In other news…

Y’know, sometimes, you need to just stop for a dandelion break.

So today, after teaching religious school, I took my niece and her friend to Peak Experiences to get myself back into shape for rock climbing. The girls climbed four times each, taking about an hour or so, and my hands hurt, my arms hurt, and my legs are starting to hurt.

But damn, I feel good.

The first step on the road towards getting back into shape. I also suggested to Sorena that she tell her mother I’d like to try to do something athletic every Sunday. Next week: Rollerskating, if Sorena manages to finish her homework in time to get a few hours to herself on Sunday.

I went slightly off-diet this weekend, but hey, I’m still mostly sticking to it. Sugar and fats are way down, snacking is down, salads for lunch, and now, a hot-air popcorn popper awaits its first low-cal, low-fat batch. Well, tonight, probably. Dinner first.

See, this is why I’m never going to be one of the super-high-traffic blogs. I’d rather talk about getting back to rock-climbing, or what I did in class today, than get all exercised over Hollywood’s South Park double standard.

Oh, class today: It’s our turn for CARITAS, but this year’s group is not a good one to expose nine-year-olds to, so instead, we contributed some of the food for the dinner, and my students wrote 35 notes to put into lunch bags, mostly of the “I hope you have a great day” variety. Then we discussed the concept of tzedakah, which they’re all pretty well-versed in. Children are generally intensely generous. They’re willing to give their own toys to children who have none. I have yet to have a student who does not want to help people who are less fortunate. Last year’s class really enjoyed preparing and serving (and eating!) dinner. This year’s class enjoyed the concept of surprising people when they open their lunches.

One of the things I love about teaching: No matter what is going on in the world, and no matter how hard things are, my students always — always — make me smile.