“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” ~ Joseph Chilton Pearce

I had five strikes against me:  Strike 1 - I am a substitute teacher for the New York City Department of Education.  We all know what Substitute translates to in kidspeak: “Anarchy!”  Strike 2 - 6th graders, 11 years old, prepubescent, Generation Alpha.  Gen X meets Gen Alpha.  They’re smart, sassy, and have unlimited energy.  I brought dates in for my morning snack.  “Anyone here like dates?” I asked to stir a little small talk.  One of my little girl students, family from Pakistan said:  “Mr. Chris, instead of eating dates, you should get a date!”  O-U-C-H.   

Strike 3 - I was the 6th sub for the school year.  Strike 4  – the subject was social studies, which I love. How do you make social studies interesting and electric for 7-9 hours a week for each class of 30 students.  Strike 5 – It’s springtime and all the accompanying restlessness, fighting, and dating. 

Today is June 11, recognized as the International Day of Play, a day to celebrate a right that belongs to every child…and every grown-up too: play.

History Time:

In March of 2024, the United Nations recognized what observable science documents, what parents and educators know – every little living creature needs play.  It is powerful and is critically important to growth and development.  They made June 11 the International Day of Play to remind everyone—parents, educators, even ourselves—that play, and imagination are not extras, but essentials.    

I used  the game Hot Seat as a way to incorporate movement and fun.  You have to make sure you set the boundaries.  1.  Set the boundaries. 2.  Only three passes   3.  TP – Too Personal.  Students can use that card to draw their boundaries.  4.  Give the students time to create questions and require that they incorporate history questions from material covered that week.  5.  Interject historical questions ever so often with the kid’s questions because they always strayed from subject:

1. Who’s your op?

2. ·Which superpower?  Invisibility or Flying?

3. ·Do you like girls?

4. ·Do you like boys?

5. ·Did you date_____?

Monsters and Magic in Talk About the Monster

Today is a call to protect the simple joy of running around, dancing, building, acting, pretending, laughing, and yes, sometimes being afraid. 

In Talk About the Monster, I created a monster and a little girl, both of whom live in the shadows of fear.  But the hero wasn’t the one who fought it.  The hero was the one who talked it out, who gave words to that swirling unknown.  That’s play, too.  It’s theater of the heart.  It’s not even saying, “I feel scared,” and sliding into a costume of bravery.  It’s just getting our children into the practice of describing everything they see, say, feel, think, even in a neutral space or a time with no intensity, so that when the sticky times occur, the child has the practice of exercising that mental and emotional muscle.  Through this exercise, we give voice to what’s often left unspoken.

A Story from Today

One sunny afternoon, with permission, I took the kids outside to kick the ball and run around while answering history questions about the Law of Hammurabi.  To see them run around screaming under a blue sky, clouds, and sun made my week. 

 Play reconnects us to wonder.

• Play reminds us that not knowing is simply part of the adventure.

• And play? It’s where the monster shrinks and your power to imagine grows.

Your Invitation (Yes, You)

 In honor of today, here’s a simple challenge:

1. Find one small moment to play, even if it’s just in your mind. Jump rope, draw a world, tell a silly story… or whisper to a monster inside you.

2. Talk about it. Say what you feel, out loud or in your head.

3. Celebrate every giggle, every step, even the ones that tremble.

That’s it. No spotlight. No pressure. Just a choice to remember how essential play is—to children, to us, and to the monsters we name and tame.

A Final Thought

If Talk About the Monster brought one whisper of courage to a child - or reminded an adult to play -then today it belongs in that parade of playfulness too.  So go on.  Really - find a way to play today and talk about the monster while you're at it because every child's right to play is every grown-up’s invitation to grow.

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]]>International Day Of Play: Turning Giggles Into Courage, One Monster At A TimeMistofer ChristopherTue, 27 May 2025 22:21:22 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/get-caught-reading-month-unleashing-the-power-of-storytime-to-overcome-fear5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:68362d8539839a138dfdd94fWhere

New York City

Metropolitan Museum of Art

83rd Street and 5th Avenue

Metropolitan Museum of Art

2rd Floor, Ancient Near East Exhibit

Circa 2016

Who
3 children ages 9-12, 10 Adults

It was a three hour tour, “The Woman and The Offspring.”  We were 2 ¼ hours in, the kids were exhausted but engaged and I was trying to pull out every teaching trick, joke, technique from my secret book: “Never Let Them Yawn” to keep the children constantly engaged.  One of my fundamental principles in giving any presentation, tour, lecture, when families including children with adults, are present is to keep the children absolutely engaged while sprinkling intellectual bombs for the parents.  Once you lose the children, the parents become anxious and distracted, and the presentation implodes. 

I walked into the gallery and stood next to the 4 foot by 3 foot gypsum alabaster relief discovered in Sennacherib’s Nineveh.  I looked at the adults; I looked at the kids, good kids, but tired kids.  We had just finished lunch and biology was now taking over.  Sleep trumps secular and biblical history, art, and 5,000 years of antiquity compressed in a majestic museum.  They leaned on their parents.  A little whine escaped from one little girl: “Maaaa-om!”  I paused, looked at the group and said:  “Storytime!”

Instantaneously all the children, from the different families charged to the front of the group, dropped to the floor directly in front of me, crossed their legs and looked up in anticipation.  Their eyes - wide open, filled with rapture, and no remnant of a yawn was left.  The energy completely shifted in the room and the electricity was palpable.  Even the adults were taken aback as they observed how this one word, Storytime, had transformed the whole dynamic of the gallery and the people.  The whole event harkened back to grade school, when the teacher uttered the same word, “Storytime” and all the children charged to the front of the class, placed a cushion on the floor, and gathered around the teacher to see and hear about “all the places we will go.”  

Why Reading Matters in Childhood

Do you remember the first time a storybook transported you to the big rock candy mountain with marshmallow clouds and honey dripped sun stained forests? That’s the magic we want for our children.  Reading doesn’t just teach phonics, letters, sounds, and the organization of thoughts.  It sprinkles imagination flakes, strengthens emotional iq, and empowers kids‘ imagination and reality to grab that spotlight to explore even the darkest room, the back of the cluttered closet, or under the bed where that Sock Goblin collects just one sock from every pair.  By giving children words for everything they see, feel, hear and imagine, we transform a blank canvas, with possible abstract emotions and feelings, into the start of ordered thoughts and communication.  We can turn fear into understanding, confusion into curiosity, and bedtime into a grand expedition.

Besides Building Confidence and Curiosity, The Math Behind Reading

When kids learn new words, it’s like giving them a big glass cookie jar.  Every word or expression grabbed is a small victory that they can store forever in their growing minds.  Instead of saying “I’m happy,”  they are saying “I am exhilarated.”  Instead of saying “It was nice”, they are saying “It was wonderful.”  Instead of saying “I’m kinda scared”, they are saying “I’m petrified by the partially cracked closet door, because I don’t know what’s behind it even though I know it’s just clothes. Mom.”  This kind of verbal dexterity turns fear into a manageable process of sorting emotions, gathering words, fun, confusion, curiosity, figuring out, and impromptu karaokes and lessons in phonics.

The numbers speak volumes according to a study called: “The Million Word Gap”.   Parents who read 1 picture book with their children every day provide their children with exposure to an estimated 78,000 words each year. Cumulatively, over the 5 years before kindergarten entry, we estimate that children from literacy-rich homes hear a cumulative 1.4 million more words during storybook reading than children who are never read to.

Based on these calculations, here’s how many words kids would have heard by the time they were 5 years old:

• Never read to, 4,662 words;

• 1-2 times per week, 63,570 words;

• 3-5 times per week, 169,520 words;

• Daily, 296,660 words;

• Five books a day, 1,483,300 words.

Emotional Literacy: Naming the Monster (Literally and Figuratively)

In 2019 I published a children’s book entitled “Talk About The Monster”.  It’s the story of a little girl who wakes up in the middle of the night and sees the knobs of her dresser, or is it the eyes of a monster?  The picture book journeys with the child using whimsical words and rhymes to navigate what they observe and the feelings they are experiencing.  The premise of the book is to engage children and stimulate them to put words to everything they see.  If children can do that on an everyday basis without fear when fear or anxiety comes, and it will, they already have the framework of speaking and placing words to describe what they see, feel hear, observe, and sense.

“Talk About The Monster” isn’t your standard…”Once upon a time.”  It’s sprinkled with silly prompts like:

Picture:

The illustrations by the talented Michael Hogan feature whimsical, Seussical moments when the monster interacts with the little girl and showcases not just the emotions of the little girl but also the monster who is trying to navigate what it is feeling as well.   Naming these emotions on these vivid illustrations slots them into the story arcs they can control and add to their repertoire of vocabulary.  When you invite your child to talk about every creak, chat, smell and shadow you turn bedtime theatrics into delightful dialogue.  Look for the hidden “easter eggs” in the paintings that will have you cry-laughing,

Literacy Campaign Strategies That Even Big Foot and Loch Ness Approve

• Stage a “Monster and Me” read-aloud when kids and plush dragons swap favorite lines during Get Caught Reading Month.

• Set up a “Whimsical Words” wall—decorate sticky notes with real and silly words and adjectives like “anxious”, “exhilarated”, “concerned”,  “glitter-snorting” and “moonwalking.”

• ·Host a “Get Caught Reading” photo booth with absurd props: giant glasses, top hats, hand puppets, and inflatable book-shaped guitars.

This May, flood social feeds with your most whimsical reading moments—maybe it’s Dad with a clown face reading about broccoli, or your cat commandeering the newspaper.  Better yet, let reading become a part of your life, and let your kids see you stop, pause, and read a book.

One of the greatest compliments I ever received was after a reading of Talk About The Monster to a class of students, a mom texted me a few weeks later and explained that:  “I haven’t gotten the book yet, but my son was anxious over something that was happening to him, and he woke up one morning and said: ‘Mom, I think it’s time we talk about the monster.’”

If this blog resonated with you, please share it with others and comment below telling us your favorite children’s book, or what you are presently reading.  Consider purchasing Talk About The Monster and let’s help kids everywhere talk about what they see, hear, feel, think, sense and let’s keep on talking about the monster… and bring it down to size.  

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]]>Get Caught Reading Month: Unleashing The Power of Storytime To Overcome FearMistofer ChristopherTue, 05 Nov 2024 21:35:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/red-hair-dont-caremonsters-beware5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:672a87c5f6db9b6ec6606f9e

Oh yeah…National Redhead Day!  The day all redheads worldwide unite and say: “Yes we are magical!” and everyone else smiles politely and nod in unison in respectful agreement.  With statisticians and scientists saying between 1% and 2% or the world’s population sport red natural hair, or 70 – 140 million people, they truly are one of the miracles of the miraculous human race and making it the rarest hair color in the world.  Beyond their eye-riveting crimson hair, redheads have an accompanying set of fascinating traits like higher sensitivity to temperature, and a slightly superhuman level tolerance to pain with their higher pain threshold.

But today on National Redhead Day, while we stop and politely stare at their ruby lava locks. I want to share a bit about a project I embarked on in 2017/2018 with the talented artist and Renaissance Man, Michael Hogan.  This journey started with a simple idea and turned into a story that transcends hair, color, age, gender and background - “Talk About The Monster.”

