a new kind of fall

every once in a while (when i can forget the fact that i'm sweating through my clothes from the heat) i almost feel like i'm experiencing a fall season of sorts.

like when i occasionally drive to the bush and breathe in that blessed smell of autumn decay.

or when i go on a walk over a blanket of dried leaves that crunch under my feet (i think this is what happy sounds like)

or when i come upon the red flamboyant trees (yep, that's their real name)

all in all, it makes for a very different, but beautiful kind of fall.

tried and failed

a few days ago i woke up and saw this over my head:

i guess you can't blame the poor little guy for trying.  

(in case you can't tell, my mosquito friend here is laying on the top of my net with his mouth, or proboscis, hanging inside the "no mosquito zone" with the hope of a possible bite.  but thanks to a treated net, all he got was death.)

thank you, mosquito net, for saving me from one more malaria breeder.  you shall forever more hold a special place of honor in my heart.

yours truly, leslie ann

slippin and slidin

1 roll of black plastic + water and soap = a very fun girls Bible study (don't worry.  we talked about the Bible before we slipped and slid.)

mitz and sheila unleashing their inner child (fortunately for me i was the only one with the camera... don't hate me girls!)

races: cause what's fun without a little competition

all in all... a good day.

and just for kicks i had to include the video of e, because i find his form and expressions pretty stinkin' cute.

overcast and thoughtful

today it's overcast in zambia.  it feels like rain.  though if the dry season is true to its name, as it usually is, we won't see rain for another 2 months at least.

i have to admit, i miss the rain something dreadful, but today provides a glimpse of the real thing with its cloudy gray sky and cool crisp breeze.

it made for a thoughtful morning as i walked to the market in my oversized sweatshirt and leggings to buy talk time for my phone and then to the school to map out a plan for a mural on the baby class (preschool) wall.  

to onlookers i was buried in my dictionary sized book turning each page with expectant wonder as the plot to the novel rapidly approached it's climax.

oh if they only knew how my mind was flitting from thought to plot to prayer to plot again.

it was good.

i can almost feel guilty at how good it felt to walk, read, pray, and think without rushing towards the finish line of another project.

but then i think of my Jesus.  i think of how He never rushed towards the end but walked steadily, knowing when to rest and when to press on, taking necessary time to escape with His Father.

too often i forget.  too often i see the need around me and feel the necessity to respond to it without taking time to respond to my Father.  

so today i welcome the clouds and the melancholia that so often accompanies the weather.  today i am taking time to think and pray... and maybe even finish my book.

taken past the two gates on the edge of our property
looking down the street where i live.

success!!!!

it was a joyous day today in lusaka for 6 kids, their 2 teachers, and 5 parents (2 of the kids are siblings) when the man at the us embassy stated that seemingly simple statement of

"you can pick up your visas tomorrow at 14 hours."

"what!?!"  i asked, not believing he could have uttered such words without light coming down from heaven, angels singing, or at least a simple drumroll.  but he did.  and i was happy.

so... what does all this mean?

it means that they're coming to america!

it means that they'll get to stay in the house i grew up in for 2 months!

it means that they will experience christmas with me and my family!

it means that they will get to travel to multiple churches and meet some of the people that make their education possible!

it means that they will get to perform at with these guys!

jeromy and jennifer of ffh!

and it means that we've got to get practicing!  eek!

say a prayer cause we just might be coming to a church near you!

meet vinny

why yes.  i did set my accordion in the yard just to take a picture of it.  i am that person, thank you very much.

and apparently i'm not the only person in zambia who has an appreciation for old-timey, slightly (or "really" depending on who you are) dorky instruments.

aw, look at that smile.

the best part is that one of our toughest boys at school was so taken with vinny that the only way i could get him to be obedient was to promise a lesson.  gotta say, i never thought i'd be using an accordion to make children mind.  but, hey.  whatever works.

first week back and...

i am voiceless.  makes for an interesting music teaching experience.  but thanks to my raspy whisper i got to experience:


1. the youngest of my students running up with joy, yelling, "ba leslie! ba leslie!" only to stop dead in their tracks awkwardly when i would respond with an unnaturally low, "hi-(squeak)-iii!"


2. my students proving that they actually learned something in my class last term when i could simply point to a circle on the board and they would yell out, "whole note!"


