed to be in a position to choose our actions, to reflect and choose what we focus on, what we invest out mental, physical, and emotional energy in.

When there are so many potential things to do and think about, it becomes even more helpful to remind myself that nothing is urgent.
Even a surgeon, or an emergency doctor, must find a calm amidst the urgency of the moment, in order to make effective decisions.

It is when things seem to press on us that we have the greatest opportunity to let go and tap into genius.
When we do, we have access to a grace and ease, that only comes with receptivity.
So let’s get more done, be more effective parents, teachers, educators, and creators of all types, by remembering and reminding each other that nothing is urgent…

For more hilarious cartoons from Darrell Fusaro, just click on the link: www.darrellfusaro.com

Each day I take the time to write myself, or Life, a letter in my pad.
I use markers, colorful markers, that are like big, adult crayons.
I write myself a Love letter, or a write a letter of thanks to Life.
This has become a sacred part of my day.
As a parent, an educator, and more, this activity sustains me.
Oftentimes, an insight will bubble up from within as I am writing.
Today was no exception.

“It’s okay, I love you anyway.”
That’s what I heard this morning, as I switched the marker into my left hand.
I am traditionally right handed, so I have learned to write and draw with my left hand.
This activity unlocks a whole spectrum of awareness that I would not access with just my right hand, and it’s fun!
I learned this trick from a book called, The Power of the Other Hand, by Lucia Cappachione, Ph.D.

“It’s okay, I love you anyway.”
When I heard this phrase, something shifted in me.
I heard the voice of unconditional Love.
I felt the voice of mothers everywhere, the mother within all of us.
I remembered the voice of joy.

It is a reminder that compliments and criticisms are equal in the eyes of Love.
It is a reminder that Love is not based upon performance or earning.

I recognize that even my prayers, in the past, have come from a desire to be in control, to win the Love of God.
Now I see that true prayer, for me, is a matter of aligning with Love.
Love is always present, always available.
Love is always saying, “It’s okay, I love you anyway.”

“Look at me, I won the race.”
It’s okay, I love you anyway.
“Look at me, I made a wrong turn.”
It’s okay, I love you anyway.
“Look at me, I drive an old car.”
It’s okay, I love you anyway.
“Look at me, I drive a fancy, new car.”
It’s okay, I love you anyway.

Our children are doing this all the time.
They want us to Love them, unconditionally, no matter what.
They extend this same Love to us.
If we practice this we begin to truly know them.

Tapping into this unconditional Love has saved my Life, again and again.
This is where genius flows.

It’s okay, I love you anyway.
Music to my ears.

For more hilarious and uplifting cartoons from Darrell Fusaro, just click on the link: www.darrellfusaro.com

Hello again!
I hope you are well.
Today I am writing about something amazing, that I sometimes overlook.
It is called help.
That is not an acronym.
Help.
We are all here to help each other out.
I believe that we are created to work together to enjoy Life.

I am here to be of service, and there are many times when the service of others sustains me.
I am also here to have fun, expand, and celebrate this life.

When I find myself feeling fragmented, or out of alignment, there is nothing like the help of a friend.
A trip to the coffee shop to hang with the always inspirational Darrell Fusaro is always a great idea.
There is also the help that my son offers, in the form of play and laughter, bringing me closer to who I am.
I also enjoy massage, connecting with friends on Facebook, or drawing on my pad.

There are times when I reach out to my friend Claire Chew, who is a grief counselor and Life coach.
She can provide that extra boost when I need to be reminded who I am.
Tapping into genius also means tapping into the genius of others, tapping into the resources that are available to us, always.

The bottom line, for me, is that help is a good thing, when it is in alignment with who I am.
The best help is always right there, right here, within arms reach, when I am willing to reach out.

I hope this helps.

For more hilarious, uplifting cartoons from Darrell Fusaro, just click on this link: www.darrellfusaro.com

Tapping into Genius requires us to be the change that we seek in the world.
This idea has really taken hold in many circles today.
It is a simple concept with profound outcomes.