This children’s story and app featured a multi-racial, racially ambiguous little girl who wakes up to her fear, the monster, and her journey to a place of peace.  She teaches readers that facing life’s “monsters” can be easier when we use a tool in our toolbox - just keep talking.  Always talk, describe, ponder, speak, think of what you see, how you feel, what you notice, what you don’t feel, what you don’t see.  Just keep trying to put words to it.

WARNING: “Talk About The Monster” isn’t just for kids who want a bedtime story, and they drop off to sleep.  Parents have texted me and said they have had to read the story 2, 3, 4 times in one night; one parent said “6 times because it delighted their little one. Shout out to parents to develop a love for reading in your children.  Talk About The Monster is a story for children that carries an important lesson:  “Silence is not 24 Carat, when it comes to worries and fear and…monsters.  The monster in the book is the stand in for the fears and challenges that kid’s face, from school pop quizzes to the big bully in 4th grade, to the three-headed Broccoli dwarf sitting on the dinner plate soggy because mommy didn’t al dente.

The message is simple: Talk, share, express. Because when our little red-haired heroine faces her monster, she does what most adults forget to do—she talks.  And with each conversation, she gets stronger, grows in understanding of herself, her feelings, even the monster and what it is, and its journey and the monster gets a little smaller, proving that words are powerful.

Why This Matters, Even for Grown-Ups

Now, you might be thinking, “Isn’t this just for kids?”  Absolutely not.  One minute you’re five and worried about a shadow under your bed that is a known gorilla, the next you’re thirty-five and stressing over a work presentation with 500 gorillas looking at you. Communication is a lifelong superpower, and it’s never too late to learn.

Michael Hogan’s art brought our precious heroine to life with humor, courage, and a twinkle in her eye that practically shouts, “Come at me, monster!” (But in a friendly way). His talent added depth to every scene, making it clear that this little girl, with her wild curls and boundless curiosity, isn’t just facing monsters—she’s teaching all of us how to handle them, one word and rhyme at a time.

On this National Redhead Day, let’s celebrate and appreciate the magic of red hair and the lessons that keep us talking, growing, and laughing.  And if you want to know more about my journey with “Talk About the Monster” or our other projects, head over to the House of Mistofer Christopher.  Remember life’s too short not to talk about the monster – or escort them out your house. 

What’s your monster? Start talking… Bring it down to size. :-)

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]]>Red Hair, Don't Care...Monster's BewareMistofer ChristopherTue, 02 Apr 2024 22:15:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/deep-belly-breaths-and-irish-crabs-international-childrens-book-day5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:660c23731705c94f9be3b408

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”

In our southeast “The Queens” backyard, first base was the evergreen tree about 10 feet away from home plate which was underneath Grandma’s window.  Second base was the back fence.  The hot corner, third base, was the yellow azalea bush, and home was home.  A stake was a bat, a blue handball was the hardball, and that, ladies and gentlemen, was the show.  I was team one, kid twin sis was team two, and we would load up the bases with invisible runners after each hit.

Imagination, the gift: crucial for human development - drives creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, prepares for following simple direction, builds expressive and reactionary language and unleashes the palate of emotions and how to navigate through them. 

The Harvard Business review states that in the business world crises place heavy pay loads on leaders and managers.  This results in the operating response, “the instinctual “fight-or-flight” mode which narrows focus.  But less emphasized is the parasympathetic, or “rest and digest” system, where we are relaxed and can manage mental and bodily operations and can reflect.  The study said ways to turn off this mode to support reflection is:

1.     Take a few deep in breaths and longer out breaths.

2.     Take time over a meal to rest, digest and reflect.

The advice reminded me of the advice I saw on a nursery school wall in Elmhurst, Queens, where they asked me to do a live book read of my children’s book:  “Talk About The Monster.”  The sign on the wall said:

1.     PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR TUMMY.  STAY “STOP.”

2.     NAME YOUR FEELING.

3.     TAKE BELLY BREATHS.

Today is April 2, 2024, International Children’s Book Day, corresponding with the date of birth of Hans Christian Andersen, the masterful storyteller from Odense, Denmark.  He achieved worldwide fame for writing innovating and influential fairy tales like “The Ugly Duckling”, “Thumbelina”.  He was the constructor and popularizer of eventyrs - the adventure story, fairy tale, and folk tale all wrapped up in wonderful, magical, teaching moment greatness. 

If you want to read some of the 168 stories he wrote in his lifetime, click on the link below. Hans Christen Andersen Stories

The theme for the 2024 International Children’s Book Day is: “Imagination.”  One way to fire a child’s imagination is to use the gift of reading.  What was your favorite book as a child?  Please comment below to inspire our community of families and parents and educators.  Find that book and read it to your children.  Create a space for reading for them, a reading nook and make going to the library or the bookstore an adventure.  If you are a first time parent, or perhaps you were never read to as a child, it’s okay; put on your big, baggy, oversized, striped clown pants and face the monster and read away.  You can also use the infographic below to get started.

Imagination is an essential fuel to power the mind and soul of childhood.  Whether they turn into an elephant with their arms trumpeting, or as my friend’s little daughter Róisín* does, turn into an Irish Crab, walking sideways using her chelae to pinch anything in her 3 foot tall path - legs, noses, faces, butts.  Nothing escapes the path of the Dungeness!  So, if you’re chased by a dinosaur, or fighting wars behind carboard forts, let’s celebrate and stimulate our children’s amazing gift of imagination.

GIVEAWAY

Today April 2, 2024, on International Children’s Book Day, I will be giving away a signed, autographed copy of my children’s book: “Talk About The Monster” (ages 5-11 and beyond) to 3 families who participate in this challenge.

1.     Follow my IG account @ Mistofer_Christopher

2. Comment on my post on International Children’s Book day with your favorite children’s book growing up.

3.     Tag your bestie parent, friend, or teacher and share the post.

*name has been changed

References:

Harvard Business Review

https://hbr.org/2020/04/we-need-imagination-now-more-than-ever

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]]>Deep Belly Breaths and Irish Crabs - International Children's Book DayMistofer ChristopherSun, 03 Mar 2024 17:15:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/phantasmagorical-pages-of-potential-and-possibility-how-turning-pages-ignites-childrens-minds5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:65e4a2170d9d3629fd7ab814

In a world full of bubbling volcanoes, incandescent waters, auroras, both borealis and australis, lizards that walk on water, birds that dance a two step to find a mate, freshly mown grass, stripping sycamore trees, hot fudge on a vanilla ice cream mound stuck in a waffle cone upside down mountain, an invisible shroud of virtual life slowly swallows tangible sensory realities.  It is almost something out of the twilight zone, where no one speaks to each other and everyone is under the lock of a screen, mindlessly scrolling with glazed eyes and calloused fingers.  We are living in a world dominated by screens and digital distractions and the timeless act of reading holds an unparalleled almost significance, especially for our children.  The act of reading is an art form, a sacred passage, a tradition, our ancient’s identity and legacy that we cannot afford to lose and must do everything to save.  Beyond merely flipping pages, reading is a gateway to boundless imagination, cognitive development, empathy cultivation, and lifelong learning.  Let’s do a deep dive into why fostering a love for reading in children is not just a noble pursuit but an imperative one.

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.  For children, it’s a form of mental gymnastics, fostering critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and language acquisition.  As they navigate through adventures, narratives, and stories, they encounter new words, concepts, and perspectives, expanding their cognitive horizons with each turn of the page.

Each book is a passport and a flight to worlds, planets, dimensions, and perspectives beyond our own, where dragons breathe fire, or recite Shakespearean wisdom, pirates sail the open azure seas and sing opera, and dreams take flight.  By immersing themselves in stories, children exercise their imagination muscles, envisioning landscapes, characters, and scenarios that transcend the confines of reality.  They are building, one brick at a time each world they travel to.  This imaginative play not only enriches their inner worlds but also lays the foundation for creative thinking and innovation.

Through the eyes of fictional characters, children experience a spectrum of emotions— exuberant joy, sorrow, anxiety, fear, caution, amusement and love—forging empathetic connections with individuals vastly different from themselves.  By empathizing with the plethora of characters in these various stories, they learn to understand, relate to, evaluate, and respect the diverse perspectives and experiences of others, fostering emotional intelligence and compassion.

The love for reading cultivated in childhood often blossoms into a lifelong passion for learning. Children who read regularly develop a thirst for knowledge that extends far beyond the pages of storybooks.  They become curious explorers, eager to unravel the mysteries of the universe, delve into different cultures, and engage with complex ideas, propelling them on a journey of lifelong learning and personal growth.

Reading is the cornerstone of language development, serving as a bootcamp in vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.  As children encounter a diverse range of words and linguistic structures in books, they naturally expand their verbal repertoire and enhance their communication skills.  Moreover, exposure to well-crafted prose and storytelling nurtures an appreciation for the beauty, power, skill and art of language.

How to nurture a love for reading in children?

1. Start Early: Introduce books to children from a young age, making reading a natural part of their daily routine.

2. Be a Role Model:  Let children see you reading for pleasure, demonstrating that reading is enjoyable and valuable.

3. Create a Reading Environment:  Design a cozy and inviting reading nook at home, filled with books, cushions, some plush toys, and soft lighting.

4. Offer Choice:  Allow children to choose their own books based on their interests and preferences, empowering them to take ownership of their reading journey.

5. Read Aloud Together:  Share the joy of reading by reading aloud to children regularly, engaging them in interactive discussions about the story.

6. Make it Fun:  Incorporate games, activities, and storytelling techniques to make reading sessions enjoyable and interactive.

7. Visit the Library: Take regular trips to the library, allowing children to explore a wide variety of books and discover new favorites.

8. Connect Reading to Real Life: Encourage children to see reading as a valuable tool for learning about the world around them, whether through fiction or non-fiction books.

9. Celebrate Milestones: Celebrate children's reading achievements, whether it's finishing a book, mastering a new word, or exploring a new genre.

10. Foster a Positive Reading Culture: Create a supportive and encouraging environment where reading is celebrated and valued, inspiring children to develop a lifelong love of reading.

11.  Give Books As Gifts:  There’s no feeling like receiving a gift wrapped up with a note of love.  Make that gift a book!

In a world that is running on a treadmill that is on the highest setting, while the media and other elements in it throws all sorts of distractions that we have to duck, jump, and navigate around it is crucial to nurture a love for reading.  It starts with parents, educators and guardians.  You are the model, and you have the key to unlock this sacred art which will enrich your child’s soul. 

What were your favorite books growing up? Comment Below

 Mistofer Christopher is the Fractional CEO of Benu Health, author of the children’s book, app, and sing-a-long song: “Talk About The Monster”. He also teaches virtual classes of civilizations, history and ancient scrolls for adults and students.

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]]>Phantasmagorical Pages of Potential and Possibility: How Turning Pages Ignites Children’s Minds.Mistofer ChristopherSat, 02 Mar 2024 04:15:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/compliments-few-words-big-impact5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:65e29fcc30edde052443c26f

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

1. Your smile is contagious.

2. I bet you make cranky grannies laugh.

3. Thank you for you.

4. You are beautiful on the inside and outside.

5. You have the courage of your convictions.

6. Your smile lights up the room.

7. Your confidence is infectious.

8. I appreciate you.

9. You are perfect just the way you are.

10. You are enough and more.

11. On a scale from 1 to 10, you're a 100.

12. You're more fun than bubble wrap.

13. Are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile.

Something so simple, and free, and powerful when sincere. Give a sincere compliment today and everyday. What’s your favorite compliment to give? Comment Below!

