One day at the beach, I walked along peacefully intent on taking photographs of shells and other bits of nature that the ocean tide delivered on the sand. I sought out colorful shapes: golden yellow, pale pink, deep purple, and luminous blue. I was deep in thought, in the flow of the moment. I felt truly happy.
Category: growth mindset
Room for Imagination
Just before I awake in the morning, I often have what I call a “waking dream,” a clear and powerful image comes to my mind. It is a place so vivid that I think it is real, that I have been there but my rational mind knows that I have never visited such a place.
Mindful Gardener
I’m lucky to live near many public gardens and arboretums. I cannot wait to see their spring offerings. This spring seems more precious to me, maybe it’s because of the precariousness of the world. I need a place of serenity and beauty, a place where things thrive and grow instead of being destroyed.
Welcome Spring!
clearer. I can push world events away for just a little while.
Comes in Threes
To make writing interesting and strong, we are told to describe things in groups of threes. I wonder what the origins of this Rule of Three is from.
Invitation to Joy
I think that my major role as an educator is to invite joy. I have always thought this from the beginning of my career over forty years ago. Maybe it’s because I started teaching in a nursery school. You can’t help to be joyful when teaching two, three, and four-year-old children. They actually exude joie de vivre and happily invite adults into their world. It’s a great place to dwell.
Much Loved: Stuffed Animals & Their People
Mark Nixon's Much Loved is in the inspiration for this post, which features my most treasured stuffed animals.
Kitchen Literacy: Luck of the Irish
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! For years, I would bake Irish soda bread and read leprechaun stories with my young students. There is nothing like the smell of fresh-baked bread while listening to fanciful tales.
Consider the Pomegranate
Then my mom introduced me to the pomegranate, which we called a Chinese apple back then. Pomegranates were actually native to Iran and Northern India. They were so exotic to me.
Nature’s Cure
When the world becomes too much, I invariably turn to nature. As I walk the trails, I am on the lookout for something to surprise me, something to capture my imagination. Nature is the best cure for writer’s block.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 