Summer Soliloquy

Thank you to everyone who has helped me launch my book this year! It’s officially been out for a month, and it’s been a great start with over 70 copies distributed in the US and UK. While my blog typically covers more general writing, I wanted to write today for everyone in education. You are dear to so many, including me. Consider this essay a rough sketch that could find its way within the next Dear Teachers. :-)

The current school year has either closed down or is coming to its end for a large number of folks. It’s a time of transition in the natural world as well. Energy is building, gaining steam for the growing season of summer in the northern hemisphere. Everything feels so alive.

What are we growing for ourselves?

Our bodies.

We’re entering the 6th month of 2017. There’s time and opportunity now to wrap loving arms around our bodies and renew our appreciation for the wondrous forms we inhabit. For example, consider your feet. Sure, we could think of them as ugly. And yet, they have gotten us through to this day, carrying us faithfully through life’s ups and downs. Those without might (rightfully) chide us for our pettiness. Our feet are amazing. When’s the last time you looked down at them and said, “Thanks!”.

We may frown when we look in the mirror at lumps or flaps that weren’t there 20 years ago. However, these bodies of ours have made it through years of life’s turmoil. They deserve respect. So, let’s love the wrinkles and appreciate the grey.

While we’re at it, it’s the perfect time to tune up how we treat our bodies. Summer’s bounty of healthy fruits and vegetables and the lush weather that grows us these feasts are at our doorsteps. Let’s get out there and savor it all!

Our minds.

I recall days spent as a child reading in summer. I honestly don’t have the time or inclination today to spend that much time immersed in a book. There are so many other great things to do as well!! However, the quest for knowledge still runs deep. We can absorb new information and experiences through a huge swath of sources. Book clubs, twitter chats, podcasts, trips, classes and more can give us windows into great new ideas.

Time to ponder deeply or dance lightly through a delicious romance or adventure, whether in written, graphic or video form, stretch our brains in refreshing directions.

Our spirits.

Oh, our connections to others. We give and give and give some more all school year. We may find ourselves drained at this point. Now, it’s time to turn to family, friends and personal adventures like no other.

In nature, all the living things retreat into themselves in the cold and dark of winter. Trees and plants, birds and mammals, reptiles and insects. Everything pulls itself inward. For protection. For comfort. For preservation of stores.

For those in education, that time is not then and there. It is now. We retreat to our inner circles and bathe in a rich company of bloodlines and lifetimes together. We gather our stores. We find comfort. We are wrapped in the protective arms of our loved ones.

Here’s to a great summer for all. May you find what you need and enjoy your days in whatever ways you choose! Body, mind and spirit- fill them with sunshine!

If you haven’t already checked out my book, you can do so on Amazon here or contact me for signed copies at dearteachers2017@gmail.com. Dear Teachers is an everyday person’s thoughts & tales of life in education.  Pass along the word to your own contacts as well! I would love to talk to administrators and principals about how entire schools or districts could benefit from the messages, photos and writing space within my guided journal.

Your Life's Dance

Photo by our 11 year old

Today marks the day where I will have been married for as many years as I was single. I’m pumped that after all these years and 2 kids, I fit into that old dress again. I’m definitely not the same woman in that dress- no, no,  no! Emphatically and thankfully not- nor is the man who’s still standing by my side the exact same one I walked down the aisle to. We've both grown and changed.

How have we done it? Was it commitment, being straight-out pigheaded or simply that it was just easier to keep going than to choose to quit? Depending on the day, any or all of the above. Why? Because marriage is like anything else in life.

Commitment

I’m so glad more people around the world today can officially commit to each other in a variety of ways. Just this week, Taiwan declared same-sex marriage legal, for example. We got married in a church, but to me, the commitment was formed in the first few months of our relationship, years ahead of the wedding. To me, there’s a meaningful unwritten contract that any 2 people can make at any point in their journey that is affirmed by what goes on in life’s most needful moments. We’ve been married for 23 years but our commitment to each other goes back another 4. The marriage ceremony itself was simply a secondary affirmation.

If you’ve committed to something, you love it, warts and all.

Being Pigheaded

My husband and I are both stubborn. There are days one can get so angry or disappointed, there’s a huge temptation to just set a match to it and watch it burn. Then, memories of all the work you’ve both put into this life flash through your mind. The good times and stories that have been written into your family’s collective history. You refuse to let an argument or perceived slight kill all that.

Being ornery gets you through the “I quit!” moments.