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]]>"Compliments: Few Words, Big Impact."Mistofer ChristopherWed, 14 Feb 2024 05:10:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/fat-tuesday5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:65cc3e79dfd414275c747bc9

“La langue française est une femme. Et cette femme est si belle, si fière, si modeste, si hardie, touchante, voluptueuse, chaste, noble, familière, folle, sage, qu’on l’aime de toute son âme, et qu’on n’est jamais tenté de lui être infidèle. ”

English translation:  “The French language is a woman. And this woman is so beautiful, so proud, so modest, so adventurous, touching, sensual, chaste, noble, crazy, wise… that we love her with all our heart and soul. So much, that we never get tempted to be unfaithful to her.”

You know you have found the right match and masterpiece for the instrument - the bass for the Mississippi blues, the banjo for the Kentucky blue grass, the opera for the Italian, the concerto for the violin, the turntable for hip-hop, and the French for the tongue.  I remember my first international trip without my parents.  Destination Paris.  I was 19, naïve, open to awe, and saw everything with wonder glasses.  I remember the little town I stayed in with my big bro and friend Monteil.  The name was Le Blanc Mesnil, a little commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, almost 8 miles (13 Kilometers)  from city center.  The home was Guadalupian.  I felt the Caribbean warmth and one love, and the familiarity of brown people, green palm frond islands and azure seas.  This I could understand more than my three years of high school French with Dr. Sach’s and her savage red pen. (See my blog The Scarlet Letter)

Monteil’s mom set dinner in front of me on day 2, cassolette de chatrou.  She looked at me and said some phrase in french: “Tu as Faim?” I couldn’t understand the beautiful words, but I could see his mom’s pride and smile.  I looked at the plate and between the rich aroma of spices and seasonings, the earthy brown soupy tones and the thick fricassee of chives, parsley, onions garlic, all spice, I saw a slowly unfurled limb of a cephalopod emerging from center of the ocean stew.  My bro looked at me and smirked laughed at my polite processing hesitation. 

“You’ve ever had…uhhhhh?”  He asked as he searched for the word in English as I searched in mind how to eat it.  “No.”  But I’m willing to try.  I used a lilliputian fork and knife and slowly tried to cut the 10 foot tentacle into a bite-sized, manageable portion for polite consumption.   I was chewing for a long time, but it was good.  I learned my first rule of travel.  Try any food at least once.  A human has eaten it before and lived.

I had to adjust to the time change.  Monteil showed me the room where I would sleep.  He started rolling in the metallic shutters that closed off the light from the outside.  He said the sun rose early and I would need my sleep especially since tomorrow would be a big day.  “Wow!”  I was still figuring out these outside metal shutters, but with tiny holes so that the cool air of the Blanc Mesnil could filter through.  At night, on the hour, the clanging bells rang as the racing TGV trains whooshed by, their wheels clacking on the track so fast it became a hum that the sleeping, slowly conscious ear could not separate.  The haunting sound of their beastly, steel horns wafted behind like smoke filling the sleeping village with a light dusting of fernweh spirit.

Everything about France was euphoric, allokataplixisic or the fascination with novel details in a new place.  The portly French babushkas complete with her scarf tied Aunt Jemima style, shoved her way into the already packed train and popped up right under my arm as I grabbed a pole for balance.  I remember the faint, dizzying stench of armpit infiltrating the train and wondering just in case…but yes, I did shower and I did apply. Was the stereotype true?  The cobblestone streets of Paris whispered French sweet nothings, a little blond girl ran down the street to her home with a baguette, while the door slowly closed and a blast of fresh bread, pastry, dough, and love wafted into my nostrils and engaged drool.  My eyes darted from sky and architecture to poop and cobblestone.  As I swallowed a hot flaky croissant created with butter and made with french hands, I wondered about the state of the universe, is true love truly possible on vacation, and how could such a romantic city of light and love and whispers have so much brown and mush and poop?  I wondered.  The Mona Lisa was underwhelming, but I did pay my respects.  I thought in a nasally annoying American mousey voice:  “It’s so much smaller in real life.”  I remember a random statue in an obscure corner in the Louvre of a marble man nailed to a torture snake with his hands and elbows forming an upside down V instead of a T.  The sign below said…Roman torture.

I flanerayed through the Quartier Latin, and I melted at night at the top of Momarte where vendors hawked in beautiful French, “Crepes, Pain au chocolate, and Oui.”  At the top of the Sacre Couer, I saw why Paris received the nick name “The City of Light.”  The whispers of the people filled my ears:  “Par où allons-nous? »   « Où allons-nous manger mon chou? »  « Pourquoi ces touristes fous sont-ils si ennuyeux ?» 

You know a language has reached the apex of beauty and is truly a Romantic Language when you can call your lover a cabbage (ma chou), or a chicken (ma poulette), and they melt like a hot fondue complete with Comté, Beaufort, and Emmental.

Today, Tuesday February 13, 2024, is Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Carnival Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday,  the Tuesday before the Wednesday, Ash Wednesday or what the Western Churches celebrate as Lent.  Lent is a period of penitential preparation, 6 ½ weeks before the Easter Holiday celebrated by some Christian Churches.  It gives a 40 day period of fasting and abstinence (excluding Sundays) to imitate an account in the good book where Christ fasted before his public ministry.  But why FAT… TUESDAY?  To prepare for the Lent, Christians prepared pancakes to deplete their stock of eggs, milk, butter, and fat, which gave rise to Pancake day in England.  The idea was to use up all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for the denial, fasting, abstinence, and penitence. 

Others choose to give up specific pleasures and cravings such as alcohol, candies and sweets, social media during Lent to promote simplicity, self-control, discipline, and restraint.  When these desires surface, the goal is to allow them to trigger prayer and refocus.

This period though has also transformed into a festive celebration and worldwide cultural phenomenon marked with citywide revelry, elaborate parades, bacchanal, indulgence, and masquerade.  Cities Like Rio, Port a Prince, N’Orleans have become synonymous with the celebration.   What had started out as a religious tradition has become a cultural extravaganza.

In the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, New Orleans, revelers toss power faith and justice as beads of gold, green and purple from the lacy, iron grilled balconies of creole townhouses, a King is crowned, a key is presented, a cake is cut, a baby is found.  The French call it Mardi Gras.

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]]>Fat TuesdayMistofer ChristopherThu, 11 Jan 2024 14:54:56 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/permissible-syllablic-shenanigans-national-word-nerd-day5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:659ec3ad04d21c5f2f830e6e

“All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind”

I was raised in a home where there were three consistent magazine subscriptions that slid through our Southeast Queens mail slot:  The Watchtower and Awake magazines wrapped in brown cellophane paper, and the eye popping National Geographic Supernova Yellow magazine that is so renowned that the magazine’s color is added to the spectrum.   Sprinkled in the mix over the years according to my age was Cricket, Highlights, and Ranger Rick. 

One day after school, 6th grade, junior high, I remember trying to describe a new schoolmate and possible friend to my dad.  My dad asked me to tell him about this new schoolmate.  “He’s really nice, Dad, really nice” I said in a matter-of-fact manner.   “Nice son?”  my dad replied.  “Ice cream is ‘nice.’  Can you find another word to describe your classmate?”  I looked upwards scanning the universe for a word, struggling…nice, that’s all I got pop. (Italics represent my thoughts looking back from the present), I struggled to find a word, couldn’t, but it did make me think.   

If I read or heard a word in conversation that I didn’t know, I would ask dad or mom for the meaning.  “What does formidable, dichotomous, epitome, ironic mean?”  The answer was constant: “Go look it up!”  My next move would be to go to the bookcase in the living room, bottom shelf, left side, first book.  I would carefully heave the second family bible, a 75 pound, 1 foot thick with speckled pages, Webster’s New Unabridged Dictionary to search for the word, grasp it, and then add it to my arsenal…collection.

Sunday night after a spiritual morning of fellowship with the congregation, early dinner and dishes, Grandma, Mom, Dad, and Sis would gather around the dining room table, and we would play an intensely competitive, polite, quiet game of scrabble.   The next player would spin the board slowly to their position and gently lay down tiles like a savage.  We were Blackjack Vegas croupiers, forehands, and middle hands.  After each personal play we would shake that letter bag to make sure we could pluck out a good hand.  Periodically someone would clear their rack and lay down all 7 tiles with a word like vacuity or chutzpah for a 50 point bonus along with the word total.  Dad was the bookie and the accountant. He would count the tiles and track each person’s score in long columns on small paper.  This was not a place for Flibbertigibbets.  There was no space for the argle-bargle, babble gabble, gibberish or gobbledygook.  Challenges were hurled like yellow cards if someone tried to sneak in an illegal word on the sacred game board.  The Second Bible was always at the ready to ensure no one slipped up with a proper noun, abbreviation, prefixes and suffixes and hyphenated words or an apostrophe, or an even bolder move to invent words and with a poker face arrange your letters into abominations such as: Jeux, Cazh, Chesture, Crestboot, Dord, Dropellet, Pounet, Singlewave.

January 9 is National Word Nerd Day.  Regardless of the obscure origin of the day it is still a time to stretch the mind and exercise the tongue using the power of the approximate 1,000,000 words in the English Language.  Lingual purists will contest that the one million number includes the plethora of chemical names and other scientific entities.   The official word on the street Miriam Webster in the Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, together with its 1993 Addenda Section, includes some 470,000 entries.  Either way a million or a million words is a great goal to conquer when studies show average native speakers of English use 1000-3000 words in everyday speech to communicate. 

Perhaps, you like me, are a logophile (a lover of words), and the worst and best moment is when you come across a feeling, event, or idea that you simply can’t find the word for because it’s indescribable, or you have completely forgotten it, or you experience lethologica, the tip-of-the-tongue phenomena.

Lethologica:  ‘the inability to retrieve a specific word as a response to a visual, auditory, or tactile presentation.’

Perhaps the word has not been created…yet.  This fleeting angst in the moment is such a potentially beautiful workout for the brain until it becomes a nighttime obsession stealing sheep and sleep until you arrange that elusive letter combination into a word.  How can we build up our vocabulary and the vocabulary of our children in lieu of Word Nerd Day?

• Hack 1.  Word of the Day

Each day Merriam Webster supplies a word with an audible pronunciation and how to use the word in a sentence.

Why don’t you subscribe to WORD OF THE DAY and use the word in your own sentence immediately and text a friend or family?  By the way, the word for January 9 is Ominous.

Sentence:  There is an ominous weather warning for New York City with the forecast calling for 50mph winds.

• Hack 2.  Buy an epically large dictionary that you can be proud of.  Place it in a visible central location and use it.

• Hack 3.  Read the entire entry for the word you look up in the dictionary.  Please note that words can have more than one meaning, and the meaning you need for the word you are looking up may not be the first one given in your dictionary. The other meanings of the word will help expand the different ways the word can be used.   Focus as well on the etymology of the word that may appear near the beginning of the entry.  This can often provide fascinating insights as to the way the word has evolved to its current meaning.  This backstory will make learning words enjoyable and help you to remember it.

• Hack 4.  Read! Read! Read!  Select a good newspaper, a good magazine, or a good book.  How about all three.

• Hack 5.  Encourage your children to read.  See my past blog regarding reading vocabulary and children.

