Thoughts

My leadership students, their families, and I just celebrated the school year tonight with a banquet. We began with dinner, which was followed by speeches from our student council president and three leadership students. We then watched an imovie that highlighted the year's events, which was followed by what at least some thought was the best part of the evening. Eighth-grade students took the stage for a candle-lighting ceremony. After they lined up along the front of the stage, I lit the candle of one student. She then lit the candle of the next student, and so on until all candles were lit. Seventh-grade students then took the stage and the eighth-grade students turned to light their candles. Thereafter, one of the two emcees explained the symbolism behind the ceremony, and as seventh grade stepped forward to take the front of the stage, eighth grade stepped back and blew out their candles. It symbolized a passage of leadership from the current eighth-grade students to next year...

Here are a few attempts at making emotions a tangible thing, of tying emotions to the senses. Envy looks like a man grasping at a dollar bill with a fist full of hundreds, and sounds like a Stradivarius played on an 8-track. Its fragrance is like filet mignon, but its taste like spam. Helplessness tastes like a chocolate eclair, just before the anesthetic in your tongue wears off. It looks and sounds like the impassioned screaming of a needy child behind soundproof glass. Loyalty looks like tears shed on someone else's hands.