Category: Inspiration

Posted in Culture/History, Inspiration, Technology

Green from a different perspective

Posted on by Marion Driessen

Today a friend of mine e-mailed me this text. I don’t know who wrote it, but I want to share it. From one generation to the next.

Yesterday after shopping at our local supermarket, I was in the queue at the checkout and heard the young cashier suggest to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment. The woman apologized to the young girl and then sighed. “We didn’t have this ‘green thing’ back in my earlier days.”

The young clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. You folk didn’t do enough to save the environment for future generations.” The older lady said, “Ah, I see.” Then she continued.

“Back then, we returned milk bottles, lemonade bottles and beer bottles to the shops. The shops then sent them back to the plant to be washed, sterilized and refilled, so those same bottles were used over and over, thus REALLY were recycled. But we didn’t have the ‘green thing’ back in our days. Continue reading “Green from a different perspective” →

Posted in Inspiration, Personal

Laugh and Embrace

Posted on by Marion Driessen

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Dear readers and friends, thank you all so much for the good things that you have shared with me and with each other over the past year. Inspiring writings and photographs, the beautiful and often touching words and images. They make this sweet world better.

Happy holidays and all the best for 2019. Stay healthy and live well. Take care of each other. Laugh and embrace.

Big kiss,
Marion
❤

Faith

Don’t worry, love.

Your star is too bright to dim.

Status• Posted on by Marion Driessen
Posted in Education, Inspiration

Teachers make a difference

Posted on by Marion Driessen

How about you?

Each work day I’m surrounded by teachers. Well, actually by teachers squared, for they teach teachers. I am inspired by them daily. And Taylor Mali has exactly the right words to describe the art of being a teacher.

Watch and be inspired!

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Posted in Health, Inspiration, Photo

Don’t get rid of your stress, get better at it!

Posted on by Marion Driessen

Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case.

Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.

The next time your heart is pounding from stress, you’re going to think to yourself: This is my body, helping me rise to this challenge.

Stress makes you social. It releases oxytocin, motivating to seek and give support, and strengthening your heart.

I wanted to share this eye-opening TED-talk with you:

I’m going to give this a try. How about you?

Posted in Culture/History, Education, Inspiration, Writing, Writing101

TED Talk? No, JEFFREY Talk!

Posted on by Marion Driessen

His eyes shine like a beacon of hope. They draw me in like a moth is pulled to a flame. Not to be burned, but to be submerged in a pool of energy, humor and passion. His name is Jeffrey Titus Maganga, and he is the most charismatic man I have met in a long time.

Mister Maganga works at Lilongwe’s Teacher Trainer College in Malawi, where he tells us all about TALULAR – Teaching And Learning Using Locally Available Resources. In Malawi, resources are scarce, and the help of the government is not always available. He teaches his students to use their imagination, creativity and common sense beyond the knowledge of college.

In the beginning, his never ending search for free materials drove his wife mad, whenever he returned from a trip to for example the supermarket, with bags full of useless stuff, junk even. Think of used sheets, of corks and reeds, paper boxes and cans, Useless.., until Jeffrey thinks of new ways to convert them into educational materials. Now she even helps me to collect them! He winks.

His enthusiasm is contagious, and my heart swells with pride. This is a man all of us can learn from. No fancy talk, no expensive materials. Just a man and his passion, his love for teaching, and for the environment.

Mister Jeffrey Titus Maganga!

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I wrote this for Writing 101: A Character-Building Experience: “Today, you’ll write about the most interesting person you’ve met in 2014. In your twist, develop and shape your portrait further in a character study.”

I’d love to get feedback!