• Hack 6.  Buy a pocket sized journal and jot down every word when you hear it in conversation that you do not know.  Ask people to repeat words if you didn’t hear it correctly and explain you are trying to build your vocabulary.  Whenever you are reading, watching a movie, or talking to a teacher, get in the habit of writing down any word you don’t know.  Make sure to look it up in the dictionary either right away or when you still have a chance to keep the context of how it was used fresh in your mind.  You can even start a vocabulary journal where you can add these words and their definitions to at the end of the day.

• Hack 7.  Immediately use new words in your writing and speech.  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  Use it until you remember it.  Text it to a friend.  Make sure you know how to pronounce the word and feel comfortable using it in everyday speech.  In time the word will become yours and part of your vocabulary.

• Hack 8.  Make a family tradition centering around a word game. *

• Hack 9. Visit Planet Word Museum in Washington DC.

On this day of nerds and words I challenge any and all to use your words and your powers wisely. 

Please share in the comments below, in any language, your favorite word or expression that you like to use because of its sound, meaning, rhythm or the pure emotion it captures.  I will break the ice for you.  (See Comments)

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]]>Permissible Syllablic Shenanigans: National Word Nerd DayMistofer ChristopherWed, 20 Dec 2023 18:30:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/tie-the-knot5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:65835c0df0b02a4fff77021c

“A well tied tie is the first serious step in life.”

It took me weeks to learn how to tie my shoelaces.  I remember my twin sitting in front of me, showing me how to loop the lace over and over again and I just couldn’t get it.  Dancing was out of the question.  I remember she demonstrated the process.  She moved from side to side with a step and slide so effortlessly and I felt like a big flopping blob of jello spilling over and stuck in the mold of a robot boy.  She counted one and two and three and four, one and two and three and four.  I tried to clap while I tried to lift my two non-descript feet stuck in a block of concrete up and over and count in my head.  It was a mess!  Let’s not even broach the topic of neckties.  I had a brown, skinny clip on tie for years and I prayed no one would notice it when I went to the Kingdom Hall.

It wasn’t dyspraxia.  It was awkward teenagia.  People with dyspraxia have problems with movement and coordination.  It doesn’t impact intelligence, but it can affect some cognitive skills.  According to researchers 4 out of 5 children with this condition manifested are boys and experts say 10 percent of people have a degree of dyspraxia.  In simple terms The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes people with dyspraxia as being “out of sync” with their environment.  I never felt in sync, but not necessarily out of sync.  Take a deep research dive on dyspraxia, especially if you are in the childcare or education system.

What’s with the great idea of a tie?

STORYTIME

PLACE: Holy Roman Empire

TIME:  16th / 17th Century

WHO:  Habsburg vs Luxembourg

SUBJECT: CUIUS REGIO, EIUS RELIGIO (whose realm, his religion)

Europe is under a slow boil. There are witch hunts, black plagues, defenestration, protestant reformation, everyone’s a nation.  The Holy Roman empire is a fragmented collection of mostly independent nation states.  Some of the regions are the Kingdom of Hungary, Bohemia.  The House of Habsburg ruled over Austria, another part of the family ruled over Spain and its empire including most of the Americas.  The HRE ruled over Saxony, Brandenburg, Bavaria, Palatinate.  However, the position of Holy roman emperor was mainly in title only.

After the 95 Theses nailed to the wall, take one down and Gutenberg passes it around, these independent states became divided between Catholic and Protestant rulership.  The Peace of Augsburg in 1555, signed by the Holy Roman Emperor of that time, Charles V, ended the war between the German Lutherans and the Catholics, and this established the principle mentioned in Latin…”Whose Realm, His Religion.”  This made the decision of the religion of the domain up to the state princes, confirming again the intendance they had over their states.  The subjects, citizens, or residents or denizens were given a grace period in which they were free to emigrate to different regions in where their desired religion was the religion of the land.  The challenge was that the Peace of Augsburg was between the Lutherans and the Catholics.  What would happen when another major religion in Protestantism which was not party to the party, Calvinism arose?  This treaty temporarily stalled war; however, hostilities still bubbled in the cauldron underneath.

We can almost write the script.  Some lands wanted religious conformity; other lands permitted religious diversity.   Some religious leaders didn’t want to give up their power and position and some wanted to restore the old order.  Some areas were dominated by one religion, others were dominated by another.  Minorities of each group were sprinkled all over.  Some rulers allowed the spread of creed without coercion, others wanted uniformity.

Religious tensions remained strong throughout the second half of the 16th century. The Peace of Augsburg began to unravel—some converted bishops refused to give up their bishoprics while certain Habsburg and other Catholic rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain sought to restore the power of Catholicism in the region. This was evident from the Cologne War (1583–1588), a conflict which ensued when the prince-archbishop of the city, Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg, converted to Calvinism. As he was an imperial elector, this could have produced a Protestant majority in the college that elected the Holy Roman Emperor, a position that Catholics had always held.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the Rhine lands and those south to the Danube were largely Catholic, while the north was dominated by Lutherans, and certain other areas, such as west-central Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, were dominated by Calvins.  However, minorities of each creed existed almost everywhere.  In some lordships and cities, the numbers of Calvinists, Catholics, and Lutherans were approximately equal.

Much to the consternation of their Spanish ruling cousins, the Habsburg emperors who followed Charles V (especially Ferdinand I and Maximilian II, but also Rudolf II and his successor, Matthias) were content to allow the princes of the empire to choose their own religious policies. These rulers avoided religious wars within the empire by allowing the different Christian faiths to spread without coercion. This angered those who sought religious uniformity. Meanwhile, Sweden and Denmark, both Lutheran kingdoms, sought to assist the Protestant cause in the Empire and wanted to gain political and economic influence there as well.

One day, the Hapsburg, Emperor Rudolf II, a devoted Catholic moved the imperial capital from Vienna back to Prague in 1583.  He was an outsider and needed to ensure the support of the Bohemian protest nobles by securing their right to practice Protestantism and establish state-sponsored Protestant Churches through the 1609 Letter of Majesty.  Rudolf's younger brother, Matthias, thought this was too muuuuuccch, and, after Rudolph's death in 1617, Matthias attempted to reverse the Letter of Majesty.  Two anti-reformation officials were sent to Hradcany Castle in Prague to reinstate Catholic control over the Bohemian nobles. In 1618, a Protestant assembly stormed the castle and threw the two officials and their secretary out the window.  This is what is called the Defenestration of Prague.  Fortunately, no one was hurt.  The Catholics believed that these men were saved by an angel, while Protestants claim the three were spared by landing in a dung heap that cushioned their fall.  This act is considered to be one of the signals for the start of a Bohemian revolt that marked one of the beginning triggers to the Thirty Years’ War.  Country after country along religious lines fell into the war, Bohemia, Austria, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Catholic Spain, Protestant England, France, and the list goes on.

PARIS, 1630

The word on the street was that in the heat of the war, King Louis XIII hired Croatian mercenaries and, at a lineup of the military might under French service, these warriors were presented in all their glory to the King.  These mercenaries were known for their long cloaks, fur hats, and to top it off a fashionable, picturesque cloth ranging from the coarse of the soldier to the linen of the fine and silk for the officer, distinctly knotted at the Croats’ neck. 

The Croat or Hravat, in Serbian, was repurposed by the French and the King made it a cravat, a mandatory accessory for the elite, the royalty and their gatherings.

The word on the streets of Croatia was that the wives of the soldiers would have to identify their husband, but an ancient battlefield would be a disastrous mess, making it difficult to identify your man as you watched him go into battle.  The Croat men began wearing a colorful piece of cloth so their loved ones could identify them in battle. 

The Thirty Year War according to historians, fought primarily in central Europe was religious based and remains one of the longest and most brutal wars in human history. There were more than 8 million casualties due to the war itself and the subsequent chasers, famine and disease.  The war lasted from 1618 to 1648, beginning as a battle among the Catholic and Protestant states that formed the Holy Roman Empire.  However, as the Thirty Years’ War evolved, it became less about religion and more about power and governance over Europe and who would have that privilege.  In the end, this deadly conflict changed the geopolitical face of Europe and is part of the reason for the national borders and sovereignty we see today in Europe, sculpted by the role of religion and nation-states in society and also gave us the cravat or the necktie.

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]]>Tie The KnotMistofer ChristopherMon, 11 Dec 2023 22:30:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/a-million-before-55a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:65777c7c8f5b5d37c0b643a0

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”

2010, January 7

Wyndham Grand Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The words paraded on the dialectical catwalk and only one would come out successful and crowned.

Fat-finger came out as a verb:  to mistype, as by accidentally striking more than one key on a keyboard/pad.  Nom, posing as an onomatopoeia, dressed up as a bacon wrapped scallop, and immediately, all the observers gawked and began their Freudian drool and all together, like yellow possessed minions, they chanted like monks: “NomNomNomNomNomNomNomNomNom.”  Food coma brought them to food heaven.

Fauxhemian was booed off the stage as “least likely to succeed”, winner of a prior gawker poll to replace the term “hipster”.

The winner of the contest as judged by the American Dialect Society in the 21st annual word of the year vote was “App” (noun, an abbreviated form of application, a software program for a computer or phone or tablet operating system).  The judges were linguists, lexicographer, etymologist, historian, writers, professors, etc.

Tweet, the word of the year for 2009, came on stage and handed the crown over to App.  2008, 2007, 2006 words of the year stood respectively at the side in order:  Bailout, Subprime, and to be plutoed.

2023, December 10

National App Day

National App Day was launched in 2017 by Platinum Edge Media, a mobile solutions platform designed to help businesses design and launch mobile apps and marketing campaigns. The main goal of this Remembrance Day is to celebrate the amazing, ingenuous people who develop mobile apps that, if used in a balanced and tactical manner can improve almost any aspect of our everyday lives.  This day celebrates the influence that software applications have on our culture’s ability to innovate.   So how can you celebrate this day?   Support an App Developer, review your apps, especially those that you aren’t using and simplify.  Can you write a kind review on an app you use?  Researchers have concluded in their studies that 100% of screen time is spent using apps.  The average user has more than 80 apps on his or her phone.  I must be on the high end as I had 196 - time for an App Fall Cleaning.  Between Android and Apple there are over 5 million combined apps to choose from in their respective stores.

What is your favorite app?  What is your most practical app and how has it helped you? Comment below.

APP AND GAP

The Ohio State University conducted a study entitled: “When Children Are Not Read to at Home: The Million Word Gap”.  Please click on the link to access the whole study. Researchers discovered that a child who read only one book a day will still hear about 290,000 more words by the time they are 5 years old than those who aren’t read to at home.

The study was conducted in the following manner:  First, the 100 most circulated books for both board books (targets infants and toddlers) and picture books (targets preschoolers) were identified.  Then a random selection of 30 books from both lists was made and the number of words in each book counted.  Board Books – 140 words approximately, Picture Books - 228 words on average.  Next, numbers calculating an approximation of how many words children would hear by the time they turn 5 was made:

• Never read to - 4,662 words.

• 1-2 times per week - 63,570 words.

• 3-5 times per week - 169,520 words.

• Daily - 96,660 words.

• Five books a day - 1,483,300 words.

Can you imagine what you could do with a million words?  Imagine what you could you describe, feel, and experience.  I never did like “Green Eggs and Ham”; I figured that out from that book I can express: “You let me be!”,  “I could not”,  “I will not” “I will”.

“From Where the Wild Things Are” I learned mischief, rumpus, private and terrible.  What would you do with those words at age 5?  Write a sentence in the comments below. 

