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What the 3rd Grader Knew Wishing You Renewed Self-Clarity in 2010 & Beyond By Marie Elwood, Brand Marketing Consultant  December 29, 2009 - Speed Dial Issue 12

“Now I can look at you, Mr. Loomis, and see you a man who done forgot his song.  Forgot how to sing it.  A fellow forget that and he forgot who he is. Forget how he’s supposed to mark down life.”   

- August Wilson (Pulitzer Prize- & Tony Award-winning playwright)

 
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And so when I was eight, my braids would whip against my cheeks in wild applause when I ran, and no one could ever catch me.  I knew everything about horses, and Lord be merciful, I mean ev-ery-thing.  I read each and every Nancy Drew, Little House on the Prairie, Black Stallion, and Narnia; my fingers would fly across the pages as my mind raced into new worlds. I wrote my own stories, sold them for five or ten cents, and used the money to buy “real” books for our class library. And as long as Susan & Tammy were my friends, Patty could try to skoosh me off her seat on the bus, kick my bookbag onto the dirty floor, and whisper ugly things about me and I would only tighten my jaw and lift my head higher, when I was eight. 

Thirty years removed and in many ways, I am not so far from that child. On days when I feel the smothering fog of time, pressure, and responsibilities try to dissipate who I am and how I want to live my life,
I remember what the third grader knew. 

So this is my wish for you in 2010 and beyond, that you remember your song and sing it at the top of your lungs, that you mark down the life you want to live with purpose, courage, and peace.  

Happy New Year to each of you, my readers and friends.  

- Marie

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