Thinking about Thinking

Someone is thinking of some thinking . . .

This is the first line of a poem by my husband Michael Leddy. It was a family favorite when our kids were little, partially because it had much to do with family life. (Perhaps Michael might consider posting the whole poem in the comments one of these days.)

A saying of my father's, "You have to think all of the time, not just some of the time," permeated my household when I was growing up. I don't recall if he ever actually said it to me when I was a child, and I never really understood what he was saying it in reference to, but it does pop into my head from time to time, particularly when I am practicing the viola.

I was teaching a lesson the other day, and like many young students, my student had trouble paying attention to one or more of the tasks at hand. I decided to quote my father, and since it was a viola lesson, I figured that words from one of the great masters of the instrument might carry special weight.

ME: My father would say "You have to think all of the time, not just some of the time."

STUDENT: (After a second or two) I suppose I think some of the time, most of the time.