From “Talk About The Monster” I wrote the words Icky, Chortle, beady.  If you would like an app that will add 157 different words to build and enrich your little readers vocabulary download your copy today and please refer to parents or educators who you think would love and appreciate this tool.

Talk About the Monster” is the journey of a little girl who awakens to her fear and the steps she takes as well as the emotions she experiences to face her fear and eventually come to a place of peace.  The story helps jumpstart the conversation about describing what you see feel and think which will be helpful when children in the future face their fear, anxiety, and monsters with whimsical words and vibrant images.  This is simply another tool to place in your child’s toolbox of life and add to your children’s million word march.

FEATURES

•  157 different words to build and enrich a little reader’s vocabulary. 


•  80 interactive elements to engage the user’s experience. 


•  Read Myself option or Read to Me option for the user. 


Available on IOS, Android, and Google Platforms.

references:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30908424/

https://americandialect.org/American-Dialect-Society-2010-Word-of-the-Year-PRESS-RELEASE.pdf

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]]>A million before 5Mistofer ChristopherWed, 29 Nov 2023 20:00:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/small-act-big-impact5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:656675073d3649721c831a0f

“You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. ”

How to?

In South Korean culture when you give or receive a gift use both hands when giving or receiving a gift.  It is a small gesture that means a lot and shows respect.  The takeaway is respect, grace and modesty.

What to?

According to a scientific study Time Magazine reported on a year ago we need to look beyond the “WOW” moment, that occurs after the moment of giving when the pupils and eyes of our loved one dilate with delight to the road ahead of utility, usefulness and long term fulfillment.  The wow moment and initial delight is ephemeral while our goal should be what fits better and is lasting in our loved one’s life.

Another idea is moments instead of components, meaning instead of things.  Experiences are superior to material things.  Water doesn’t satisfy hunger, nor does food satisfy thirst. The Co-Author of the study Cassie Mogilner Holmes mentioned that “What we found was that people who received experiential gifts felt more connected to the gift giver.” The point is that we should think about our loved one, the greatest more expensive gifts are the ones that have to do with our time, and our life that we give.  Be generous of heart and spirit.

Large and Small

Smile at a stranger and say hello.

Hold the door for the person behind you.

Allow someone to go in front of you on a line.

Compliment generously and sincerely.

Freely give out Dad Jokes like: I went to the zoo and saw a baguette in a cage. The zookeeper said it was bread in captivity.

When to?

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]]>Small Act Big ImpactMistofer ChristopherTue, 14 Nov 2023 04:50:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/the-kind-thing-is-the-right-thing5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:6552ec627ef70016bb3b9eafDo you remember vividly the last act of kindness that you experienced or that you gave to another?

Mine was a few months ago. It was a long workday, and I was exhausted.  I had just navigated through an hour and thirty minutes of New York City stop and go traffic on the Belt Parkway. A normally 30 minute ride on an empty Sunday morning was the roadtrip of red lights and idealistic speed limits that night. I eventually made it to group Bible study, and at the end of the meeting my friend’s little 4 foot zero, 8 year old daughter approached me. She had recently returned from her first trip ever to Disney World and her face looked like she had talk on it.  “Welcome back Veera*” I said to her happy smile. She reached out for a hug; I stooped down to give my little person a welcome back hug that she accepted.  She extended her little balled fist and gestured for the palm of my hand.  I didn’t understand…Is this a new handshake? Gang shake?  I then realized what her gesture meant and then I opened up my hand and mission accomplished, she placed her scrunched up hand into the palm of my hand and then walked away.  I opened up the palm of my hand and oh ma goodness, voila, one of the best gifts I ever received in my life.  A little elementary school soul remembered me on her adventure at the Magic Kingdom.  

In 1998 the World Kindness Movement brought attention and endeavored to emphasize the need of a global awareness to be kind.  The World Kindness Movement is a non-profit organization with no political, religious or commercial affiliations.  There constitutional vision states that they “acknowledge the fundamental importance of simple human kindness as a basic condition of a satisfying and meaningful life.”

This organization was formed at a conference in Tokyo a year earlier when Japan brought several kindness organizations of multiple nations together at a conference to address the need to display kindness openly globally.  Monday, November 13, 2023, is world Kindness Day and has been a yearly event celebrated every November 13th for the past 25 years since 1998.

Each year is themed with the value of Kindness.  The theme for 2023 is “Be Kind Wherever Possible.”

10 acts of kindness 

1. Treat a loved one or a stranger behind you online for coffee.

2. Take a plant or a flower to someone in the home for the elderly.

3. Say please and thank you.

4. Make eye contact and ask the person if you can go in front of them in NYC traffic.

5. Buy a lollipop and give it to your students or kids.

6. Buy a retro candy like Hubba Bubba, Bazooka or Bubbalicious and give it to an older person.

7. Buy a stranger lunch.

8. Hold a door open for someone.

9. Smile at every Buy a stranger lunch. The last time this happened to me, I was traveling in Guatemala – and it touched me very deeply.

10. Put change in an expiring meter.

11. Offer up your seat.

12. Return a misplaced or lost item.

13. Smile at random people (not creepily or that don’t look creepy) on your way to work.

14. Volunteer.

15. Show Patience and understanding with yourself and others.

16. Let someone go in front of you at any line you are in.

17. Listen carefully to what someone is really passionate about.

18.  Ask a customer service person genuinely how they’re doing.

19.   Wear or use a gift a friend gave you in their presence.

20.   Notice the good in your family, friends, and workmates.

21. Specifically commend the actions and deeds of your family, friends and workmates.

22. Pause and listen for the feelings behind words and sincerely acknowledge even if you don’t agree.

23.  Say liberally and mean it: “I’m sorry.”

24. Leave a generous tip and draw a smiley face on the receipt.

25.  Leave a yellow sticky note with a kind message in random places.

26.  Tell random people and/or friends do you want a laugh?  Then tell them: “I used to run a dating service for chickens, but I struggled to make hens meet.”

27. Tell them another one: “Hedgehogs – why can’t they just share the hedge?” 

28. Another one: “If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?”

29. Tell someone that you think is cute: “Do you like Star Wars? Because Yoda only one for me!’

30. Write a handwritten note, card, or letter to a friend.

31. Give a phone call to check in on an older or sick loved one.

32. Give a hug to a loved one.

33. Smile readily with people! 

The word on the street is that Krispy Kreme is celebrating World Kindness Day by offering customers a free dozen donuts at participating locations. 

It started with a day, it’s now a week.  Let’s make it a year and simply a choice of how we live our life.  The beautiful thing about kindness is that one act spreads like a pebbled tossed into the pond and the subsequent ripples spread outward and builds up children, families, and the human race.  What act of kindness do you appreciate? Add to the list in the comments below.

 *Name is changed.

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]]>The Kind Thing Is The Right ThingMistofer ChristopherFri, 03 Nov 2023 21:55:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/the-day-after5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:654454b1a7eb914c3807a5d2

“When something bad happens you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.”

Brooklyn

October 31, 2023, 2:00 pm

The woman’s face was sallow, washed out, ghostly grey.  It was the blue gray color of no blood flow, her skin color, absent in the rainbow of the 2nd grade Crayola Box 64, but if it was there, it would be labeled No O2 (oxygen), zombie, near to death, between ash and slate.

“Hi baby.”  The ghoul stretched out her hand out to her little 5-year-old child.  The little baby hid behind the school secretary. 

“Baby it’s me.”  The little girl shrunk back further.  The hand was brown, but the face was “death”.

“Baby it’s me, it’s your mama.” she protested.

Apparently, a word has been given to this phenomena, Samhainophobia (pronounced So-win -o- phobia).  It’s not officially listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-V), but that doesn’t mean that Samhainophobia doesn’t cause symptoms.

Samhainophobia is a portmanteau of the word Samhain, a Gaelic word pronounced “sow-win”) which is a pagan religious festival originating from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition and is considered to be the most sacred day of the Wiccan year.  The event is usually celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest and usher in “the dark half of the year.”   Celebrants believe that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world lower during Samhain, allowing the denizens of the dead to walk among the world of the living.  Originally carved, candlelit turnips were displayed to repel evil spirits and to some of the practitioners the candle represented a soul trapped in purgatory.  Turnip, the vegetable de jour faded away and now pumpkins are the fruit of choice. Since the dead walked with the living the ancient Celts wore frightening masks so that evil spirits would mistakenly think the wearers were spirits and leave them alone. 

Phobia according to Harvard Health Publishing is a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation. It is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with a phobia either tries to avoid the thing that triggers the fear or endures it with great anxiety and distress.  

Is it normal for children to be scared of Halloween?  Considering the roots of the celebration and what it conjures up and the present jambalaya of skulls, blood, chainsaws, werewolves, witches, skeletons as tall as houses, bats, spiders, webs, and gore and the whole list of things you’re told to not do as a child you can do for the day. Yah…you think…

“Sweetie don’t ever”:

1.     “Talk to strangers.”

2.     “Accept candy from people you don’t know.”

3.     “Walk around after dark.”

4.     “Watch those sinister shows on television.”

Halloween may feel like a sort of reverso world or alternate universe for young children and may be a little disturbing, confusing and overwhelming.  Add to the mix the demonic elements featured on television for that time period it’s totally understandable a child’s negative and petrified reaction.

According to some studies children ages 3 to 4 still have a difficult time differentiating between what is real and what is pretend.  For a young child, especially one with an active imagination or an anxious personality or on the spectrum, the seemingly creepy fun of Halloween and the masquerade can be very scary.   A mask is more than a mask, it could be a soul sucking monster.  Teeth glisten, bloodshot eyes drip and if you listen carefully, you will hear the ghoulish laughter and squealing sounds of bats and grumbling warty frogs.

So how can we help children manage their fear?

Does a 4 year old, 14 year old, or even a 40 year old really have the ability and mental agility to be able to say: “Mother, do be a dear and sit down and let me air out with you the challenges I’m having right now with this sugar rush, hyper stimulation, and overall disturbing feeling of the dead coming out of the ground and electronically controlled moving zombies and prerecorded haunted sounds that are wreaking havoc on my nervous system and triggering ridiculously my flight or fight, freeze or fawn mechanism.”

Of course not, children do not always have the verbal repertoire, the words, to explain what they are afraid of.  This is where parents, teachers, adults in the room can assist by asking simple specific questions.

“What makes____scary?”

Validate acknowledge Validate. 

Please do not say: “That wasn’t so bad.”

“Oh, come on it’s not that bad.”  When you belittle a child for being scared it adds shame to the equation, another complicated emotion on top of the fear.  Even if you don’t understand your child’s fear, validate, acknowledge, and validate.  This huge step let’s them know they are not alone and you will help them through their journey.

Be Vulnerable Yourself

You as an adult relate to your child, don’t pretend that you are not afraid of things you fear.  Children have a sense when adults are lying which does not assuage the fear.  It’s better to tell your child a minimal fear and that you are trying to work through it. 

Remind me of me

Build up your child always with acknowledging specifically their strengths, great qualities they demonstrate and specific items they accomplish.  Remind them of what they have accomplished, conquered and overcome in the past.  Include the fears they had before but now they have brought under control.   

These are a few tips in addition to the infographic below to help children deal with fear or anxiety.

Whatever decision you make as a family, take into consideration and please respect, acknowledge and validate our little children’s feelings and consciences.  Let their reactions inform and teach you and you may find yourself on a journey where you both learn something new and be better as a result of it.  Perhaps your journey may take you elsewhere or you may find an alternative way to satisfy the desire of fun, intrigue, masks and costume, role play and suspense.

