You poured out your

gratitude and I drank  it in

like the goblet receives wine,

realizing the gift of

silent consideration

was all you asked of me. 

To talk would

break the spell that

held our hearts as one

in a space of compassion.

Once a year our school district has an amazing day of professional development with a slate of offering that teachers self-select. This year (yesterday)there were several focusing on self-care. I ended my day in a mindfulness session in which we partnered with someone we did not know well. Our task was for one to speak for several minutes on what they are grateful for and the other to listen silently-observing how we respond to their sharing. Many found it difficult not to respond with our “active listening” strategies, but to remain a silent observer. Our facilitator shared the acronym that has helped her be a more mindful listener-WAIT. She reminded us that responding has its place as long as we are aware of why we are talking. Are we truly receiving or making it about us?

Delicious food for thought!

Wind

makes

a poor

dance partner

for

trees.

#micropoetry    #SOL18

Maine endured a terrific wind storm last fall that left many without power for days on end. We could hear the wind through the forest and the crashing of timber. It wasn’t until this winter, when I could strap on snowshoes and scale the mounds of snow deep into the woods,  that I witnessed evidence of that destructive dance.

snow falls- flake by flake

but rises fast- foot by foot

moves slow- scoop by scoop

Here in Maine, we are in the middle of our third nor’easter in two weeks that has dumped at least a foot each time. This is our 8th snow day (2nd this week) and winter isn’t over.

Fortunately, we’ve had melting in between storms to keep the snow from burying us.
Unfortunately, the timing hasn’t been great for keeping school in session.
Fortunately, I love snow and it’s beauty.
Unfortunately, I also love summer and it’s beauty. I want to have some time away from the classroom to enjoy it before June ends! 

My Zen word for the day is acceptance.

We don’t need
to harden
our schools,
Our students’
lives
are hard enough.
They need
more
soft places
to pursue
their
happiness.

#MicroPoetry #SOL18

There is no Amendment more sacred than this declaration….”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I am sickened by the talk of “hardening our schools” It’s a ‘get tough’ soundbite that has disastrous implications for our nation’s public school children. Arming teachers will not deter a suicidal killer; they won’t be scared, but our children will be.  This vision of school looks more like prisons or warzones. Our children need books, not guns…calm, not violence…teachers, not body guards.  There is so much wrong with this thinking that I can barely breathe thinking about it. This Twitter Thread demonstrates how hard it is to put teachers in the position of killing one of their own.

The thing about
Monday
is I always
   stumble a bit
      to hit the reset
but after I wipe
    the sleep from my eyes
       the view from here
is spectacular.

#MicroPoetry   #SOL18

The first few moments of Mondays are always the hardest. My bed feels so warm, my weekend was filled with family, my time was my own…the alarm disconnects me from all that. I usually lie in bed for a bit and let the week come into focus, and when it does I am usually eager to greet it. I love my job. I love the students. I love the teachers I work with. My worlds just overlap a bit too abruptly at the crack of dawn on Mondays.

Happy Monday, Slicers.

Sometimes

you get good news
and no one knows
the private celebration
you are having
because

no one knew
the private struggle
you were living.

#MicroPoetry   #SOL18

There are many variations on the quote by Wendy Mass, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”  The older I get, the more I find this is true. The students we teach, the colleagues we work with side by side, and the friends we love all face struggles and challenges in life that we know nothing about. Life is filled with joys, but also suffering. When we face our own challenges and stresses we can appreciate joys more sweetly, and hopefully anticipate the silent suffering of others more compassionately.  A recent health scare brought this home to me. I am grateful for good news, but I am reminded it that not everyone does, and we often never know.