It is my last couple of days on spring break. I’ve slept late, ate good food, written poems about food, and took long walks capturing the beauty I saw with my camera. I am trying to do things that nourish me, that uplift me, that help to better understand my purpose. The sunshine and warm weather has definitely lifted my spirits, and I hope I have absorbed enough of its healing energy to bring back north to our muddy March season.
Tag: creative thinking
A Much-Needed Spring Break
Thank goodness for spring break. Thank goodness I have the next two weeks to recover and regroup. I desperately need two weeks to bide my time until spring arrives. I am taking seven steps get back in health again.
Mindfulness in Teaching: Be Where Your Feet Are
The author, Suzanne Dailey, noted that she and her girlfriends play a game called “Where are your fee?” in which they send each other photos of their feet to check in with each other about what they are doing and how they are feeling. This game helps each person consider where they are in the present moment. It helps them reflect and shift their attention. It’s a gentle reminder to “Be where your feet are.”
Sew Easy: A Heartfelt Journey
Many things that my mother loved, I love - teaching, making art, reading, eating cheese and crackers, putting on bright lipstick, and sewing. My mother was an amazing seamstress and dress designer well before she had kids and became a teacher. She would hold a piece of fabric in her hand, fold it, cut it without a pattern, and make something wonderful to wear. She had a gift, and it was magical.
One Little Word – Zest, 2025
I keep thinking about the perfect word as my touchstone for 2025. In the past, I’ve chosen: remember, purpose, and settle. Those are important words and they kept me set on a definite path the last three years. This year, I searched for a word that would reflect who I am now at the beginning of 2025, at the precipice of my 69th year.
A Lark and a Prayer: Music in the Classroom
Last week, I was reminded of the importance of music. This reminder came in the form of a six-year-old girl named Lark.
Grateful Harvest: Baking in Kindergarten
This week, I had the treat of baking with kindergarteners. We transformed their four small Halloween pumpkins into a sumptuous dessert: Bread Pudding in a Pumpkin Shell! To my surprise, there were requests for seconds, thirds, and even fourths!
Showing Up
I have shown up for kids for forty-six years. It is my greatest achievement – this showing up – this putting intentional time into something as important as children. I love watching children grow and develop. I like being the one who cheers them on through the struggles.
Finding Tranquility in a Cup of Tea
When life gets more hectic than I wish, I turn for moments of solace. Those moments often include a steaming cup of tea. As soon as I put the kettle on, I start to relax.
That’s Silly! Learning and Laughing
Last spring, I submitted a poem for possible publication in Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong’s new anthology, Clara’s Kooky Compendium of Thimble Thoughts and Wonder Fuzz. Janet and Sylvia have been wonderful supportive of my poetry and my creative process. I can’t thank them enough for encouraging me to get silly again.
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 