3. a slightly unconventional music class consisting of a room full of students dancing around and singing praises to God, while i simply smiled and danced along 


4. teaching my drama club members (that's right.  we have a drama club now!) how to play charades (for obvious reasons)  

hopefully next week i'll actually be able to talk and (heaven help me!) sing too!


ooh! and speaking of students and school and the like, check out our new school uniforms!  aren't they great!? 

here's a little video too, which also demonstrates the best my voice has been all week.

learning to say thank you

one of the things we are desperately trying to teach our kids at lifesong is a spirit of thankfulness.  let me make one thing very clear... with most of them this is an extremely difficult task.  


and understandably so when i stop to remind myself where these kids come from.  


since i was little i've been taught the importance of saying thank you, the value of being genuinely grateful for what i've been given.  but for my kids... when those closest to them don't give, but take... don't nurture but neglect... don't love but tolerate... how can they even begin to understand thankfulness?


i've been given much.  i understand that i don't deserve it.  i know i should be thankful.  even when i don't necessarily feel it i still get these simple truths.


they have been given little.  they think they deserve more.  they have never (until now) been taught how to be thankful.

recently i heard a sermon on how we have a tendency in ministry to get weighed down with the need around us and forget to just kneel before God in thanksgiving.

to be thankful that He is a personal God who really truly cares and sincerely loves everyone intimately (wow.  i mean seriously.  have you thought about how cool that is?)


thankful that He has instilled His own heart for others in each of His followers


thankful that He even wants me to be a part of His ministry


thankful that i have the opportunity to work with beautifully broken children who daily draw me closer to Him


thankful that i have family and friends who cheer for me when i succeed, weep with me when i fail, and miss me when i'm in africa


thankful that i get to live in an exoticly different country with the coolest team of people around (seriously, guys.  they're kind of awesome.)


thankful that people will still read my blog even when i leave it dreadfully neglected (right?)

soon after that i was getting ready for bed and was struck with a somewhat sudden urge to fall to my knees and thank my Jesus for... oh lots of things.  i am confident God desires to hear our requests, desires, and lengthy tales of sorrow.  i also know that on that night He only required my joy.  my stories of blessing.  my thanks.


since then i've tried to make a habit of only praying prayers of thanks before bed.  and i've realized that as much as i thought i had to teach on the subject of thanksgiving, i also have a whole lot to learn.  


so now, though my days may be filled with requests for wisdom in how to teach children and patience when they don't always understand, i will look forward to falling asleep each night with a newly thankful heart.

i was up on the roof beams...

painting today, when i heard men shouting.  from my lofty view in the air (did i mention i'm afraid of heights?) i saw two men who looked like they were beating something... or someone!

i tried to listen closely and with every blow came a yell.  (what in the world?!)  i looked around trying to find someone who might be witnessing the same thing i was, hoping i was only imagining what could possibly be a human getting beat to death just on the other side of the fence.

"justin!  do you know what's going on?!  are they attacking someone?"

justin (our trusty builder + the reason i was facing my fears on the rafters with brush in hand) listened for a minute then said, "i think they yelled 'snake'?"

hmm...

straining to see more...

"madam!!!!  madam!!!!"

who me?

"yes?"

"snake!!!!"

"let me see!"

to which they disappeared behind the grasses and then lifted up this beauty:

awesome.

a day on the farm

so i've been wanting to spend a day on the lifesong farm for a while now.  why?  well, cause it sounds fun!  right?  i mean who wouldn't enjoy a day on the farm filled with manual labor under the hot african sun with fellow workers singing songs about Jesus?  not me that's for sure.

if you don't know what the lifesong farm is here's a video made last year that will tell you all about it:

anyway, yesterday i officially marked this item off my bucket list and in the process made a major discovery!  not only is working on the farm fun, it's down right educational to boot!  who'd of guessed?

so with that i would like to present:

lessons on the farm

an ode to hoeing rows in zambia

1. it's way more fun to work barefoot
i started the day off in my tennis shoes and fatigue quickly set in.

but once i flung off those tiresome lace-ups and felt the cool earth (the stuff under scaldingly hot earth) between my toes my energy level shot to new heights.  it's true.


2. killing a snake is a lot more rewarding if you are able to find it after you hoe it to death
yeah.  i think i killed my first snake.  another bucket list item checked off thank you very much.  but my mind would rest much more easily if i could have found the little guy.  (eek!)