When working with children I find that being the change can be challenging.
There are times when it takes sincere, concentrated, deliberate effort to shift my thinking.
When I am in a classroom, or in public, with a student, or with my own son, there can be a sense of being pressured to behave certain ways.
One of the big things that comes up is the idea that I should be in control of the child, or the children.
This one connects with the desire to be approved by others.

As I step away from these two erroneous beliefs, I find that a whole new way of seeing and being emerges.
One word for this new way of seeing and being is Love.
By stepping out of the pre-packaged, and often fear-based, thinking of our world, I surrender into Love.
When I feel Love, it is amazing how different the world looks, and how different children behave, or how different I behave with children.
Fun becomes fun, laughter becomes infectious, and communication becomes effective.

So, take a breath, next time things seem to be urgent and serious.
Listen for a moment.
Breathe deep and listen for the Love.
It is always here, just waiting to be tapped…

For more great cartoons from Darrell Fusaro, just click this link: www.darrellfusaro.com

Hello!
I am in gratitude for the opportunity that I had to interview Lori Shayew, the founder of the Gifts of Autism.
This unique group is dedicated to bringing forward a new awareness, and authentic appreciation of the perfection and gifts that are present in the Autistic population.

What I experienced in our interview was a deep peace.
I recognized that Lori is tapping into genius in her work and play with these children with autism.
Tapping into genius is just another word for living life and seeing life through Loving eyes.

The world opens up in many profound ways when I choose to open up to Love before proceeding with whatever I am doing.
My experiences of my Self, others, and the world, are very different when I am tapped into genius, into the Loving.

Lori Shayew embodies an authentic commitment to living from the Loving through her work with children with autism, their families, teachers, and therapists.
For over 20 years, Lori has worked with children with autism.
She is currently available for coaching with families, therapists, and educators, to facilitate the Gifts of Autism process, an effective and inspired way of being and seeing with children with autism.

The Gifts of Autism has an amazing Facebook group.
Parents, educators, therapists, and people with autism are interacting in amazing ways, to support this shift in paradigm from fixing something that is broken to accepting, appreciating, and celebrating the Gifts of Autism…
We filmed the interview and it will be available for viewing soon through The Gifts of Autism website.
For now, please visit the Gifts of Autism, and experience this amazing way of seeing, and being, for your Self.
Website: www.thegiftsofautism.com
The Gifts of Autism on Facebook: The Gifts of Autism

Hello Everyone,
Eureka, I have found it!
The simple solution for connecting with children:
Pursue my own joy.

I have been teaching Summer school for the past month.
It has been an amazing experience that has crystalized this lesson for me:
When I am pursuing my own joy in the classroom, the kids follow suit.

It is amazing how different the classroom looks when I am feeling good.
It is amazing how different the behavior of the children looks, and feels, when I am feeling good.
It is amazing how different the feedback is, from staff, parents, and administrators, when I am feeling good.

Could it be that my well being and positive experience is not dependent the kids, afterall?
Could it be that we are all responsible for our own well being and joy?

I invite you to experiment with this concept for a week and let me know how it goes.
Let me know how many moments you find your Self tapping into genius by pursuing your own joy and then sharing that joy with others…

Blessings!
Ed the wOrd

Hello again!
It’s me, Edward.
Everything is rolling along quite well over here.
I am having fun teaching my Summer school class.
I am learning more about who I am and what I know.
I have been getting such incredible support from my friends.
We have been creating masks with Jennifer Biagiotti, learning cartooning with Darrell Fusaro, and doing movement and yoga with Mia Haber.

I am learning to take more naps when things seem like they are not going well.
I am learning to listen to inspirational material on my IPod whenever I get in the car.
I am learning just how important it is to keep writing Love letters to my Self.

For today, I have nothing new to write regarding specific teaching or parenting techniques.
I am only hear to encourage you to listen to your Self.
Listen to that voice that knows how good life can be.
Spend some time in that space of “What if Life could be that good, that easy”.

I know that right now, you and I are equal.
What I am doing and who I am being is the most important thing for me to manage in my Life.
What you are doing, and who you are being is the really the most important thing for you to manage in your life.
If we were together, your Soul would have something very valuable for me to learn, I promise you that.

