Celebrating The Art of Summering

Do you remember when you were little and the annual back-to-school question was "What did you do on summer vacation?" On #nt2t yesterday morning, Jeremy Bond, my Twitter friend, posed this as one of the questions for the global audience. In addition, he posted, "Would you have students answer the question? Why or why? Would you ask a different question?  

My reply to Question 5 was: 

😎

Today, I am celebrating the art of summering in an authentic way, collecting and designing a gallery of artistic expressions. I am thrilled with the response I am receiving from colleagues around the globe. Here is a sampling of digital inspirations received this weekend. 

Maine

There are many more that will grace the walls of my summer gallery. Interested in depicting your concept of summering? My invitation to The Art of Summering Gallery can be found here. The repository for the digitals is on Twitter at the hashtag, #TheArtofSummering. 

Come celebrate summer 2018 with me by letting your creativity shine. In return, I will celebrate your creative spirit and send the voices of those who create digitals around the globe. 

Many thanks to Ruth Ayres for creating #celebratelu to reflect and celebrate the positives of each week. 

Celebrate Zen Moments

Did it really take a car accident, to slow me down, encourage me to keep an even keel, and remind me to celebrate life living moments in a zen-like way? 

In trying to release the negative tension, I found a poem to ponder.

My Legacy
by Ryokan, Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf

My legacy —

What will it be?

Flowers in spring,

The cuckoo in summer,

And the crimson maples

Of autumn...

With hope as my one word to guide my year, I opened my mind, heart, and being to be filled with zen moments of inner peace, happiness, joy, gratitude, awareness for living in the present. 

Some of my zen moments this week:

~ using a bit of humor in writing a blog post, It's Hot!

~ a leisurely drive with my husband to the Long Island Sound in Connecticut to attend a Scholastic Book Summit and while on the overnight trip, photographing a still moment 

~ observing nature 

~ virtually enjoying my grandbaby's first steps via a video

These simple life living moments allowed me to slow down to enjoy the present.
Happiness and peace were the rewards for savoring life's precious moments.

My legacy -

capturing nature-driven,

life living moments

to savor, write on the wind,

and let soar

so voice can rise

and fill life spaces with peace.

©CVarsalona, 2018

With this hopeful, reimagined life plan, I celebrate this week with Ruth Ayres and the #celebratelu writing community. 

Please share your concept of the art of summering with me at #TheArtofSummering

for a summer gallery of artistic expressions. 

Below are recent nature photographs sent to me.

These delightful life living moment stills invite you express yourself poetically.

Are you interested in penning a poem to accompany one of these photos?

Celebrate the Struggle

I've noticed that when I am in a time crunch life intersects and derails my plans? Has this ever happened to you?

TECHNOLOGY

Fails Me 

But 

Leads Me On!

©CVarsalona, 2018

*****

My thoughts in

#minutepoetry

Introduced to me by my poet friend, Donna Smith here.

Format: -12 lines of 60 syllables written in iambic meter 

-3 stanzas of 8,4,4,4 syllables each 

-Rhyme scheme: aabb, ccdd, eeff

When my iMac starts to mutter,

I clear clutter.

A mess I fear.

Strange things appear.

I call the genius on the phone-

In what time zone???

Doesn't matter.

Starts to chatter.

One big, endless conversation,

No oration.

Need to backup.

Go get CHECKUP.

©CVarsalona, 2018

There it is, in a nutshell. Oh, did I mention that I also needed a new router? Now I am having issues with my printer that no longer connects to the iMac. I will need to make another phone call to Optimum now. 

When it rains it pours but I still celebrate the struggle because it will lead me to clean up my office clutter, post my winter gallery, and get a new iMac.

I created a video poem to advertisie the release of Winter Wonderland Gallery 

during 2018 National Poetry Month.  

You may enjoy checking out Wonderopolis' Wonder of the Day #883, 

"When Is Technology Old."

I am celebrating this week's technology struggle with Ruth Ayres and her writing community at #celebratelu.