3. zambian's are either really good at telling you what you want to hear or i really am stronger than i look
as much as i'd like to believe it's the latter, when one of the biggest women on the farm holds up and flexes her 5-meter-radius-all-muscle biceps while saying, "leslie, you are too strong!" to my 28-cm-diameter-no-muscle-bicep self (i measured) i have a hard time not going with the former.  sad.


4. singing both the male and female part of a song still doesn't sound good, but sure does lift the spirits of your fellow workers
one of my favorite parts of the day... listening to one of the workers jump back and forth to the different parts of a song while everyone else hoed and swayed to the serenade.


5. "good worker" in bemba is mwabomba bwino

and apparently (according to my new friend, sylvie, and a bunch of other unbelievably hardworking zambian women) this is exactly what i am.  who knew? (mom, stop laughing)


6. if you shout "imbwa!" to a bunch of sleeping ladies they will wake up in a hurry
a little joke at lunch involved one of the ladies yelling dog in bemba (we happened to be working on a farm with some uber mean dogs living on it) and an entire row of about 10 napping women jumped up ready for an attack.  it was pretty funny.


7. wearing chitange for an entire day is really kind of hot
this:

is all us workin' women sporting our chitange (the fun printed fabric we get to wrap around ourselves when we want to go zambian)


8. if you tie the chitange all the way around your waste it won't constantly fall off
a helpful tip when you're trying to work in the darn thing.


9. hoeing at an angle, while completely awkward at first, quickly becomes a more effective way to make rows
yep.  didn't know that one did ya?


10. stretch all you want, but after hoeing for 5+ hours in one day you will still feel like you got hit by a freight train the next morning*
*slight exaggeration

all in all it was a great experience that i hope to repeat.  especially considering i still have so much to learn!

like how to tie chitange around my head.

or how to sing "rock of ages" in bemba.


important things like that.

when fiction is all too real

recently i started walking to school.  the americans have been apologizing for using my car, the zambians think i'm crazy for even considering walking, and i am in complete bliss over the whole thing.  it gives me prime praying time on my way to school, and great relational time with the kids on my way home.

today i got to walk with 12 year old moses... not a super huge surprise considering he is one of my favorites (don't tell the other kids).  he and i have been reading through "the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe" together (although he calls it "turkish delight") and i invited him over to read another chapter or two (the reward for making it through the book is to watch the movie).

while walking home he told me that his aunt and uncle have been treating him and his parents very badly (his parents usually live far away, but because his father has been very sick they moved back to stay with moses, who lives with his aunt and uncle).  his mom has been staying home to take care of his dad, which means they have no income on their own, making them dependent on his aunt and uncle who are apparently not thrilled with the situation.

all this to say, when we got home i couldn't find the book so we picked up "the magician's nephew" instead.  we sat on the swing together and he proceeded to read the first chapter... at least until he got to page 3 where polly meets digory, who has been crying.  when she draws attention to this fact he says,

"so would you if... (among other things) you had to come and live with an aunt and an uncle who's mad and if the reason was that they were looking after your mother... and if your mother was ill and was going to... going to... die."

while he read this his voice got softer and slower until he stopped all together.  he looked up at me with a very real pain in his eyes and said, "ba (miss) leslie, i can't.  this book... it's too much."

i asked him if he'd like me to continue reading and he did, so i took the book and he scooted in, leaning against me, longing for just one thing to be stable and secure in his life.  i read on, fighting back the massive boulder that had currently lodged itself in my throat and the tears that were ready to put on a major show.

sometimes i forget how real the pain i used to only read about in books can be here.  it consistently catches me off guard and leaves me feeling terribly inadequate.  i just pray that when these kids look to me for any kind of stability they are lead directly to the One who can give it.

malaria with cars, cars with dogs, dogs that... bite

when i had malaria (yes it's true.  a few weeks ago my initiation into the african culture was complete.  at least i hope so.  i had the blessing of getting malaria and a parasite all in the same week. sweet.) i had some pretty amazing experiences.


like for instance, i found myself at one point best friends with holly shiftwell (for those of you who haven't seen cars 2, it kind of rocks) and we experienced some awesome spy-like adventures with the whole cars cast.  super cool.  was i a car too?  well... not sure.  but i'm assuming yes, because otherwise this whole story wouldn't make much sense, would it.


