As many of you know, my grandfather, Edwin Dannen, passed away a few weeks ago. Although he was 98, he was so healthy that his death was unexpected, and the shock waves of grief are still pummeling me. In the aftermath of a death, I find it helps to assign yourself a specific action that […]
grief
Grief and Creativity
A writing friend of mine asked me why productivity and creativity seem so hard right now. I, too, have noticed that many of my most creative friends are feeling blocked. Unsurprisingly, my answer to my friend had to do with the grief process, which I’ve been writing about a lot lately. Since mid-March I’ve been […]
Social Justice Action Plan
I’ve been thinking nonstop about what I can personally do in response to George Floyd’s murder. Earlier in the week I struggled with the grief, which felt necessary to me, but also prompted guilt over my own privilege, because I had time and space to grieve when so many do not. I feel ashamed that […]
But First, Grief
I had planned to write a post today about the death of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, and the crackdown on protestors this past weekend. In my usual way, I had hoped to find perspective through my own writing, give my readers hope, and prompt action. But I woke up this morning, and I didn’t […]
Temporary Joy
I’ve been in a bit of a funk for a few days, and it took me awhile to figure out why– but when it finally crystalized, everything made sense. My daughter’s third birthday was last Monday. After I thought about it, I remembered that I went through the same funk after she turned one, and […]
The Perpetual Goodbye
This week, I’m saying goodbye to my fifth grade band students. I’ve been teaching them for two years. That’s about 60 small-group lessons and 85 band rehearsals– a lot of student-teacher contact time. I’ve gotten to know many of them quite well, and I’m going to miss them very much. It’s something that isn’t discussed […]