Celebrating Community

As a connected educator, I celebrate community. I honor all aspects of it. From online Twitter chats to written word to face-to-face communications, I feel the joy of being a member of a thriving tribe of passionate colleagues. What powers this feeling? Perhaps, the gifts I receive and the contributions I make that fuel my joy. I receive new knowledge, collegial support, and inspiration and in turn, offer positivity, creativity, and engaging opportunities to share voice. It is a win-win situation in which I can retain my individuality while being part of a greater whole.

Communities foster togetherness, as noted by the new hashtag, #bettertogether2018, and honor all members. From isolated voices to a collective chorus, community members move within a trusting culture toward risk-taking, difference making, and growth as unique individuals with heart. 

This week, I celebrate community, those I write, converse, and chat with on a daily basis. I honor the mentors, colleagues, writers, poets, and leaders in my community that have helped me develop my skills as one voice among many.

What else have I received from my community partners:

• #NYEDChat, #satchat, #whatisschool, #G2Great for instance provide knowledge and current information that supports me in becoming a better educator
• #SpiritChat, #DareToBe, #INZpirED, #ImpactMatters, and #PeopleSkills offer inspired conversations and listening ears to grow as a caring and authentic individual
• EdCampLI, EdCampLeadershipLI, LiteracyEdCamp offer professional development to hone my leadership skills
• @Wonderopolis and the Wonder Lead Ambassadors spark my curiosity and celebrate wonder with me
• Celebrate This Week (#celebratelu), Slice of Life (#sol18), and Poetry Friday offer spaces to develop my writing through blogging, whether it be small moment narratives, poetry, or positivity texts 

As you can see my communities provide me with a range of topics to become a better practitioner of life. Within these communities, I push myself out from comfort zones, moving me toward becoming a risk taker of thought and actions. It is within communities that I grow as an authentic human open to feedback to move forward. It is also the place where I encourage others to enter. 

There are many more communities that I belong to in life beyond the ones mentioned. Family and friend communities are vital to my well-being and growth as well as my professional communities. When I reflect on all of my communities that I belong to, I am grateful for being part of such a vast array of personal and professional communities where collaboration counts.

This post is dedicated to one of my writing communities that fosters a sense of positivity while reminding me that writing about my weekly celebrations are important. Thank you to Ruth Ayres for creating a space, Celebrate This Week, for sharing weekly moments and thoughts. 

This message honoring my one word for 2018 came from a member of my Poetry Friday community, Mary Lee Hahn. I pass it on to all as a reminder for 2018.

Celebrating Winter Warmth

It's amazing to me that it's February and Mother Nature is sending out spring vibrations. Birds are chirping their morning tunes, making wake-up a pleasant surprise. By mid-afternoon, my neighborhood is alive with children dressed in shorts and t-shirts. I listen to the swoosh of basketballs, and watch the parade of bicycles rolling on by. Mothers stroll with their baby carriages as they enjoy their walk on a warm winter day and I feel the beat of life as I walk the streets. Neighbors stop to converse. Weather seems to be the topic of conversation. 

What a sharp contrast this week is to the two weeks before when the snowstorm dropped mounds of white fluff for the neighborhood to clean up. At that time, I celebrated winter snow. Now I see only a couple of mounds left and I can celebrate winter warmth that flows over our neighborhood like a sweetness.

While celebrating winter warmth, nothing is more inspiring than seeing a brilliant sunset to close a winter day with a spring-like feel to it. 

It is time to celebrate this week of warm temperatures, poetry writing, and the breath of spring upon our winter days. Ruth Ayres opens her writing space each weekend for the #celebratelu community at her blog. You can access Ruth's thoughts and those of the community that I am a member of here. 

Note: I am reminding all who read this post that the deadline is upon us to offer digitals to celebrate winter at my newest gallery, Winter Wonder. Consider sending me a photograph, image poem, or inspirational quote for the gallery, understanding that winter can be signified by warmth or bitter cold and snow in your locale. There is a story in every season and digitals can be the medium to express your thoughts. 

