"The flow of creativity feels like an avalanche of joy and wonder. Being open to that possibility creates connections with everything." - Feline Dreamers

Monday, October 05, 2009

Mystick

The essence of grace
And independent spirit -
Mystick will be missed.




Our dear young feline friend and companion, Mystick Quickpaw Followcat Shields, has suddenly left the Earth plane. He was born on April 8, 2006, and was killed by a car in the wee hours of Friday, October 2, 2009. Perhaps he's now frolicking with Huzzah in the green fields of the Summerlands.

Mystick was a majestic and elegant tuxedo cat who was the guardian of Whippoorwill Lane. He was the king of the barn, and adopted Aunt Peg into his immediate family. He liked to follow us when we went for walks in the woods. Mystick was an accomplished hunter, and kept the barn and grounds (mostly) free of rodents.

When Mystick came home from one of his many adventures, he always smelled really good - like pine or woodsmoke or flowers, or even chocolate chip cookies. He loved catnip, and playing with his canine friend Star. When he came in, he'd race us up the stairs to get his dinner. He had a beautiful long black tail, and expansive white whiskers. Mystick liked to have the area around his whiskers scratched, but he would let you know when he was done being petted. There are so many things I love about sweet Mystick, but the suddenness of his departure has left me at a loss for words. Instead, I'll let these pictures speak for me.











Thursday, October 01, 2009

Supporting Passions

Dryst is a jock. He absolutely loves being active with his body, and especially adores team sports. This despite the fact that neither parent is sports-oriented. I've never had an interest in such pursuits, to the point where I used to avoid anything to do with sports (though watching your own kids play is actually pretty fun). His Dad, while he can talk sports with the guys and is athletic on the hippie end of the spectrum, doesn't really keep up with the local and regional teams, unlike many men his age.

Ever since Dryst's first experience playing soccer on our town's recreational team when he was six, he's wanted to be out there on the field. Since then, he's played soccer, basketball, baseball (which was too slow-moving for him) and lacrosse. His goal is to get a college sports scholarship. A couple of years ago we were told that a three-sport athlete is more valuable to colleges, so he dropped baseball and discovered lacrosse, which he loves.

The past couple of soccer seasons have been disappointing for him. Last year he had good coaches, but our local travel league didn't have enough boys his age, so they ended up playing kids a year older. The size differences alone were significant, and he was discouraged that his team couldn't keep up. This year, there was no local team his age, so he's playing for a neighboring town. But he got put on the second team, since the first team is already full of kids that have been playing together for a while, and he's not being challenged as much as he should.

We recently received some information about a premier team being organized, and that would mean year-round soccer, along with skills training and playing in tournaments. These teams are great for player development, which is what he wants. But they're also a big commitment, in both time and money. He'd be playing or practicing 3 days a week, and we're trying to figure out how he can continue to pursue basketball and lacrosse. Premier leagues generally cost upwards of $1000. for the year, and the team's home base is about a 15 minute drive from our house.

It's important to me to support the kids' passions, and to also be realistic about what they can handle. If he's serious about playing college sports, then this is definitely the time to get more dedicated to his playing, and we're willing to make it work in terms of time and money. Yet having too much on his plate wouldn't be fun...and unschooling is all about enjoying what you do. He could quit if he got tired of it, but he's always been concerned about not letting his team down. That's not something we've overtly taught him, but an ethic he's absorbed by playing team sports over the years. If he commits to this, he'll most likely want to carry it through for the whole year.

I think it's really cool that Dryst found something he's so excited about and loves to do. A passion is a wonderful thing, and we'll help him follow it as far as he wants. And no matter what happens, he's learning and growing as he moves through his experience.