We're currently reading Pollyanna, and Pollyanna's response to her new music lesson-reading lesson-cooking lesson-sewing lesson schedule got me thinking.
"Oh, but Aunt Polly, Aunt Polly, you haven't left me any time at all just to–to live."
"To live, child! What do you mean? As if you weren't living all the time!"
"Oh, of course I'd be BREATHING all the time I was doing those things, Aunt Polly, but I wouldn't be living. You breathe all the time you're asleep, but you aren't living. I mean living–doing things you want to do: playing outdoors, reading (to myself, of course), climbing hills, talking to Mr. Tom in the garden, and finding out all about the houses and the people and everything everywhere . . . That's what I call living, Aunt Polly. Just breathing isn't living."
Pollyanna is right.
And I have to ask myself:
In the middle of the
plans
lessons
agendas
programs
schedules
Do they have time to live?
I have found that in transitioning to a delight-directed style of learning my children are finding more and more time to
-
be curious
-
ask questions
-
find answers
- study what they want to study
They are really living.
And I love it.
Love this quote. So very true. And another book I forgot about and need to remember.
Thank you so much. I have been so stressed lately about making sur emy girls are getting “enough” of everything a and it’s been making me physically and mentallly exhauster. I really needed to read this post reminding me it’s equally important be active in your life in ohter ways too.
Tweeted, shared, and pinned! Love this!
(PS-I also just stumbled upon your blog today. Had no idea you were behind HSS! I’ve been using that site for YEARS and love it. Thank you for putting it together and doing all the hard work, to make homeschooling a little bit easier for the rest of us. ♥)