Celebrating Winter Snow

It tiptoed into darkness

with breathtaking deftness.

I watched it glide and dance-

patterning the night sky.

Falling, it dusted earth 

with a glistening white.

No one heard its soft 

descent until dawn

when it boldly rushed in. 

Announcing its arrival,

winter snow left its 

unblemished calling card

upon an awaiting region.

©CVarsalona, 2017 Long Island

Silently, like thoughts that come and go, 

the snowflakes fall, each one a gem. 

William Hamilton Gibson

I celebrate the arrival of winter snow. It added a new dimension to life, a stilled wonder in each neighborhood that was touched by its gentle start, its incessant descent, and its glistening wonder. The snowstorm left its mark upon Long Island, especially when the day before it was only a distant thought in the spring-like warmth. I celebrate moments I was able to notice, wonder, and wish upon a snowflake. I celebrate that the cascading snow inspired me to write. Lastly, I celebrate the quiet evening hours in which I find serenity within as I reflect and write about nature's winter guest to Long Island.

Snow is a reminder that no matter how old you become and how much you've see, things can still be new if you are willing to believe they still matter. - Candace Bushnell

It is time to celebrate this week of fluctuating temperatures, poetry writing, and wishing upon snowflakes that fell like glistening, silent dewdrops from the sky. Ruth Ayres opens her writing space each weekend for the #celebratelu community at her blog. You can access Ruth's thoughts and those of the community I am a member of here.

Note: I am inviting all who read this post to join me in celebrating winter at my newest gallery, Winter Wonder, that I am designing. Consider sending me a photograph, image poem, or inspirational quote for the gallery, even if winter is not signified by snow in your locale. There is a story in every season and digitals can be the medium to express your thoughts. 

Celebrate Writing Groups

When my soul needs a lift, I go to #celebratelu, the hashtag created by Ruth Ayres for Celebrate This Week writers, and #haikuforhealing group of writers, a community started by Mary Lee Hahn. They offer me either poetry or positivity. This weekend, I celebrate writing groups filled with those who live life to its fullest.

I celebrate the writing communities who send out their blogs via #celebratelu and #haikuforhealing for several reasons:

1. Creativity flows as freely as a fountain
2. Shared thoughts provide an entry into a new idea
3. Writing friends filled with poetic and positive thoughts appreciate each other's work
4. Love of language and writing is the universal bond
5. Stresses are released during the act of writing
6. All voices are honored

I wrote the poem below for #haikuforhealing last week before the prediction of a weather shift because the leaves were interfering in my decorating of the front lawn for the holidays. While I waited, not so patiently, for the gardener to arrive, I heard the news of the upcoming arctic blast and realized that my time was limited in decorating for Christmas. 

News flash! 

The arctic blast did come on Saturday, as predicted. Some of us in the neighborhood were surprised that it blew in quickly, leaving its mark across the lawns and streets.  I took a moment to reflect on my December 12th post, Writing Soothes the Soul, then, continued preparing for my holiday gathering with friends. 

arctic blast blew in

covering earth with its blanket

cozy time to write

I celebrate writing groups and the time to grow as a writer. Please visit #haikuforhealing and Celebrate This Week at Ruth Ayres' blog here. 

Celebrating Photo Moments

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever...It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." ~Aaron Siskind, American photographer 

I have always been fascinated by photography as an artistic expression. My years behind the lens, helped me develop an eye for composition as I captured life in the moment. As I look over my collection of still photos now and then, I am reminded of the many celebrations of life I have engaged in but I do have one regret. I have being lax in organizing the accumulated family photos that are sitting in worn albums and loose bunches. 

Today, collecting and curating photos is so much easier than before. Digital portfolios are easily set up in iPhoto and Google Photos automatically collects my photographs taken with my iPhone. I celebrate photography as an art that allows me to look into my past while realizing future dreams.  

Tonight, I review a digital portfolio, filled with summerscape photo moments. I honor the memories and continue to celebrate summer as a season of possibilities.

I recall:

• A rainy day in New York City celebrating a milestone anniversary

• