October 19 is A “Most Excellent” Birthday

Hau‘oli la hanau means Happy Birthday!

Just as April says, birthdays are our favorite holidays.  “Yours, mine, theirs - all of them.  There is something grand about a party that is had simply because you were born.”

And there is something grand about the words which pour out of that life now born. There is something grand about the learning which tumbles out thoughtfully, and yes, joyfully.

Can you guess whose birthday it is today when you read their words?

Clue number one;

Do you remember what the dormouse said?  If ever there was an anthem to inspire learning...

Not sure about you, but I have an insatiable desire to learn, to learn selective stuff.  For me it's stuff that pertains to the connected generation, Purple Cow marketing, business change, design as it applies to Dan Pink's Conceptual Age, innovation and, in general, what inspires people to be passionate about their work.

And surely you remember Jimmy;

Once, one of Jimmy's daughters won a bag full of goldfish at the carnival.   Not wanting to keep the fish, Jimmy suggested that they flush the fish down the toilet.  He reasoned to his daughter that the fish would eventually make it out of the sewer system to the Lake.  She didn't buy it and was more than concerned for their safety.  Jimmy then asked if it'd be okay to release them into the Creek.  She agreed.  By this point the fish had taken up a few hours of his time, but he invested just a bit more and drove the fish to the Creek.  He spent a few more minutes looking for just the right release point.  He then set the fish free...only to have everyone of them eaten by bigger fish within thirty seconds.

Need another?

Jimmy was helping Annie write an e-mail.  Looking over her shoulder, he instructed her to open up a new screen.  Annie clicked her mouse four times.  Jimmy was incredulous.  He gently asked her to close that screen and allow him to take over the mouse.  He directed the mouse to the new mail icon and clicked once, bringing up a new e-mail screen.

...the Spark lit up Annie's eyes and the residual heat radiated warmth throughout her body.  Her smile leapt from her body and buried itself into Jimmy's soul.

The Spark is the ever so slightest exchange of information that can awaken one's universe and bring gamma rays of delight to the other.

Okay, I bet this one is the give-away!

As a guide of learning, it's my job to uncover the layers of dirt by means of clear articulation and discourse driven to provoke thought. 

Once learning-potentiality surfaces it blossoms into ability.  And I believe that everyone has the ability to do wonderful things.  We can all be guides of learning.  Think about someone who needs a few layers of dirt unearthed from their fossil.  What would it take to turn them onto a book, send them an article, send them a link or drop them an e-mail? 

Close your eyes and imagine a network of people tuned into digging up fossils.  Imagine the vibrancy of knowledge exchange.  Imagine the glowing vista of growth and development.  Imagine this network evolving.  Now, slowly open your eyes and look out towards the horizon.  Can you see the vast mounds of dirt?  Can you feel the pulsating beat of learning?  Sure you can.  And you know why?  Because there is here right now!

Hau‘oli la hanau Uncle Davie! We celebrate this day with you.
~ Rosa Say for Joyful Jubilant Learning

Comments

[dave]

Thank you soooo much Rosa! As old songs bring about warm memories, so do old posts that we've written.

My age today is the same number as the number that has been throwing itself at me for going on two years now. There hasn't been one day that has gone by when this number hasn't appeared in my day -since the end of 2005. Usually it is a couple of times. One day last week it was ten times before 2pm.

Here is an example. I wrote a post that is set to launch at my site today at 6:30 p.m. est. I needed to figure out how long my dad had worked in the grocery biz. So I took the age he retired (65) and subtracted how old he was when he started (14). Ironically (which really it isn't anymore), that number corresponds to the exact amount of years ago today that I was born. This is one of those puzzles like subtracting the number five from the year when Hawaii became a state :-)

Life is good.

[Rosa Say]

Yes Dave, life is good, especially with you in it. Happy birthday, and mahalo for all you give to us here in the joyful celebration of your life so well lived and shared.

[Karen Wallace]

Happy Birthday Dave! Wishing you a "glowing vista of growth and development..." as you celebrate this special day.

Your birthday is a day after another of our very special writers here at JJL - so can I just jump in and say a belated Happy Birthday for the 18th to Chris Owen?!

[Steve Sherlock]

Happy Birthday Dave, you are just a youngster!

Keep at it. Remember you will never be this young again so enjoy every second of it.

Belated BD greetings to Chris. Two days late now since you are so far ahead of us way down under!

[dave]

Thank you for that colorful wish Karen!

And thank you Steve - for shedding light on the perspective of time :-)

Happy belated b-day Chris!

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Happy belated birthday Dave! Hope you enjoyed your big day and all that's to come as you keep your learning going for another year! Here's to continued growth and prosperity!