Matters of Perspective

In the town where I grew up, there were two public elementary schools: Greenwood, the old(er) school, and Westside, the still-relatively-new-school.  Once every year or two, the schools would be united for a special event -- an end-of-the-year picnic, or an elementary olympiad or some such.  These attempts at unity generally devolved into Westsiders and Greenwooders shearing apart like the farmers and the cowhands at the Oklahoma! barn dance.  Sometimes we even formed two separate, facing battle lines, the Westside kids chanting, "Westside is the BEST side!" and us Greenwood kids retorting, "Greenwood is the GOOD wood!" which apparently was the best we could come up with.  (Even at the time, I think we knew our chant was lacking a bit of luster.  Worse was the fact that "Greenwood is the MEAN wood" actually fit the existing rhyme scheme.  This was used to great advantage by the Westsiders, believe me.)  Since then, the town has built a third elementary school, called Rocky Branch.  Those kids have a name-rhyming challenge cut out for them. 

This morning, I visited both Westside and Greenwood, and I had an absolutely wonderful time.  I read, talked, signed lots and lots of books, answered lots and lots of fantastic questions, and felt very lucky to have come from such an encouraging, supportive place.  It's good to get away from my desk now and then, and to be reminded of the actual, excited, curious, imaginative people who I'm writing for.