letters to my class

Dear Humans,

When you’re growing up, you might think that the way you and your family do things is the normal way–the foods you eat at Thanksgiving, the way you prepare them, the words you say before you eat them, the volume of your television.

But there is no normal in this life–no set way it’s supposed to be. But you’ll only see the panoply of options that life gives us if you open your eyes to new sights, your ears to new sounds, your mouth to new flavors, and your mind to new ideas.

You might still prefer the way your grandmother makes her buttery mashed potatoes. And that’s fine. But there are lots of ways to prepare a potato.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

My favorite Thanksgiving activity is playing board games with my family. And though it’s fun to play (and even more fun to win), my favorite part is putting the game back in the box when it’s over.

In real life, things don’t often fit in their original boxes. They grow, change, and get messy. So it’s nice when all the pieces have their own baggies, the dice have their own little cutouts, and the board precisely folds and perfectly fits in the box.

Especially since you’ve just been immersed in an imaginary world where your every thought was focused on carrying out a winning (or losing) strategy. And then that whole world gets packed in a box, put on a shelf, and forgotten.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

It’s normal to look forward to the weekend. We all do. But then the weekend comes and there you are folding laundry or standing in the checkout line at the grocery store, wishing you were somewhere else.

People tell me I should practice mindfulness. When I’m in the checkout line, I should only be in the checkout line; when I’m folding laundry, I should only be folding laundry. 

Which sounds fine, but wishfulness is pretty great too. Humans live as much in our minds as we do in our bodies, and those minds can take us to far-off, wonderful places. Imaginary places that are almost always better than the real thing. 

It’s okay to spend some of our time there as well.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Don’t save seats. On the bus, in the cafeteria, at an assembly. I know we’re all creatures of habit and we tend to associate with the same people, but it’s dangerous to get too stuck in our ways.

Besides, an open seat is an opportunity. To meet someone new, to see the world from a new perspective. Don’t waste that opportunity for an old friend who’s already told you all the jokes they know. 

One of the most important things you learn in school is how to get along with new people. Because you’re going to spend the rest of your life working alongside them, sharing the road with them, creating your communities with them. And sometimes sitting next to them.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Your socks will lose their matches. That’s just something that happens. You can set up systems to slow it. But eventually you’ll be holding a green argyle sock in one hand, fruitlessly digging through the laundry pile for the other one. 

There are just too many places a sock has to go. The hamper, the washing machine, the dryer, the to-be folded pile on the couch. And finally back with its partner into the sock drawer.

But if you’re lucky, by the time your sock loses its partner, the heels are worn through or the elastic cuff has lost its stretch or there’s a hole in the toe, and it’s time for a brand new pair anyways.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Humans,

Human beings are a moving species. Ever since our ancestors descended from the trees and walked upright, we’ve been keeping our eye on the far distance. And our curiosity has driven us there. To every corner of the Earth and beyond.

We are shipbuilders, astronauts, deep sea divers, hot air balloonists, and travelers. Even when we settle down and plant crops, we don’t last in any one place for long. Sometimes we choose to move, sometimes we’re forced to move by the environment or other humans, sometimes it’s both. But we are a moving people. It’s what we do. 

And our homes are wherever we make them.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Season Watchers,

It doesn’t take long for the trees to lose their leaves. It seems like we’ve been waiting for weeks. One day you notice a shocking color of orange, red, or purple. And then, all of a sudden, the leaves are on the ground. 

And then we’re back to waiting for the buds again. 

Though maybe the waiting is the best part. Or at least the most memorable. Or at least what we spend most of our time doing. And, as Annie Dillard says, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” And since the waiting is unavoidable, what’s most important is who we spend our waiting days with.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Performers,

Before my daughters have a performance or a game, they often say they’re feeling nervous. And my response is always the same, “That’s because you’re about to do something important.”

Feeling anxious or nervous is a normal human emotion. Like everything, it can be taken too far. But, like oils on a painter’s palette, it’s another way of helping us more fully experience this world. In the same way, we’re not meant to be content all of the time. If we are, it probably means we’re not living our best lives.

So the next time you feel some butterflies in your stomach, remember that it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It just means you’re about to do something important. 

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Investigators,

We do things, say things, think things, buy things for a reason. Or reasons. Complex, conflicting, and unconscious reasons, but reasons all the same.

It could be what we believe, what we were taught, what we see other people doing, or simply how our brains got wired. And our job as thinking humans is to investigate this world for reasons. 

Because life is shot through with meaning. There are great stories to be told about why we do what we do. But it has to be discovered, uncovered, deduced, intuited, pointed out, and shined upon with our light (dim though it may be) of reason.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt

Dear Gift Givers,

Not much you can do about a bad day. Sometimes the traffic is backed up, the coffee spills on your shirt, and the copy machine jams. (I understand this is specific to my job.) You try to keep a positive attitude, but it doesn’t help.

Because what you need to turn around a bad day is a gift of grace. A surprise. Something unexpected. And just like you can’t tickle yourself, you can’t give yourself a gift.

But you can give it to someone else. And it’s the easiest thing in the world. A smile. A kind word. 

So the next time you’re having a bad day, just forget it, and try to brighten someone else’s day. It will come back to you.

Sincerely,

Mr. Curt