I haven’t written much lately– not here, not anywhere except my journal. In the spirit of complete transparency, and the knowledge that many of you out there feel the same, I’ve struggled lately. I’ve struggled with stressful situations and changes at work and connecting with my students virtually. I’ve struggled to contain my work and […]
fear
Happiness Isn’t a Simple Choice. Here’s What IS Simple.
If you google “Quotes about happiness,” you’ll find that many of them revolve around the concept of choice. “I am in charge of how I feel and today I’m choosing happiness.” “Happiness is a decision.” “You will be exactly as happy as you decide to be.” It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? You’re in charge […]
COVID-19 Quarantine, Day 1: Privilege
It’s not really day 1. This all started on Friday, when at the very end of our district’s conference day, we were notified that all schools in our county would be closed for two weeks. I spent the weekend processing and preparing. On Monday we had our first non-work day, and on Tuesday I had […]
Irons In The Fire
A colleague asked me recently, “How do you choose what to write? Don’t you get paralyzed by all your potential ideas?” I get a lot of questions about the writing life, but this one gave me pause. I thought for a moment, then told him, “I get excited about a particular form, and then I […]
October Blogging Challenge: Reflection
I’ve come to the end of my October blogging challenge (20 minutes every night for a week, no editing) and I’ve decided two things. First, this week should be capped off with a reflective post, one that looks back over the previous six nights and attempts to understand what I’ve been trying to say here. […]
A Little Risk is Worth It
Today my family made our way up to the Adirondacks for our annual Columbus Day weekend trip. Our first stop was Gore Mountain for their fall festival. It was packed! There was good food, a petting zoo, lots of craft vendors, and toe-tapping music. We found a picnic table and dug into our lunch. Immediately, […]