5 Things I Won't Tell the 4th Grade Class

Dear Willo,

I am going to be the Mystery Reader in your class, so your teacher asked me to email him 5 clues about me so you and your classmates can guess who it will be. I had a hard time coming up with the clues because 1) you already know so much about me and I wanted you to be stumped and 2) I don’t like wasting words on silly things but you are all in fourth grade so I need to keep it a little goofy and stuff that makes sense to you.

This is what I really wanted to submit:

1. My faith has been tested many times but more than ever, I believe God is my anchor and I hope you all get to the same place. I believe life is so much warmer and more meaningful once we accept that.

2. I know that a lot of you are feeling pressure, and will feel pressure, from a lot of adults around you, and maybe from within yourselves, to do really well in school so you can go to the best colleges. But I want you to know that all of that is CRAP. Your success will not be based on your grades, or the number of AP classes you take, or your athletic accomplishments or how many instruments you can play. If you get to my age feeling happy, purposeful and healthy, it will be because you are doing what you love, with people who lift you up, and you are contributing in a positive way to the world every single day. No Ivy league school can give you that, and if you are stressed out, exhausted, having the spirit beaten out of you, instead of using your gifts to make the world a better place, you will be miserable. No degree is worth that. Just do your very best, follow your gut, and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.  When grown-ups say they want to provide you with the best opportunities, they mean well, but I believe that if you're doing what makes your eyes sparkle, you will always have opportunities. And they will be the right ones.

3. Listen to your body. I have learned that when we are sick, tired, overweight, achy – it’s usually because our body is screaming at us. It is trying to tell us that we need to eat more vegetables and less sugar and stuff in packages, we need to move more and sit less, we need to talk and laugh more and type and stare at screens less, we need to be outside every single day. Your body is your friend, and it’s the only friend that will be with you your whole life. Respect it and honor it.

4. It is really hard to ask for help when we need it. We think we might look stupid or weak or like losers.  But I have learned that when we ask for help, from God, from family, from friends, from teachers and coaches and doctors - this actually means we are really strong, and smart, and brave. And then the next step is to close our mouth and really listen.

5. I believe that if every single person did yoga, this world would be a much better place. When we do yoga, we are connecting our mind, body and spirit together. We are setting aside all those extra, frivolous distractions in our life and connecting with our most basic self, and with each other. It is really hard to be harmful to ourselves and others once we are connecting that way.

Maybe if I’m invited to be a Mystery Reader in your high school class, I will submit the above 5 clues. For now, this is what I ended up submitting:

1. I wanted to be a journalist when I grew up

2. Nobody has ever beaten me in the game Othello

3. I think reading books is one of the best things a person can do. We can escape on imaginary adventures, learn anything we want to know about, and especially, learn from others' mistakes. Books are gifts I never take for granted.

4. My favorite place to be is by the beach, in summer. 

5. I eat an avocado every single day. YUM.

Love, 

Mami