another time i was having loads of fun sitting in the front seat of a car watch dogs and other animals fight each other in the back (yes of the car that i was currently sitting in, having a jolly ol' time).  how shocked was i when one of the dogs suddenly turned on me after my friend pulled one of the cute little animals out of his mouth.


weird dreams?  well... considering i could see my bedroom during their entirety, i like to call them fever induced hallucinations.  at least that's what the doctor told me.  sweet.

super hero wannabe

so since becoming a teacher (something i've always stated with conviction that i would never be) here at lifesong, i have learned one very important thing.


teaching is hard.

not accurate

really hard.

more accurate

super hero powers required hard.


so here i am, feeling like clarence, waiting to receive my super hero cape (aka: wings), hoping that maybe, just maybe, the next bell that rings will be all for me.


i spent almost an hour this afternoon speaking with a fellow teacher on how she does it.  she was talking about how as teachers we need to be neither hard or soft, but firm, so that the children know that it is necessary to respect us (the biggest issue all of us have experienced with these kids), to which i replied, "how in the world do you do that?"


she laughed.


"one thing i know is that as teachers we do as much learning as we do teaching.  i used to wonder the same thing, but in time it comes.  don't worry.  just remember you are learning too."  (aka: cut yourself some slack)


in my head i know she's right.  but instead my heart (or my stomach, i'm not sure which) keeps telling me that the reality is i'm just failing.


i know that's not true.  well, i think it isn't.  actually i kind of think it is i just hope it isn't.  no, the truth is  i do know it's true.  how depressing! (exhibit a: my thought process)


but if i stop feeling sorry for myself and stop taking myself too seriously i realize that, yeah, maybe i'm really not doing a great job on my own.


but i'm not supposed to be doing a great job on my own.  i'm not capable of doing a great job on my own.  i will never reach super hero status.  but i do know someone who is already there.  and as long as He is walking this dusty african road with me, i guess i don't have too much to worry about.

in case you were wondering

my sleep schedule is wack.  who's surprised?
(and yes i did just use the work wack.  what can i say?  i like out of date phraseology.  it suits me)


you need an example?  okay!


monday night/tuesday morning: up till 3:30am (thanks tam and lisa... that's right.  i'm blaming you simply because i can) chatting and trying to remember all the things i needed to get done for the next day


later tuesday morning: up at 7:20am


tuesday evening: dead asleep with no hope of appearing alive for a good long while at 6pm


later tuesday evening: dragging myself out of bed to skype for work at 8pm


tuesday night: get a skype call from my dear and missed aunt at 11pm but lose connecting.  fall asleep while waiting to hear back from her only to miss her call


later tuesday night: she calls back at 11:30pm we talk till 12:30am and lose connection again (thankfully this was during our goodbyes)


12:45am: guess who is suddenly wide awake.  awesome.  i'll just catch up on some light reading


12:50am: guess who is suddenly asleep.


this morning: up at 6:30am to get done stuff that had to get done otherwise i would not have been up anywhere near that time


this current moment: 10:01am can you fall asleep while typing?  cause i think i am.  thankfully my first class doesn't start until 1:30pm


goodnight... i mean good morning... i mean.............  zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

like a child

today as i was leaving school at 6pm one of the grade 6 boys ran out off the guys' house (which is on campus) and asked me for a ride.  i said jump in but hurry.  truth be told, i was super ready to get home and fall onto my bed and was afraid the other boys (that were currently in the house) would see him getting in my car and run out, make me wait so they could all get rides.  such a loving, selfless reaction i know.  


sometimes i laugh at myself... how i rush to sneak kids in and out of my house/car before others see and want in on the fun.  i feel the same kind of panic i had as a kid, frantically eating as much candy as possible before my mom caught me


as we drove off (at a much higher speed than necessary) he laughed and hooted and hollered because he was so proud that he got a ride and they did not.  he said how earlier they had all gotten rides with mitzi and he had to walk.  now he was no less than elated at the thought the he (and only he) got to ride with me while the others would inevitably have to walk home.


it made me laugh.  and i thought to myself, as much as i sometimes get frustrated by the childishness that goes on at school, there's nothing quite as grand as that childlike spirit that finds pure pleasure in some of the simplest things.

a beheaded chicken...

