letters to my class

Dear Humans,

People lie for all sorts of reasons: to make ourselves look better, to make other people feel better, or to keep a hold on power. But we also lie because we know that the truth has a dangerous power that might disrupt our lives. If we tell the truth, we might have to actually do something about it!

But there’s an old, worn saying that’s one of the first things I remember learning: Honesty is the best policy. And it’s true. In the long run, your lies will catch up with you. It’s best to stick with the truth.

But remember, your opinion about something or someone is not the same thing as the truth. Usually best to keep that nonsense to yourself.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

When I pull the bag of corn tortillas out of the refrigerator, they are a sad sight. They are dry and tasteless and so brittle that if you even look at one it will break.

But then I put it on the stovetop for just a few seconds and it is magically transformed. It becomes pliable and soft and the deep taste comes out of hiding.

People are kind of the same way. We can all be magically transformed with just a little bit of care and patience. So let’s not treat each other like we just came out of the fridge; let’s give each other a little time to warm up over a low flame.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

I was reading my toothbrush packaging the other day, and it told me that we are ruled by our habits. It was a good reminder. Because it’s easy to overlook the things that we don’t “choose” to do, but that we do everyday.

We like to think we’re pretty smart. We like to think that our brains are in charge. But usually our brains get dragged along by our bodies following the same paths that we’ve followed before.

But it’s never too late to change paths. It’s not easy–we have to practice going down a different path quite a few times. But it’s never too late. And if we can convince our bodies to do it, we’ll end up in a better place.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

My youngest daughter was telling us about a book she’s reading and she kept referring to a character as “Dirty.” At first I thought she was saying “Gertie” but then she kept saying it and I definitely heard an initial D. And when I finally had her spell it, she said D-E-I-R-D-R-E.

It reminded me of the time I went to the library in my tiny little town in Wyoming and asked them for the book On The Road by Jack Ke…r.. ow..ick?

We only know something because we learn it. If we’re not willing to be wrong or make mistakes or risk looking a little foolish, then we’ll never learn a thing.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

Yesterday I stapled my own finger. I used to think you had to be really dumb to staple your own finger (and maybe you do), but there I was yesterday with a staple sticking out of my finger.

It’s best not to hold yourself in too high esteem. Because up until yesterday, I thought I was the kind of person who would never staple their own finger. I was too wise. Too careful. Too smart.

But now I have a tiny little hole in my pinkie to show that I’m not all of those things. At least not all of the time.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

When I see bullying, I know the person doing the bullying has the problem. Because if you bully, you’re always gonna run into a bigger bully. (In fact, you probably already have.)

Of course we intervene. Because no one should have to put up with abuse. But the best we thing we can do is help the victim, and convince ourselves and others that bullying is the exception, not the norm.

But I think we’re so afraid of bullying because when we look around our world, it seems like the bullies are doing pretty well. And maybe they do win the occasional battle. But we have to have faith that goodness and kindness will end up winning the war.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

I can’t wait for Leap Day tomorrow. When the universe gives you something extra, you should cherish it. You should venerate it. And, most importantly, you should waste it.

Or at least we should think about how we spend all of our normal days. When you get something extra, you get the opportunity to think about what you already have. On Thanksgiving, we stuff ourselves with food so we’re thankful for the food we have every other day. On Christmas, we shower each other with gifts so we’re thankful for all the things we already have.

Maybe on Leap Day we get an extra 24-hours so we’re thankful for the 24-hours we’re given every other day.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

Humans leave footprints wherever we go. And sometimes we leave behind messes: Burmese pythons in the Everglades, rabbits in Australia, and kudzu all over the South.

It’s important for us humans to remember the big impact we have, not only because we’ll affect the environment, but because we’ll affect ourselves. That conditions exist for us to be here (and have over 8 billion people) is a miracle. It’s best not to mess too much with miracles.

And yet we still have to live our lives. So we have to think hard about the choices we make. Not only how they’ll affect us in the short-term, but how they’ll affect people in the future.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

Simple and easy seem like synonyms. But in real life, they have totally different meanings.

In school, doing the right thing is simple–treat others well, pay attention in class, and complete all of your work. But you all know that doing those simple things is never easy.

When I go to the doctor, she always gives me the same simple advice–eat well, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. Those things are simple, but they are not easy.

We live in a big, complex world. And it’s easy to believe that there there is some scheme we can follow to outsmart it. But the truth is much simpler (and more difficult) than that.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck

Dear Humans,

I used to have a car whose low coolant light blink on, so I had to carry around extra coolant in the trunk and watch the level like a hawk. It was always nerve-wracking to drive that car. And for a while, that was a big problem in my life that I thought would never end.

But now I don’t even remember what color that car was. I’m two or three cars on from that one and now I have new problems in my life.

It’s important to remember that everything in life is temporary. It doesn’t feel that way at the time, but life goes on and the thing that seemed so important at the time will soon be in our rear-view mirrors.

Sincerely,

Mr. Heimbuck