two posters of notes in greg keller's classroom

There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

1.
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost . . . I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.


2.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in this same place.
But, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.


3.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I SEE it there.
I still fall in . . . it's a habit . . . but,
my eyes are open,
I know where I am.
It is MY fault.
I get out immediately.


4.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.


5.
I walk down another street.





"The Precious Stillness"

One final paragraph of advice:
Do not burn yourself out.
Be as I am--
a reluctant enthusiast...
a part-time crusader,
a half-hearted fanatic.
Save the other half of yourselves and your lives
for pleasure and adventure.
It is not enough to fight for the land:
it is even more important to enjoy it.
While you can.
While it's still there.
So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around
with your friends,
ramble out yonder and explore the forests,
encounter the grizz,
climb the mountains,
bag the peaks,
run the rivers,
breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air,
sit quietly for a while,
and contemplate the precious stillness,
that lovely, mysterious and awesome space.
Enjoy yourselves,
keep your brain in your head
and your head firmly attached to the body,
the body active and alive,
and I promise you this much:
I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies,
over those desk-bound people with their
hearts in a safe deposit box
and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators.
I promise you this:
you will outlive the bastards.

-Edward Abbey