Ref:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/phobia-a-to-z

For Teachers, Parents, Caretakers. Another tool for children and adults to handle anxiety and fear. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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]]>The Day AfterMistofer ChristopherWed, 01 Nov 2023 00:25:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/95-problems5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:6541820a3dbd837872af6157

“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.”

Wittenberg, Germany

1517

October 31

He was born in Eisleben, Saxony, present day Germany.  His father, Hans Luther, was a copper miner who rose in society and became a successful businessman.   Martin was 1 of 10 siblings. At an early age he received a comprehensive training in the Latin language and learned by rote the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, as well as morning and evening prayers.  He walked away from his studies of law and chose to live the life of a monk completed with self-denial, extensive study, bible reading, prayer and meditation.

In the early 1500’s a German Dominican friar, Johann Tetzel, credited with the phrase “When the coin in the coffer rings the soul from purgatory springs”, was appointed as General Commissioner for selling indulgences.  Indulgences were the full or partial remission of temporal punishment for sins after the sinner confessed and received absolution.  Under Catholic teaching, every sin must be purified either here on earth or after death in a state called purgatory.  These indulgences during medieval times were available for purchase for oneself in this life, banked for oneself in the next to shorten one’s stay in purgatory or for the right amount to bypass purgatory entirely or be applied to one's families and friends already thought to be suffering in “disciplinary fires” in the “realm” between hell and heaven.  These indulgences absolved one of past sins and/or released one from purgatory after death.  Indulgences were like a promissory note against future sins or a get-out-of jail card free should the need arise.  The sales from these indulgences were used by Pope Leo X in Rome to help build Saint Peter’s Basilica.

Initially, these indulgences were handwritten but with the advent of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg these writs could be produced en masse.  The pope delegated the responsibility of dispensing indulgences to papal agents and the Castle Church in Wittenberg: Luther’s own was given the rare privilege of granting full remission of sins. 

Price of Indulgences 

Indulgences were the commutation for money of part of the temporal penalty due for sin.

25 gold florins – Kings, Queens, Archbishops

3 florins - Merchants

¼ florin - the poor

Because of his study of the Bible, Martin Luther’s understanding of sin, forgiveness, and God's favor was in stark contrast with the Church’s position and the zeitgeist.   The doctrine of justification, or salvation, by faith and not by works, or penance, remained a central pillar of Luther’s teachings.  Scriptural principles that guided him were ones that spoke of God’s favor not being earned, that it is granted through grace or undeserved kindness to people of faith, and what happens to sin when someone dies.

On October 31, 1517, at the Wittenberg Castle Church, the people inside suddenly heard a loud thudding sound at the wooden doors of entry.  It was not the sound of a humble request for entry by a parishioner, nor the respectful knock of townsfolk or clergy conducting spiritual business, or the desperate request for mercy, penitence, or sanctuary.  It was the dull thud of a hammer striking the door and left behind crucified into the wood was the document: “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” or, as it is known by its moniker, “95 Theses”.

Martin Luther mailed a copy to his archbishop, Albrecht of Mainz. His intention was discussion and an address of his concerns about the monetization of faith and how to reform the church.  He wanted ecclesiastical and theological reform.  However, between the printing press and social media (the talk of the country), the 95 Theses went viral.  His indignance had come to a boiling point and this act is considered to be the trigger of the protestant reformation.  These ideas were not new and had been raised before and advanced, but Martin Luther put it to paper in Latin.

Christians should be taught, he who sees his neighbor in distress, and, nevertheless, buys indulgence, is not partaking in the Pope's pardons, but in the anger of God. Number 45.

95 Theses in Latin

This man who was a scholar became a heretic and most wanted in four years.  At the Edict of Worms he was declared an outlaw and a heretic and permission was given for anyone to kill him without consequence. 

If you would like to read more about Martin Luther and his story, please feel free to click on the references below.

I still have questions.

Why October 31? 

What happened to Martin Luther?

What exactly were the 95 Theses?

What else happened in history on October 31?

Who are the Wittenberg Nightingale and Junker Jörg?

What is the September Bible?

Ref: 

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1902/medieval-indulgence--martin-luther/

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/martin-luther-posts-95-theses

https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16208/johann-tetzel/

https://www.history.com/topics/religion/martin-luther-and-the-95-theses

https://www.loc.gov/rr/european/luther.html

https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/w20030915/Martin-Luther-The-Man-and-His-Legacy/

Testimonial and Disclaimer

Mistofer Christopher is a Blogger, Home School Teacher, and the author of the Children’s Book, App, and Sing-A-Long Song Talk About The Monster.

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]]>95 ProblemsMistofer ChristopherThu, 12 Oct 2023 22:45:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/emotional-constipation5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:65286784dbaa5f53bd7c1029

“But feelings can’t be ignored, no matter how unjust or ungrateful they seem.”

 Symptoms

• Hard, compacted feelings that are difficult or painful to pass through.

• Straining during conversation.

• Fewer intimate conversations than usual

• Pain, cramps, bloating that appears in different parts of the body.

• Leaks of tears, emotions, anger, sadness, pain, almost diarrhea like feelings between regular conversations and normal everyday activities.

• The inability to put to words or communicate your thought processes or experience for several days or weeks.

• Feeling as though you can’t completely empty out your negative or positive thoughts and feelings

·       Feeling as though there's a blockage that prevents forward movement.

·       Needing help to empty out your mind and heart

• Decreased appetite

• Lethargy to activities that once provided joy.

• If it were an emoji, it would be Meh.

Can you identify the problem?  I tried to come up with a creative scientific name to put all these symptoms in a neat package - ANTI-CEREBRAL DYSCHEZIA

Cerebral: relating to the brain or the intellect

Anti: Opposite

Dyshcezia:  Disordered defecation (dyschezia) refers to a problem with the bowels generating enough force to propel stool from the rectum and/or difficulty relaxing the muscle fibers around the rectum and the external anal sphincter during defecation. People with dyschezia sense the need to have a bowel movement but cannot. Even stool that is not hard may be difficult to pass.

But can one really place emotion as the opposite of intellect?  If you can come up with a creative name let me know.  For now, we will be stuck with EMOTIONAL CONSTIPATION.

Emotional constipation hasn’t made it yet to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, but the two word combination and the subsequent imagery definitely paint an unforgettable picture.

BLOCKAGE STRESS FOGGY DRY PAIN ACHE

OBSTRUCTION COSTIVE, IMPACTED, BOUND

The writer Swarnakshi Sharma gives an unobstructed definition of Emotional Constipation: “Emotional constipation is the unwillingness and inability to process, embrace, and express your real and raw feelings or emotions. When you’re emotionally constipated, you may give off a cold and indifferent vibe or energy.  Repressed or unprocessed emotions if left unaddressed can fester and turn into emotional, mental, and physical wounds.”

Other sources in the field of dynamic psychology use this “moniker” to refer to a buildup, or backup of unprocessed emotions needing an outlet.  While a person holds back from expressing emotions, they look outwardly to ease the pressure of holding everything in with something that brings comfort.  Suppression brings congestion and circumvention.  At the end of day any type of constipation doesn’t do the human good.

My first bout with E.C. was when I was teenager beginning high school.  Between bullying, puberty, repeater pimples, thick glasses, fashion behind instead of fashion forward high waters, high school drama, where to fit in, caught between two cultures, changing society values, challenges to upbringing I got a little stuck…emotionally.  It came to a complete full stop at the end of the dining room table after a game of nerf basketball and just hanging out with my friend and mentor.  I had nothing to say.  He said, “What’s up Bro?” checking in to see how I was doing.  I had nothing.  No words, no feelings, no statement.  Blank.   I tried to speak up and out about what was swirling around in my universe but there were meteor showers, earthquakes and tsunamis.  How do you paint pictures and write stories in a hurricane?

He looked at my struggle and said simply: “When you talk about the monster you bring it down to size.” 

That simple statement brought me so much clarity.  I remember when I flash back to that time that as I mouthed the words: “Talk About The Monster” I thought that would be a great children’s book and an awesome song. “Talk About The Monster” is a story to help children and children at heart to start or continue the healthy habit of describing and speaking about any and everything, specific and random, essentials or non-essentials, that they see, hear, feel, touch, understand, don’t understand. 

This quote in no way minimizes the hard sweat, tears, and work to prepare and build up the next generation of the human family, our children, however it’s much better to start with a fresh canvas then to repair a damaged one.  For our children to communicate we need to be present, active and listen thereby forge a free flow of communication. 

The Month of October is set aside as a month to bring awareness to Bullying.  It is a time to acknowledge the devastating effects this horrific practice and the subsequent disastrous effects it has on the mental, emotional and physical constitution of children and families.  It is a time to recognize it in all its forms and educate our children, families and society on how it works, how to deal with it, and how to heal from it. 

R E S O U R C E S

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Center for Parent Information and Resources

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

RESOURCES AND EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS

For Teachers and Parents. A little tool for children and adults to name the big emotions.

Testimonial and Disclaimer

Mistofer Christopher is a Blogger, Home School Teacher, and the author of the Children’s Book, App, and Sing-A-Long Song Talk About The Monster.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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]]>Emotional ConstipationChristopher MillerTue, 03 Oct 2023 02:00:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/mississippi-mud-ice-cream-amp-ironing-nbsp-temptation-bundling5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:651b4d196a68cd2d8a7f32d2

My happy place besides a scenic hike, exotic or cultural food experience, artisanal donut shop, hipster coffee spot, learning about people, volunteering with refugees, disaster relief, a good thick book, a museum, a city tour, a botanical garden is any and all things historical. 

When I feel I have really scored is when I engage in Temptation Bundling.  Temptation bundling is pairing a pleasurable indulgence with a behavior that provides delayed rewards.  Basically, it’s a way to engage in a wonderful, maybe wasteful, time-consuming, utterly magnificently pleasurable, even instantly gratifying indulgence with a behavior that is functional, practical, and beneficial.

 Anyone out there likes to iron?  UMMMMMM.  No One! 

Who likes to binge watch let’s say Law and Order, K-Dramas, and the Office?  Everyone?  So, we bundle ironing and chores with a Binge Watch and everyone is happy.   When I say everyone, I mean everyone including the scolding voice on your shoulder (picture Ms. Weinstein your third grade teacher with horn-rimmed glasses wagging her wrinkled finger at you) and the “what evah” voice in your heart (picture the turtle from Nemo, Crush, drawling, “What evah man! Just live life and find yo exit buddy”).

There is even a formula for it according to Atomic Habits by Mr. James Clear:

After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I WILL [NEW HABIT].

He directs you to create two columns and write down the pleasures and temptations that call your name and you enjoy – e.g., chocolate, large Mississippi Mud Chocolate ice cream in a wafer cone, sleeping in.  The next step is to commit to writing the activities, tasks, and behaviors that you coulda, shoulda, woulda, DIDN’T, don’t want to ever do such as:  exercise, visit the in-laws, tidy-up, cleaning, simplify, spring cleaning, brussel sprouts.  What do you hate doing?  Please write it below in the comments.  The first step y’all, to facing your monster, you got to talk about it.

Once you have established these lists, you have created your template to move forward.  If you would like to read more, please feel free to pick up Mr. Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, or read his article. 

iPod+Broadcast=Podcast

But September 30, 2023, International Podcast Day - is a celebration of the power of podcasts and how they have enriched planet earth and the people on it.  2003 is the date that historical websites give as the first modern podcast launched by Chris Lydon and David Winer.  It was called an audio blog post then.  The portmanteau now known as “Podcast” was created by Guardian Writer, Ben Hammersely, combining the words “IPOD” and “broadcast”.

So how can you engage in International Podcast Day? 

Internationalpodcastday.com gives a few suggestions:

1.     Explain to someone, perhaps choose an elderly person, what a podcast is and get them hooked.

2.     Share your favorite podcast with someone (coworker, friend, teammate, senior citizen).

3.     Give generous feedback to your favorite podcasters and tell them thank you.

4.     Write a wonderful rating and raving review in Apple Podcasts or other platforms.

5.     Subscribe to a new show and open it up for discussion using #InternationalPodcastDay.

6.     Not a podcaster? Become one!  Give it a try.

The Podcast American History Teller on Youtube.

Anything history is what I love.  When I came across the podcast “American History Tellers”, it grabbed my attention and hooked me.  I was doing research for a class I teach entitled “Ancient Civilizations and Ancient Scrolls”. The subject material was the Salem Witch Trials.  This brilliant podcast, hosted by Lindsay Graham created by Wondery, mixes the drama of whatever era they are covering, reenacting conversations, definitively placing you in that time period while fading back to modern day telling the story and the history.  It is a brilliantly produced and a wonderful listen if you like history or you would like to help an older student or a friend to appreciate history.  Now I binge listen to history when I’m driving for work, cleaning the flat, ironing.  I receive mental stimulation, travel through history, relate to people of different time periods, understand a little bit better why things are the way they are, and get stuff done.

American History Tellers , the revolution series, Season 5 is based on the book: “ Revolution Song“ by Russel Shorto which is on my Tsundoku.

YOUR TURN

What is your favorite podcast?  Please mention it in the comments below.

Here is my list of some of my favorite podcasts listens:

1.     American History Tellers - Season 5

2.     Freakanomics Episode 96– The Cobra Effect

3.     Moth Series – Dead in the Water

4.     TED TALKS – The Secret Ingredients of great hospitality Will Guidara

Mistofer Christopher is a Blogger, Home School Teacher, and the author of the Children’s Book:, App, and Sing-A-Long Song Talk About The Monster.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”

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]]>Mississippi Mud Ice Cream & Ironing -  Temptation BundlingMistofer ChristopherSat, 30 Sep 2023 17:45:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/what-would-you-do-with-a-million5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:65179d33836f767c5dffff6b

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”

It’s September, the flux month when the jet stream pushes crisp and frost on heavenly currents to make us stop and feel fresh breezes, taste chilly mornings and enjoy sweaterweather.  September forces deeper, slower breaths.  We sip and gulp air like fine wine and craft beer, with eyes closed and blushed skin.  The leaves rustle and shiver, curtains billow and old haunted radiators start clanking because supers don’t want lawsuits or frozen pipes due to temperamental weather or senior citizens who just can’t maintain their heat core or, if in Gotham City - New York City - you hit the magic number 55. *  Winds whisper, trees shed and bare their skin, leaves blush brightly and kids squeal in delight.  September paints the golden hour on every box of the calendar for 61 days.  School bells ring, autumn birds sing, wind chimes ting a ling.

It’s time to shake the cobwebs and learn again. September by some is considered to be “Read a Book Month”, September 28 is “Read a Child a Book You Like Day.  Either way September is for…observing, discerning, returning and learning.

For the grown-ups: what’s on your Tsundoku?  Please share below in the comments section.  I appreciate your ideas.  My Tsundoku is:

For your child:  if you would like a good read, I invite you to take out of your bookshelf, “Talk About the Monster,” written by…yes you guessed it, yours truly, Mistofer Christopher.  Sometimes the return to school comes with butterflies 🦋 and jitters, but this story was written just for this purpose - taking jitters and making them little critters, and as one mom told me in describing my story: “If you can name it, you can tame it.”

What are the benefits of reading to children?  In addition to bonding with your child and creating many pleasant memories, it stimulates development of the little brain, builds language, literacy and social skills.  It propels students forward in their primary and secondary education and throughout life.  It gives parents the opportunities to slow down, have a pleasant safe dialogue between parents and children, between children and children and other adults. 

The Ohio State University conducted a study entitled: “When Children Are Not Read to at Home: The Million Word Gap”.  Please click on the link to access the whole study. Researchers discovered that a child who read only one book a day will still hear about 290,000 more words by the time they are 5 years old than those who aren’t read to at home.

The study was conducted in the following manner:  First the 100 most circulated books for both board books (targets infants and toddlers) and picture books (targets preschoolers) were identified.  Then a random selection of 30 books from both lists was made and the number of words in each book counted.  Board Books – 140 words approximately, Picture Books - 228 word average.  Next, numbers calculating an approximation of how many words children would hear by the time they turn 5 was made:

• Never read to - 4,662 words.

• 1-2 times per week - 63,570 words.

• 3-5 times per week - 169,520 words.

• Daily - 96,660 words.

• Five books a day - 1,483,300 words.

What would you do with a million words?  What could you describe, what could you feel, what could you experience?

Since I never did like “Green Eggs and Ham”, I figured out that from that book I can express: “You let me be!”  “I could not.”  “I will not.” “I will.”

“From Where the Wild Things Are” I learned mischief, rumpus, private and terrible.  What would you do with such words at age 5?  Write them in a sentence in the comments below.

Here are some tips to make reading enjoyable.

1. Make reading books an adventure from visiting a bookstore and/or a library.

2. Find a special space, nook, corner to read with your child in your home.

3. After selecting a book together, invite your child to read with you. Before turning the page, engage your child by asking them to predict what will happen next.

4. Electrify the story by pantomiming movements or noises, or make voices and accents up as they happen in the story.

5. Discuss the pictures and the expression on characters faces. Ask: “What is this person/creatuee feeling? Perhaps use an emotion chart. When a child can express how others feel it can help children relate to themselves, express their own emotions and strengthen their vocabulary and language.

So, for this glorious month of September, back to school and learning, take out your favorite children’s book and read it with your child!

Your Turn

How many or which one(s) of Scholastic top 100 children’s books of all time have you read?

Here are ten of the ones that I have read.

1. Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White

2. Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak

3. Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss

4. Frog and Toad Are Friends - Arnold Lobel

5. Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery

6. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

7. Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein

8. The Little Engine That Could - Watty Piper

9. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - Robert C O’Brien

10. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Judy Blume

Mistofer Christopher is a Blogger, Home School Teacher, and the author of the Children’s Book:, App, and Sing-A-Long Song Talk About The Monster.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”

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]]>What would you do with a million...Mistofer ChristopherWed, 23 Aug 2023 21:20:31 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/the-reveal-art-amp-science-had-a-baby5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:64e66dbe4ed1147f9cb83d52

“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”

Storytime

1 8 3 9

In 1839 Science married Art and had a baby.  Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre, a painter from the Romantic period and a printmaker introduced daguerreotype.  A one of a kind image on a highly polished, silver plated sheet of copper.

He explained before the Academie des Sciences and the Academie des Beaux-Arts the steps to producing this magical process we now know as photography.  Tragically a fire decimated most of his work, equipment and notes.  Only a few surviving pieces remain. *. He had captured how to make ethereal, permanent.  He was a French Prometheus, stealing light from the gods, memories from the man, and keeping it as eternal as possible.

2 0 2 3

World Photography Day this year is recognized and celebrated on Saturday August 19, 2023.  It is a global celebration in recognition of the art, craft, science, and history of photography.  The day encourages photographers from around the world to share a single photo that encapsulates their world.  Just as one image trapped a moment in time in the 19th century, we take one day to capture and enrapture a world, the world we live in.  They can be shared on the social media platform of your choice with the hashtag #WorldPhotographyDay and #WorldPhotographyDay2023.  WorldPhotographyDay.com is accepting submissions to be featured on World Photography Daily. Be sure to tell the story behind the photograph. 

The theme for this year is LANDSCAPE.  The goal is 1 million #WorldPhotographyDay tags.

While World Photography day is August 19th, World Photography Week stretches from August 12th to August 26th.  So please share your photos on the social medium of your preference, along with the story, and use the hashtag #WorldPhotographyWeek.

Have at it y’all.

References

https://www.worldphotographyday.com

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dagu/hd_dagu.htm

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]]>The Reveal - Art & Science had a babyMistofer ChristopherFri, 18 Aug 2023 22:05:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/ne-cede-malis5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:64dfbdd0b8427379f24986ae

“Yo hip-hop, started out in the heart”

I challenge you

Place in numerical order the best boroughs of New York City when it comes to the whole package of the scenes, art and culture, entertainment and nightlife, dining, eye candy, coffee shops, street murals, boutiques, vintage stores, history, fun factor, funkiest, cool vibes, the whole potluck.

Place your order below in the comment section and, if you want to defend your position…Have at it. 

I did an informal survey on my IG account and gave two choices.

Choice 1 – Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island.

Choice 2 – NO! I don’t agree.

Is this a biased survey?  I am a Queens boy but it’s just an opinion.  The responses were 83 percent Choice 1 and 17 percent choice 2.  The answers were interesting.

1.     “Queens first. The rest are in their proper place.”

2.     “Manhattan is # 1 of course.”

3.     “Why is S.I. even on the list tho??  And you’re from Queens it should be first.”

No disrespect to my fellow New Yorkers.  I will write a celebratory post for each borough in the future with a list/walking tour of activities.  Subscribe to the blog below.  However, Da Bronx places fourth - no offense to the borough -“El Bronx” or “the borough that Ruth built”, or how everyone really knows and calls it, the Bronx and the experience: “The Boogie Down.”  I placed The Bronx in fourth place on my list after Hey Batter Batter 1, 2, 3.  But did anything good ever come from the Bronx? 

Storytime

In the 1970s poverty was crawling everywhere in New York City like a big, hickory-colored dank, sewer water bug scurrying through subways, dank alleys, and basements.  The poverty crawled up North to the borough that Ruth Built.  The economy was collapsing, manufacturing was on the decline, white flight was very real, with the middle white class - according to reports, close to a million - moving to the suburbs.  With migration came a shift in neighborhood demographics and segregated communities. 

Urban blight brought flight and fight, despair birthed fear.  No way to cope, no hope, just dope.   Night rolled across the skies with city sponsored blackouts bringing the dark out of the darkened, blackness out of blackened, bitterness out of bittered.  Two tribes stood up - The Vandals and the Looters.

The city that never sleeps was rotting from the core; it was tribal war.  Gangs and addicts gathered up the cash, the white dust - bagged it.  The New York Times wrote a cover about the Bronx entitled: “South Bronx: A Jungle stalked by fear, seized by rage.“ Another writer described open hydrants in deathly cold weather. 

I try to picture and paint.  Packs of feral dogs roamed and owned the streets; the corners were owned by dealers and addicts.  Bronx was called “the city of death.”  Bronx was on fire as landlords paid off arsonists to be what they be and do what they do like medieval dragons that torch and burn the little castles of the black populace.  Firemen don’t answer the call.  Houses have no code. Inspectors don’t inspect, respecters don’t respect.   

New York City’s industrial decline and economic stagnation caused vessels to be broken and the population gushed out in a syndrome called White Flight describing middle class families, close to a million in number, fleeing to the suburbs.* Officially sponsored blackouts to save money and energy rolled across and darkened the city like an incoming cold front bringing in the army of Vandals and Looters.  Subway trains wound and wormed their way through Bronx hills and streets on overhead tracks, iron squealing loudly like a slaughtered pig and covered and laced with unending gang tags and graffiti, like lions spraying every bush in a surrounding area along with a roar and a war claiming this land is my land.

Bronx was third world in a first world.   There was burning and looting.  Haunted buildings loomed quietly over empty spaces with black, dark, sallow, fallow eyes lined up row after row, stack after stack, looking over at a hopeless graveyard of living dead stepping on broken glass sparkling like mined diamonds from a helpless Africa, while little girls with bouncing braids seized a window of daylight to dance and skip on double dutch sidewalks before the dead living come out to play.   The gossip was the word on the street, security was trusting your gut and street savvy, the constitution was the code of the street and the law of the concrete jungle.

Bob Marley’s universal sound and song wails and croons in the background of my mind as I try to paint the picture.  There’s a burning and a looting tonight. How does a Rastafarian man in a little island paradise in the Caribbean named Jamaica make a deep, soulful connection with the black experience in New York?  The connections fire in my synaptic fibers as my thoughts outrace my words.  Is that why his group was called The Wailers?

New York City was hemorrhaging, bleeding green internally, no circulation, and, if there was, it wasn’t flowing to all the people.  A front was moving in.  A wide, thick, black shroud skulked across and covered the Bronx like a dark storm nestling and settling in - the people black, a depressed economy turned black, abandoned buildings losing light and becoming black and hollow, empty lots blank and rubble, closed businesses ashy and trashy.   

Pride, ego, creativity bubbled and built up and the pressure intensified.  The shroud now became the canvas, the pigment, the binder, the reason and the solution.  

One night in the west Bronx, 1520 SEDGWICK AVENUE, MR. CLIVE CAMPBELL, a youth man that emigrated from Jamaica, West Indies held a Back to School party in a community center charging the ladies a quarter and the boys 50 cent.  All he had was two turntables and he was in the zone.  He used his tools not to transition between two records but, because of observing the itch and desire of people to dance and save their moves for the break, he stretched the drum breaks, the moment in a record when the vocals and the other instruments drop out for a measure, a breath of pure rhythm and, using the two records of the same music he gave the people…cake.  He observed the people of the concrete jungle and captured what they really wanted - a space to move, to express, to dance, to show off and out on their terms.  DJ Kool Herc called his magic “The Merry-Go-Round.”  Today it’s called “The Break Beat.”  Some consider this to be a pivotal moment in the birth of Hip Hop.  The movement spread to the streets, to the playgrounds, to the empty lots, to DJ battles, to dance battles, to what we see today, an empire and world of Hip Hop.

What is HipHop?

I had definition choices.  Do I go to the encyclopedic entry on Britannica?  Carnegie Hall’s website had an entry about the evolution in conjunction with the cultural movement… Master Class defines Hip Hop as a genre of music characterized by a strong rhythmic beat…and is built on four pillars…

I decided to visit the Urban Dictionary for the official definition of Hip Hop.

Hip Hop: “A name for the 4 elements of the late 70's New York City renaissance which includes break dancing, emceeing, (rapping) graffiti, and turntablism.”

 Ms. Lauryn Hill said: “Hip Hop Hip-Hop isn't just music, it is also a spiritual movement of the blacks! You can't just call Hip-Hop a trend!”  In addition to the four elements of Hip hop, it is a culture.  It involves a knowledge of the movement, beatboxing, street entrepreneurship, language, expression, slang, culture and fashion.  Do you remember your first hip hop experience?

From its humble beginnings in Black communities in The Bronx, New York, to its global dominance as an art form, hip hop has become a force of artistic expression, social commentary, and empowerment. It is a musical and cultural movement. 

To the Bronx we tirer son chapeau (take off our hat).  You took collapse and built, you grasped fire and burned it, you took chains and mailed it, you took silence and jailed it, you took music and made it.  And “If You Don't Know Now You Know.”  The orange white and blue Bronx flag billows at full staff from Bronx winds above the Bronx Borough Hall.  In the center of the flag inscribed in Latin it recites the motto: “Ne Cede Malis.” (Latin for Yield not to evil).

Da Bronx is real and did not yield.  Bronx nation is comfortable in their own skin, they accept their roots, embrace from the ashes they rose.  They are a different material from the ethereal.  Brooklyn coughs uncomfortably when you say:  “Oh I know Bed-Stuy… Do or die right?” “Ahem” is chased by polite laughter.  “No, no” in quick succession,  “It’s called Stuyvesant Heights.”  A few years ago, my cousin-in-law, relocated to Florida, told me a revelation that he is originally from Brownsville. “Never run.  Never will…baby.” I laughed out loud; I never heard that one.   Can we bring all that back, an expression for every New York City town?

The Bronx is the Bronx.  Any borough with the title “The” has to be taken seriously. The Boogie Down.  It’s the birthplace of a cultural movement that has and continues to shape the globe.  It started from a borough, a street, a corner, a building rec room.  “It started from the heart…But not everybody plays the part…”

References 

https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/15/archives/south-bronx-a-jungle-stalked-by-fear-seized-by-rage-the-south-bronx.html

https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/how-the-burning-of-the-bronx-led-to-the-birth-of-hip-hop/#:~:text=New%20York%20City%20was%20bankrupt,areas%20burn—let%20it%20happen.

New York City Tourism Hip Hop Events Calendar

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]]>Ne Cede MalisMistofer ChristopherWed, 19 Jul 2023 02:50:00 +0000https://www.mistoferchristopher.com/blog-2/shark-weak5a53e416d0e6281470edede3:5ef111eecc65d84436072fdc:64b744766a353147c2ae91d3

Do you have that relative, friend or workmate?  You know, the one with the “great timing”, the appallingly awful, awkward “great timing”.  They pull the door that says “push”. They call Pizza Hut just to ask for Domino’s phone number.  The “bless their heart” person that says the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong people.

·      “You look tired.”

·      “You look great for your age.” 

·      “You’re short.”

·      “You probably wouldn’t *get* it, but…”

·      “I love pizza more than *insert literally anything else here*”

·      “Not to be racist.”

·      “Do you like having a beer belly?”

·      “Oh!  So, you don’t know.”

·      “Do you come here often?”

·      “You look so familiar.  Didn’t we take a class together?  I could’ve sworn we had chemistry.”

·      “Should you really be wearing white?”

·      “I can’t believe you’re already / finally getting married (again).”

·      “Good thing you lost weight for today!” (on the bride’s wedding day)

They ask, “How are you?” 5 times and reply, “I’m fine over” and over again.  Their flirting wink looks like serious allergies.  They barely understand a joke five minutes later.  They go in for a hug when all that was called for was a handshake.  They end a work call with “love you”.

They are the rain, the hail and the thunder on the wedding day, the good advice you just can’t take, the free ride when you’ve already paid. These souls are beholden to Murphy's Fourteenth Law: “If anything can't go wrong on its own, someone will make it go wrong.”  They are the person while you are sunbathing at the beach, enjoying the gorgeous weather, bronzing it up while waves gently curl and foam over and over, taking off your shirt and preparing to run into the water, and…they start talking about what you don’t talk about at the beach in the summertime, sh***rks.   The rules are the rules.

It is 95 degrees outside in New York City, Death Valley is soaring over 110 degrees at 1:00 a.m. in the middle of the night. The world is dragging a heat wave, school is out, it’s beach time and it’s July 23, 2023. 

This is the official start of the most important week in the year.  If there is an event that can be claimed as part of American culture - somewhere between blue jeans, jazz, moonshine and Motown - we have to include Shark Week.  It is a week-long event originally premiering on July 17, 1988, and occurring annually in the height of the summer beach season.  Originally devoted to education, debunking myths, and conservation efforts of sharks.  This year it spans from Sunday, June 23 to Saturday, July 29, 2023.

Shark Week is cable television’s longest running programming event at 35 years.  Dun. Dun, Law and Order has been on the TV for 30 years.  D’oh, the Simpsons, is about 34 years old and still ticking.   Shark Week circles in its own special stratosphere.

But why the draw to sharks?  There is no Mosquito Week, whose numbers clock in at 725,000 human deaths a year.   Hippopotamus Week and their candidates are at a low 500 deaths per year.  Freshwater Snails could be a week at 200,000 deaths per year.  The name alone already should draw eyeballs - Assassin bugs ravage humanity at an approximate 10,000 per year. 

No.  None of the above.  It is the shark, the sinister, sublime, surreptitious, sensual, systematic shark.  Never mind that, as according to Australian government, each year worldwide there are…10 deaths attributable to shark attacks compared with 150 deaths worldwide caused by falling coconuts.  After this blog maybe Coconut Week will be in the new programming lineup next fall. 

Sadly 100 million sharks are obliterated each year by humanity.  This means that 11,416 sharks are killed  by humans worldwide every hour, which equates to 190 sharks killed every minute, or more than three sharks per second.  The annihilation of sharks is so voluminous and consistent that it is too fast to measure with the constant circle of the second hand of a clock and the passing of life.

With statistics like these Shark Week should be a notable event.  If you would like to see the educational programing, note the schedule below.

You may be like me when you hear the words shark week, you get weak in the knees because of the low-budget, gory, humorror (a portmanteau of humor and horror) movies, with d minus list actors, and corny groan and cringeworthy lines like:

"Looks like it's that time of the month."

"They took my grandfather. So, I really hate sharks."

“What’s the inside of a shark smell like?  I always thought it would smell like chicken.”

Traditionally you should watch at least one horrifically corny shark movie or an action or thriller movie like Jaws, Into the Deep, Maybe Meg 2. It’s in the movies. It’s on my bucket list for this week.

Back to reality in terms of A list and B list creatures.  Sharks exist on a plane in the human consciousness that evoke feelings of the sinister, the allure of fear, ominous mystery, reverent dread, reverential awe, vulnerable terror.  Few creatures make this list.   Probably number one on the list is the howling wolf and his pack on a black night with a full moon, the stealthy and sinuous cobra uncurling out of baskets in market squares summoned by the Irula people of India, the endless muscular helixes of the Monarch of snakes, the Anaconda, “shiver me timbers”, not the way I want to go out of this world with a death squeeze and the soulless face of the original with his tongue flickering while whispering: “Sssssssooooooo, is it really sooooooooo?”  I will simply write the words Vampire Bat and leave it at that.  Have at the Vampire Bat with your imagination.

The shark, where do we start?  You are a fine hunter, with emotionless eyes, silver, gray elusiveness, and signature fin.  You hail from another realm; you call to the fear that hides in the abysmal, black caverns of our soul.  What is it with this fear?  What is the draw?  Is it that finally we can face our inner nemesis in the comfort of our couch safely sailing above the wooden floor in our living room with pizza, popcorn, lemonade homemade and/or beer?  Aiiiii, matey.

Happy shark weak.

 References

https://www.americanoceans.org/facts/sharks-killed-per-year/

 https://www.discovery.com/shark-week/schedule 

If you have fear of sharks, the dark, or fear of anything else, maybe this little story I wrote a few years ago will help you and your children. “Talk About The Monster.” A whimsical story of the journey to face and overcome fear. What’s your fear, comment below and perhaps I can place it in my upcoming series of things to write about. Click on the link for your copy of the book.

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