Just Chill

Needs that haven’t been met, comments that feel like attacks and not taking care of yourself can lead you to the point where even the Dalai Lama would disappoint you. You think, “Is it worth it?”. You begin listing the things you’d have to do in order to break the pattern and you pause. Problem-solving strategies to get you both to a better place replace petty grumbles.

Sometimes, you just have to stop. That gift of time can restore both you and your commitments.

I don’t have any magical tricks for any of it: love, career, family or friends. Life is tough, whatever path you take. It takes commitment. It takes some stubbornness. Sometimes it takes stopping instead of reacting, so adjustments can be made.

All I really know is, it’s worth doing with your whole self. It’s your life’s dance!

Growth & Renaissance

The KPop band BTS won the Top Social Media Artist Award (another great article, Tamar Herman!) at the BBMAs on Sunday, May 21. This group of 7 young musical artists from South Korea hit another milestone in their careers, introducing themselves to a new audience as they accepted the award after flying back to the United States from the world tour they are currently on.

It got me thinking about growth and milestones in general.

This week I also hit a couple of milestones. I had a birthday, turning 46. I’m also coming close to the 1 month anniversary of the release of my first book, Dear Teachers (and in the UK here), and I’m both excited and amazed to announce that there are already well over 60 copies of my stories already out in the world, being held in others’ hands and minds. I’m humbled by the feedback I’ve received both directly and in the reviews. I am feeling very hopeful.

Big changes in life aren’t just for people in their 20s. We all are capable of, and should reach for, new things. We can all reach new heights.

I have a chronic medical condition, having been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes almost 23 years ago. Despite that, I’m approaching the year anniversary of my foray into the world of running. I’m in much better shape than I ever have been. The bookworm has metamorphosed into someone who works out daily. I am also working on a new guided journal, this one geared for Diabetic Warriors, using my experience with T1D as a guide.

Struggle gives us wings.

Getting back to BTS, some of their best work has been inspired by hardship. Songs like Not Today, Blood Sweat & Tears, Am I Wrong and Spring Day cover harsh topics like feeling intense criticism from the outside world, undergoing years of ridicule and effort to achieve something, suffering attacks on self-worth and experiencing tragedies that steal our youth and hope. Their response is to repeat to the world that they, and we, will not be bowed. The key is to stand with someone.

I have struggles. You have struggles. Everyone has struggles. If we stick together, we will rise.

Everything we experience can give us something to grow by. We walk through fires of pain, fear, anger and loneliness. If we can stay connected to others in whatever ways work for us and hear their encouragement, we can get through the trials.

Speak your truth. Give someone that smile. Be open to receiving the same. Who knows where you’ll end up and what tale you will be able to tell at the end of your story.

Dear Teachers Intro Video

On a beautiful May morning, I took a few minutes to introduce myself (and some happy insects) to the world.

Sum of Our Struggles

I shot this photo this morning at the park I took my boys to for a walk. The older one had been struggling with his math work and I decided a (forced) bit of fresh air was just what we all needed.

My VerboStratis logo features a dandelion and this one caught my eye. We had a miserably cold and wet the day yesterday and this flower was weighed down with the damp. And yet, it was standing upright, waiting for the winds of chance to allow its seeds to fly free.

This is a weed. I consider myself a weed, and perhaps we all are. We live as best we can and try to spread our influence, molded by our experiences, to the wider world.

My son is a weed and he’s in the thick of the very beginnings of his growth. He needs guidance on perseverance, smart use of resources, relaxing techniques to fight anxiety and learning when it’s best to beat a calculated retreat in order to regroup and revise plans before going out once more to try.

I’m sure he doesn’t feel it, but he has a unique and fascinating beauty. Look at this seed head closely and you can see enchanting patterns of architecture and textures. He’s the same way- one has to look closely to get his glow. He struggles with school but he has a wit and charm that are both edgy and engaging. He sees things and understands things I did not at his age (and probably never will)  and that’s a needed reminder to me: we are all different, but we all want to, and can, shine.

We’re weeds. We struggle day-by-day. We all want to grow and let what we are- what we’ve become- float on the winds to the world. Let's help each other along the way.

Good news! There is still time to order my book, Dear Teachers, though both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, in time for school year-end gifts, but TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

Dear Teachers offers a year’s worth of supportive essays, great nature photography and room for teachers to pen their own ideas. In addition, I will be hosting a closed Facebook page for readers for 2017-18 to offer additional weekly encouragements and opportunities to share.