You might imagine a blogger's world as being an isolated affair with an inanimate computer as sole company. Though thanks to the instantaneous speed of email, texting and Facebook live chat (yes, I actually am liking one or two things about my recent, reluctant foray into FB-land) I'm more connected to my regular readers than ever before.
It's a pretty cool way to keep in touch with what entertains, informs and peaks the interest of growing ranks of Sonoma Country Life friends and fans. Many of whom, entice me to get out into the real world with little excuse!
Take Rachel, for instance. Rachel and I go way back. We do indeed manage an occasional face to face outside of the SoCo Life blogosphere - on a somewhat regular basis. That basis being within the capacity of frequent school field trips for which we have both shown a fearless, undiagnosed tendency to have repeatedly volunteered ourselves as drivers.
Sixth grade field trips might very well be the most challenging for the volunteer driver, especially one who spends large parts of her days more typically ensconced in the tranquil surrounds of cyberspace. Selflessness, patience, a packed-lunch, sneaked coffee drinks, a steady sense of humor and nerves of steel required. And I do write with some authority here, this being my third offspring to rise through the ranks of elementary school. After sixth grade, I've discovered it's generally all over in the department of extra-curricular cultural enrichment outside of school. Unless said offspring are intermittently tricked into familial outings into museum-land.
Chances are, if a student hasn't developed an appreciation of arts, culture and history by the age of 12, standard schooling has missed out on the most significant period in an impressionable young person's life.
Take last week's field trip to the soon-to-close King Tut exhibit at San Francisco's state-of-the-art De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs (you have until March 28th to visit the fabulous artifacts of the Egyptian boy king) was a no-brainer (pardon the pun) on the sign-up sheet for drivers.
Three of the six adolescents in my vehicle were entirely plugged into their ipods while texting one-another as they sat side by side on our freeway approach toward extreme culture-exposure. Somewhat of a discouraging sign, though admittedly, the remaining 50% displayed varying degrees of enthusiasm towards impending expedition without a technological aid.
The museum had given strict instructions to bookend groups of six (out of 60) 11 and 12-year-old students with parent chaperone's throughout the entire multi-chamber, dimmed exhibit. Let's just say that ideal somewhat swiftly went the way of the 'don't climb over the car seats' request. Tuning out the world at large has not done much for the historically-poor, standard tween approach to rule following and respect.
Am I ranting? Guess this is why it took a prompt today from Rachel to post the great pic she'd snapped on her iphone from the Observation Tower at the top of the De Young. I clearly hadn't quite finished personally disseminating the audacity of a couple of young charges in my care. The tutu, I could take in my stride. Another one in particular had loudly declared to her companions (as she assertively re-inserted her i.pod ear phones in readiness for the car ride back north) that the day had been: "such a total waste of time". Her time, note, not mine, or that of any one else in the car. Gratifying response came from her fellow five passengers, it seemed that little miss techno-ready was at least in the minority.
Before I had a chance to pounce from my position in the driver's seat and remind her of her manners and the benefits of expanding one's horizons past the history of American Idol, a sense of juvenile awe expressed by her companions and their basic appreciation of having experienced something quite compelling and inexplicably rich kept the texting at bay. At least for the rest of the journey.
Thanks Rachel for the photo and for being there on so many of life's enthralling parenting expeditions. After all, stretching the cultural muscles of our youth is every bit as critical as keeping them physically fit, well-fed and mentally poised.
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