With a major hurricane crashing into Florida within hours, I got to thinking of my recent PE lessons on "hanging" for my kids in grades 3,4,5. Hanging is one of the many "survival skills" I teach in PE. Here are some thoughts about hanging and survival through my classical PE lens. If you are in FL and surrounding areas this week, best of luck with Hurricane Ian.

"Everything we do we will it to be done!" -Ray Eliot

One of the most successful college football coaches in American history was Coach Ray Eliot from the University of Illinois. I've spoken on Coach Eliot before, but in this show, I'll be sharing some of his thoughts from a book written by his grandson in 1995 entitled, "Ray Eliot: The Spirit and Legend of Mr. Illini." Coach Eliot had some amazing wisdom looking into the troublesome future of football devolving into a money pit at the expense of getting a quality education. Also referenced is Eliot's famous speech from the 1960s entitled, "The Proper State of Mind." It's an amazing speech and only 30 minutes long. I highly recommend listening to his speech as it's quite inspirational--and it's not really about football...it's about the big game of life.
Speech link is: https://youtu.be/w-JLGLrypyI

On the tragic eve of another female runner violently attacked and murdered, here are my thoughts on the rights and issues surrounding female runners in America. *Photo by Ron Jones

As the world learns of the passing of Queen Elizabeth, it is worth reflecting upon what we can learn from her sense of decorum, poise, sense of honor, and tradition. Here are a few thoughts in respect and my best wishes to all my friends in the UK tonight. *Photo Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II#/media/File:Queen_Elizabeth_II_in_March_2015.jpg

Some random thoughts of the day from an armadillo report to the demonic imagery of Biden's propaganda speech and more...

I've been observing my PE girls this last week during some free play. Their movement skills are stunning! It got me thinking about the values of barefoot fitness and how people can learn better through their feet and movement in general--it's a nice bright spot to polish today.

American author Will Rogers had some brilliant thoughts on taxes a hundred years ago...here are a few to consider when understanding that "free is NOT free" when it comes to free money from the government. *Photo Credit: Wikipedia

I started noticing a bunch of holes in my yard a couple of months ago. I found out they were being dug by the resident armadillo! Most people here uses traps and take them away or kill them--however, is there a better way to think about this? Can I become one with the armadillo? Here are a few fun armadillo facts and deeper reflections. *Photo by HunadamTomfriedelderivative work: WolfmanSF -
File:Glyptodon-1.jpgFile:Nine-banded Armadillo.jpg, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58555357

Here are four bright spots to polish coming out of California teacher education at the university level. My friend and teacher Dr. Rocannon MacGregor put up a post about some of the work being done by education professor Dr. Marga Madhuri--I've also worked for years with Dr. Madhuri and have been impressed by her instruction and character. There were four critical points cited that are worth discussing today: eye contact, presence, touch, and playfulness. Enjoy the show. :)

A few weeks ago, the historic home of Bonnie Prudden in Tucson, AZ was flooded for the second time in one year. The home is inhabited by Bonnie's long-time assistant Enid Whittaker who has been my mentor for many years. The damage is so extensive that Enid had to vacate the home. Many of the historic reference materials were damaged. Enid needs help with repair and restoration costs that are not going to be covered by her insurance. This show "briefly" lays out the legacy work of Bonnie Prudden and Enid Whittaker and why it is important to preserve. I hope you give it a listen and some reflection. If I have ever helped you in any way, it's likely to have been guided by the work of Bonnie and Enid. *Photo by Ron Jones

Go Fund Me Link for Enid Whittaker: https://www.gofundme.com/f/enid-whittaker-flood-and-mud-fund