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TV, you are evil. You are nefarious. And I remember why I have kept my distance from you for so many years, and why I’ve kept you out of my Guatemalan home. You lie to me, steal from me, and cloud my mind. You are so deceptive that, just yesterday, I almost went out and and purchased a box of Tampax Tampons just because you made them look so cool! But after I realized that I don’t actually use tampons, I finally decided to save the money.

But this is one of your favorite things to do, isn’t it? You are so good at making people buy things we don’t need. Like those Jordans I bought when I was in middle school and high school. I never NEEDED those. But oh, the commercials you made seduced me. The ones with Spike Lee and Jordan. The ones with him flying through the air. What kid wouldn’t want to fly? And this lured me into spending more money than my family could ever afford. Come to think of it, my mom must hate you as much as I do. Her kids crying and screaming because we just HAD to have those shoes. “I wanna be like Mike, mommy!!!” we would yell.

I wasn’t like Mike though. No, instead I was a self-conscious little brat who didn’t figure out how to ignore materialistic temptation until I was in my 20’s. Just imagine, I could’ve been stronger, and I could’ve had more confidence in myself if you weren’t telling me how much I sucked with every reality television show, with every million-dollar commercial, with every subliminal message.

And this is only one reason why you are rubbish, TV. I don’t even want to get started on the amount of time we waste listening to your nonsense. Instead of learning to play the guitar, or learning to draw, or learning a new language, you want to know what I learned growing up! I learned all of the characters names on Full House, Saved by the Bell, and 90210. I learned that Sam Beckett can travel through time and become a woman, or even an African-American. Information that’s never, ever going to help me in the future. All the while I could have learned about poverty, or even where different countries are located in this never-ending, fascinating world of ours. But you keep this simple and basic, so people don’t question and aren’t curious. It’s no wonder why so few people know when the Civil War started, or which countries were involved in World War II, or why children are such poor readers today.

I could go on. Matter of fact, I will. You also cripple the creativity of the youth. You keep family members from having full, enriching conversations. And you mislead us into thinking the world is a certain way. We learn to fear people of different cultures because of the lies you tell about them. We learn to love war because you romanticize it. And instead of showing us people completing positive, courageous acts…you show us a tiger escaping from a zoo and killing a man; you show us a woman who stabbed her husband because he looked at a gift too early; you show us celebrities who have been in and out of prison or drug rehab.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! Instead, you could show people who are volunteering their time in different countries, and children who are doing extraordinary things on a daily basis. But that’s not news, right? Who wants to hear about a group of middle school students raising money for Darfur, Sudan? Who wants to hear about Peace Corps volunteers all over the globe?

TV, you have so much potential to change the world in a positive way. If only you’d see how beautiful you could be. But wait…would there be any money in that?

As if traveling to California, Oregon, Washington, and Iowa weren’t enough for the holidays, American Airlines has decided that I should stop for a night in Texas as well. It must be one of their frequent flier rewards programs. “At American Airlines, we know you have very little desire to see your family on Christmas, so if you fly with us, we promise to delay most of our flights so that you end up in random cities like Dallas, Texas. Here you’ll enjoy such attractions as continental breakfast and an unforgettable view of the airport. Fly American, and live the dream!”

So tonight, instead of making it home to Iowa, instead of seeing my family, I will be lodging alone with my books and my laptop. Since the plane I was scheduled to be on malfunctioned, not in the air at least, they had to switch planes which has caused a two hour delay. And, as a result of the two hour delay, I will miss my connecting flight which leaves an hour before I get there. Maybe I’ll get there in time to watch it take off though.

But it could be worse I suppose. It could be a lot worse. Like the men and women last night who were standing outside of the Salvation Army here in Portland. There must have been more than 50 people waiting outside in the cold and the rain, trying to find somewhere to stay for the night. And how ridiculous it would be for me to complain about a night’s stay in a hotel, paid for by someone else.