that's what i feel like.  we're on the verge of big stuff my friends... big stuff.  i'm super excited and crazy busy and ready to scream with delight and run away in terror at any given moment.


i'm not sure if i can give the particulars right now so i'm going to wait until i know for sure, but just keep us in your prayers.  details will come.


in the mean time sit tight and i'll continue running around like a crazy.


today i spent an hour and a half teaching my huge art class of 5 boys how to do a live painting that we're going to incorporate into our easter play.  it was fun, cool, and exhausting all at the same time.  they had a fit any time something dripped and i said, "boys!  stop worrying about the drips!  i'm telling you now drips are cool."  to which they replied "awe (no)!  drips are messy and not good."  


so this piece that's supposed to be started and completed in a matter of minutes may end up taking nothing short of an hour to finish.  the audience will be asleep by the end of it and the song will be long over.


i told them, "when you paint this, the audience is not going to be thinking, 'hmm... how accurate is that hand.' 'is that head proportionate to the body?'  the point is not to have a perfect drawing but to tell a story and give the audience simple images that will inspire that story in their mind.  don't try to be perfect."


we'll see if it works.


you will see if it works, too, when i post the video of the play in oh... you know... a few months.  let's be honest, i mean really.

never underestimate the power of a good book

after a day of "auditioning" kids, teaching music class, running lines with my drama stars, making several unsuccessful attempts of getting in contact with the embassy (i mean seriously.  what are they here for?), and having boys tell me that i'm not fair and they don't like me when i am too tired to play with them after school (to which i must admit i kind of laugh at... i'm terrible, i know), i curled up on my sofa, chatted with my parents (who mocked me with their condo lanai and perfect florida weather) and my sisters (who's locations where not quite as enticing, though missed deeply), and then spent the rest of my evening with my old friends in mitford.

is that seriously only one sentence?  whoa.

in high school i first started reading jan karon's mitford series and fell in deep love with the characters of this beloved, quaint, and quirky town.  for christmas my mom sent me the first book on radio theater put on by focus on the family, and just like pavlov's dogs i began to salivate over the thought of reading the rest of the series.  so low and behold this week i received a care package by mom (she's a good one) with book #2!  my heart is happy.

just typing

hanging around school after hours is probably one of my favorite things to do.  most of the kids have left and those who have stuck around are either playing futbol, cleaning classrooms, or just hanging out.  it's laid back and peaceful and i love it.


it's also when i feel like i get the most "connect" time with the kids.  we're able to sit and talk or run through lines for the play or sing songs we've been learning.  it's fun.


i've never been very good in the midst of human chaos.  most anyone who knows me knows that being surrounded my a lot of people will almost always majorly overwhelm me.  (this does not include events like concerts or games... cause those are fun)  it's during these times that i tend to get irritable and snappy.


unfortunately when you're in the business of working at a school with over 200 students human chaos quickly becomes a consistent part of life.  i'm trying to learn to deal with it with grace.  i don't always succeed but it's a learning process.  a process that i'm trying to give myself grace through as well.  something i've never been terribly good at.


but more than anything, this is why after school hours at school are cherished.  the children are few.  the conversation is meaningful... or at least personal.  and i don't feel like i'm doing quite as badly at this whole living-in-africa thing as i usually do.


praise the Lord for moments like these.  



*so i wasn't sure what i was going to write but decided i needed to actually update this thing and writer's block was just going to have to get over itself for tonight.  so i started typing and this was what came out.  take it however you like.

love like tea

today when i got up i grabbed a cup of coffee, my computer, journal, Bible, and guitar excited to have a morning of quiet to pray, think, write, and listen to some stellar-soul-filling music.  ahhh.


and then the boys came.


they do this often and i'll be honest, i don't always handle it very well.  they know to come in the afternoon and instead show up at the window in the morning when i'm trying to work and want to have these great and meaningful conversations that usually include questions like:


"can i play mario cart?"
"can you borrow me some cards?"
"can i teach you bemba?"
"what are you doing?"
"can i see what's on your computer?"
"ipad?"
"angry birds?"
"cartoons?"


to which i reply:


"boys, i love you, but go away.  i need to be left alone right now."


to which they reply:


"no."


to which i reply (in sheer frustration):


"fine," pick up my computer and march into my room as voices of, "okay!  sorry! bye!" are called after me.


