Yes, that is yet another Christmas tree. When does it end? This Saturday we went to Saint John the Divine and while we were there a tour guide explained their tree o' cranes: "There is a belief that if you create 1,000 cranes it's good luck and you get to make a wish. We decided to make a crane tree this year and call it our Peace Tree -- for our wish is that there can be world peace." Cue inspiring organ chords.
At this point my son raised his hand and asked: "Are there 1,000 cranes there?" As a parent I was like: sigh. Obviously there's 1,000 cranes -- she just said that.
"Actually. No. We stopped around 750. We thought that if any more were put on it wouldn't look right."
Dolt?!?
Judd the Red Chicken looked back at me with a baffled look and shrugged.
So. I've been thinking about this. If we don't have world peace this year, I totally know who to blame. The chump at Saint John's who decided that aesthetics and/or carpal tunnel somehow trumps all. I mean, do they get the cosmic credit because of the intent? Or does an arbitrary rule have to be strictly adhered to? After all, if you don't cut the cosmic mustard...
Today was a random day. The Boy coughed until late last night, so the kids slept in. We've been reading a book that they wanted to finish, so we lounged around on the couch and I read away. And then we had a dreaded appointment at the dentist. My little one had to go under the drill and in addition to the pain and discomfort it caused her, it seriously made me tight and anxious to watch it. The dentist was great and fast. I really did try to remain calm and soothing -- channeling Florence and Clara and Mother Teresa -- but at one point I about upset my stool in a panic when The Girl sounded like she was choking and her eyes had a crazed animal look. Ugh.
Well, that was enough energy output. With math and piano done, the rest of the day was a wash. (Other than a sweet, short little trip to the petting zoo after collecting a friend finally home from school.)
Question: if the tour guide had said: There are only 750 cranes on the tree, but in order to make it to 1,000 we had the intern whip up the other 250, and they are sitting in a box in the office... That should work, right?
Because I'm thinking that Saturday kind of makes up for our dithering about today.
We went to Saint John the Divine's to participate in their Camels and Kings workshop. We started on the beautiful main level where, in addition to the tree, we looked at their nativity and discussed the medallion on the floor. The educator explained that the medallions on the floor are a medieval tradition -- from the time when most worshippers were not literate and pictures and symbols were used. The medallion we looked at had three crowns and a star that pointed to two flours de lis -- which represent Mary. While I was musing on the weight given to Mary and the wise men (I don't begrudge them -- I'm just used to a more Christ-heavy take) one of my kids made a reference to the importance of the wise men choosing to take a different path -- using their agency to NOT go back to Herod. I'm pretty sure that insight came from the book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
Apparently there was a big going-away shindig for a bishop, so after the educator made the very funny quip, "We need to be aware, so as not to be run over by a bunch of priests," we went down to the dungeons where the art workshops are. The children made king-like costumes, crowns (The Girl glued tear-drop shaped pearls together to make eggs... to put in the nest that she and The Dad made for the top of hers), and boxes to hold presents (I was gifted a diamond ring!). The two kings (and their lowly folks) walked around the grounds afterwards and happily said hullo! to the peacocks that live there year-round.
But that's not all we did on Saturday. We also drove up to the Bronx to try to find a Three Kings Day celebration at an elementary school. The celebration did not come to fruition, but the drive was totally worthwhile because we were all entranced by a Radiolab segment about the minds of animals. Would life be worth living without NPR?
After lunch (Dino BBQ) we headed south to a place that I did not know existed before a friend at church gifted us some tickets -- the Japan Society. We saw the Silver Wind exhibit, and it was truly beautiful. Perhaps my favorite part was the new skill that a security guard passed on to my kids. As we walked past her I made some random (read: lame) joke and she took pity on my kids. She came over and asked them if they wanted to see something interesting? She proceeded to lead them around to the different pieces of art and say things like: look right here -- do you see the face in the water? Stand right here -- if the tree is his nose, do you see the man? She did this with four or five different pieces and my kids were hooked. For the rest of the time they were like: I see shoes! This looks like a face! Here's a bird! Their attentiveness to the lines and shapes was surely valuable.
The space that the Japan Society is in is lovely. Definitely worth knowing about and watching the calendar for exhibits and performances.
So there you have it. Our extra cranes that we store up for the days when we run a bit short. For those who believe that a specific amount of paper equals a specific outcome.