The beauty of the internet is the accessibility we now have to one another.
Let’s take this time to share in that amazing equality.
This moment of Oneness is a moment of Tapping into Genius.

Thank you for sharing it with me.

It’s Darrell Fusaro, bringing the cartooning magic to the kids. For more info on Darrell Fusaro just click on this link!

I am teaching Summer School!
Great times are being had in my room.

I will tell you what I know:
Perfection exists everywhere.

I purchase my ticket before I arrive.
I purchase my ticket by thinking inspired thoughts about the days ahead, and by taking inspired action when it comes forward.
I purchase my ticket by inviting my friends to play along.

I am getting on board these days with an energy that is so graceful and easy.
The children recognize the energy, for them it is home.
My Soul recognizes the energy.
For me it is home.

We play music, we sing, we dance, we get dizzy.
We sit and read.
We listen.
We do math.
We create art.

All of it is supported by the silent sound track of grace and ease, even when there are peaks and valleys in the melody.
This is the soundtrack of genius and it is the One song that is expressing through all of us.
Just think or, better yet, close your eyes and imagine what that song is singing right now.
The message is constant.
Love, Love, Love.

How many dances will be danced before we play the lead role?
The leader is always following the music called Love.

For more great cartoonage from Darrell Fusaro, just click on the link: www.DarrellFusaro.com!

The last two days have been interesting .
I did not have a whole lot “to do”.
What I did have to do, was not calling to me.

I chose to take it easy.
I had some resistance coming up, and I had an opportunity to sit with it.
By sitting with the resistance, and working my inner process, I learned some things.

I am beginning to make peace with my Self.
For years it seemed that Life was a war.
Now I see that it can be, if I choose it to be.
Sometimes those old patterns of thought seem to be choosing war for me.
It is in times like these that I am learning to let go, to care for my Self, to listen more, and do less.

I was working with a student today.
He did not want to do any work.
I laughed to myself, because neither did I.

We played four games of Uno.
Something inside told me that this was okay, for today.

I had a sense that he appreciated the break from his own inner wars.
I know that I did.

It can be subtle, tapping into genius.
Some days it is a gentle process of floating, rather than paddling upstream.
With the energy I have conserved, I will be ready to go, any day now…

For more inspiring cartoons from Darrell Fusaro, click on the link: www.darrellfusaro.com

Hello Everyone!
I am writing to get the conversation started about the effects of unresolved grief on education, on life.
I am working with a student who is frequently angry, combative, and attempting to get out of doing school work.
Deep inside I can sense that he is dealing with the avoidance of unresolved grief.
I know that he has had a challenging past, from a very early age.

Upon reflecting on this, and in service to my own life, I am now pursuing help to resolve my own unresolved grief.
This is a sweet and somewhat daunting piece of my Earth school experience.

Today I spoke to a friendly voice who offers grief counseling and tomorrow evening we will have our first meeting.
One of the pieces of the puzzle of my life that I have not fully honored is my relationship to death, to change, to transitions.

I can sense that I sometimes, in the past, have avoided being fully present because I have been afraid of facing that weight I have held in my gut.
I can sense that I have spent an excessive amount of energy, in the past, avoiding my Self by avoiding intimacy with others.
It has triggered some deep hurt, what else can I say.

I will let you know how my session goes.

In the meanwhile, I will share that I am cautious in my practice with children and adults whenever I am considering attempting to manipulate someone into doing something that they are intentionally trying to avoid.
I never know what valid reason they might hold for not wanting to look someone in the eye, or not wanting to stand up in class, or speak up on the playground.
Having this type of compassion builds trust.
If that person then chooses to step forward and face whatever they have been avoiding, they will know that I am here for them, without judgment.

A big part of tapping into genius is, for me, having the patience to wait for, and work toward, inner alignment before forcing an action or idea onto someone else.
In other words, I attempt to fully believe in something myself before expecting someone else to do it.

I know that we are all on this planet to learn and I do my best to remember this when I am engaged with my students, family, and friends.

So the next question is, “What do you think?”

For more amazing cartoons by Darrell Fusaro, click on the link: www.darrellfusaro.com