5 minutes later i peak out of my room and at the sign of no boys i happily sit back at the table to continue with my morning.


pretty soon they show up again.  ezron hands me a note but before i can read it they continue to talk, this time asking for bandaids.


sigh.  "fine.  come to the front."


bandaids on.  lecture on respect and obedience.  boys gone.  leslie irritated.


and then i read the note.


an ode of love and thankfulness ending with:


"i love [you] like a cup of tea"


oh man.  i guess i kind of like these kids after all.

it's true. laziness can be totally justified

so i did it.  i took the easy way out.  i slacked.  i allowed laziness to rule.  i looked work ethic in the face and declared in victory, "not i!"

yep.  i found an easter play online (or rather a friend found it and emailed me the link.  thanks rachel!) and no longer have to stare at my computer wondering how on earth i'm going to write one.  yes.  i said write.  am i crazy, you ask?  not anymore cause i'm buying a play online!  (did i mention that?)

look out lifesong students. this semester we're learning how to rap!  (one of the great things about this play)  it makes me giggle a little just picturing little norman beatboxing (sadly i don't have a picture of him, but trust me.  it would be adorable)

ah.  life is good.  now i just have to figure out what to teach in music and art before monday and we'll be good to go.

score.


(now, let's just hope it's actually good.  oh well.  $20 is worth the possibility of not losing my sanity)

not a christmas post... at all

i was going to post something christmassy last week but the lack of internet (oh africa) kind of stole my thunder.  so instead you get just a very non-christmassy, pictureless (because a friend is borrowing my camera, which i was wasn't smart enough to download the pictures off of before she took it) post filled with nothing super great except some random thoughts.  which aren't really great either, i'm super honest.

are you excited?

random thought number 1:

while africa has definitely been good, it has also provided it's share of non-awesomenesses.  for example:

1. water that sometimes decides to spit out of the faucet instead of flowing happily into the sink.  i often feel like i'm getting attacked by our sink and sometimes (more times than not) almost counter attack with a swift punch in the nozzle.  thankfully my common sense kicks in and i realize this would inevitably hurt me way worse than the sink which probably couldn't care less about how mean my jab cross is.

2. the not-completely-but-consistent-enough-to-be-annoying-lack-ofs, such as... water, internet, and power

3. heat.  i mean seriously, who likes it anyway and why on earth would a girl who hates summer move her sorry self to africa?  these are the thoughts that plague me.

4. the inability to complete a task... any task... without being interrupted with (many) someone(s) asking you for something they "need" (which really just means "want" but you get suckered into thinking they "need" it simply because you are more privileged than they are and that in itself is enough to guilt you into doing way more than you would ever consider doing in the states)

random thought number 2:

i wonder what francine is doing right now.  (oh look!  a picture!  i didn't mean to lie.  really i didn't)

this is the elephant i tried to touch and failed and then named when we went to a game park resort where the food was amazingly good... enough to cause all my clothes to feel super uncomfortable and tight.

random thought number 3:

how in the world am i going to pick out a design and fabric for my chitange suit... and where is this so called kitchen party anyway (i'm thinking it's at the farm and they just forgot to mention that we're hosting)?

mitzi and i have been invited to a kitchen party, which is like a kitchen shower for a bride we've never met only it's a way bigger deal and we're supposed to wear chitange suits which are basically traditional  dresses made out of traditional zambian fabric.  so tomorrow we will go to the market and meet with the tailor and figure out which design for a suit we want and then go to the chitange booth where we always buy our chitange (though we may be daring and go somewhere else) and pick out a fabric and then go back to the tailor and get measured and order our very first traditional zambian attire.  the whole thing sounds terribly overwhelming and super fun all at the same time.  how is that possible?

random thought number 4:

in exactly 6 days this non-teacher will officially be teaching music, art, and drama.  crazy.  i was asked the other day by my new friends at the immigration office what my plans for the new year are.  i said, "teach?" and then realized i was serious and suddenly felt a little frightful of the year to come.  hmm.  maybe i should start planning now...  eh, i can do that sunday night.

my new (well, actually old, but newly put into words) motto (which i'm convinced the rest of this country shares with me): 

    "why plan for today what you can stress out about tomorrow." 

and on that note i will leave you to contemplate the many words of wisdom that were not shared in the previous paragraphs.

happy new year!