I suppose I could allow myself to get irate. Let my emotions take over and become furious because things aren’t working out EXACTLY as I had planned them! Or…I could relax, go with the flow, and remind myself that even though I’m coming down with a cold, even though I’ve been sitting in the Portland airport for three hours, and even though I’ll be spending the night before Christmas Eve in Dallas, alone in a hotel, I actually have it pretty damn good.

Oh…here are some pictures from Oregon and Washington.

Four years ago, almost to the day, I moved out to California to begin teaching. I didn’t move here to be close to the beach, or for the warmer weather, or even to make new friends. My main purpose for moving all the way from Iowa to California was simple: I wanted to develop as a teacher, and I wanted to have an impact on the children I taught.

Now, four years later, as I take a vacation from my teaching assignment in Guatemala, I am back visiting my old students. Sure I’m here to see friends, and people I taught with, but my main purpose once again is not for that. I’m here to see my students.

And on Friday of last week, at their high school in Rialto, I was able to see so many of them. Students who are now Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen came running up to me with huge smiles and open arms. They told me about their college plans, grades they’ve received, teachers they like and those they don’t, girls/boys they’ve dated and broken up with, friends they’ve lost and gained, and what clubs or sports they’re involved with. And as they shared stories about their lives with me, they also told me something else that will stay with me forever. They told me, simply in the way they approached me, that I did have an impact on them, and that my teaching made a difference. Whether it was the letter that one student wrote, or the t-shirt another student gave me, or even the tears that were shed, my old students showed me that my time here in California was important to them.

And I’m back here visiting my former students so that they know how important they are to me. This is my way to show all of them that they’ve impacted my life and my teaching, and that I’m forever grateful. The bond I have with them is more like a bond you’d have with a family member or friend, and by coming to their high school, all the way from Guatemala, I hope they understand how far I would go to help them if they ever needed it.

I came here to California with a purpose, and I feel like I’m achieving that purpose over and over again.

It’s 10:15 in the morning, on the 10th of December.  I’m doing a little work in my classroom before I leave for the U.S. tomorrow afternoon.  And as I was hanging up different quotes on the wall, a Mason Jennings song inspired me to write.  One line in particular says, “And brother you should know, that there is no one in this world who feels no pain.”  It’s from his song, “Student of this Life” and it has prompted me to make a list of things I’ve learned over time in my short life.

1.  Everyone suffers and feels pain regardless of how much money they have, or how they appear on the outside.

2.  We can minimize our suffering, or increase our suffering depending on little decisions we make every day.

3.  Love is far more powerful than hate.

4.  We learn the most through experience.

5.  Everyone wants to be loved and respected.

6.  Death is inevitable; living a meaningful life is not.  We must work constantly at making our lives benefit the soul of the world.

7.  We all have a certain amount of energy, and when we use it to help others, our energy level increases.  When we use it selfishly, our energy level depletes.

8.  Dancing is good for the soul.

9.  What we eat impacts who we are.

10.  What we listen to impacts who we are.

11.  We need to be careful about the people we surround ourselves with.  Certain friendships are not always healthy.

12.  In order to not lose perspective, we need constant reminders.

13.  Every moment matters.

14.  Happiness is not temporary.  A happy person finds meaning in the most mundane situations.

15.  Show children respect and allow them to follow their own destinies.  Don’t force them into following yours.

16.  Love EVERYONE, even if we don’t always like what they do.

17.   Our actions DO change the world.

18.  BE ARTISTIC!

19.  Inspire yourself and others; be open to inspiration.

20.  Stop…to think…from time to time…

“I heard a nice little story the other day,” Morrie says. He closes his eyes for a moment and I wait.

“Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air, until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.
‘My god, this is terrible,’ the wave says. ‘Look what’s going to happen to me!’

“Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, ‘Why do you look so sad?’

“The first wave says, ‘You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?’

“The second wave says, ‘No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of the ocean.’ ”

I smile. Morrie closes his eyes again.

“Part of the ocean,” he says, “part of the ocean.” I watch him breathe, in and out, in and out.

- Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom