how it all began

Chapter Two

As a child I loved the snowy Minnesota winters. During school I would daydream about  putting on my red snow pants, black coat, gray scarf, blue hat, and whatever gloves I could find along with my big ugly yellow boots that completed the outfit. I didn’t care how I looked. In order to go sledding with my friends that is what I had to wear. When we returned a big mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows was waiting for us. The thought of sledding with my friends made getting through the school day a little easier. My favorite part of the snowy Minnesota winters was the possibility of a snow day. As a child I stayed in my pajamas and hoped and prayed I would hear my school announced on the radio as being closed. I compared it to winning the lottery when I heard the name of my school. Now that I am an adult and prefer the warm weather with no snow I will never forget the feeling of exhilaration when I heard, no school!

I enjoyed winter and growing up in Minnesota however summer was still my favorite season. The obvious reason, there was no school. We lived close to a lake and my friends and I loved fishing with bamboo poles and a hook. We used a worm or hotdog as bait. We mostly caught sunfish and threw them back. That is all we needed to have fun. There were very little organized activities and that is how I liked it. As you may have guessed school was not my favorite activity. It felt confining and more of a necessity then a learning experience. I’ve always felt there was a better way to learn but would have to wait 38 years to find it. I wasn’t lazy, just bored.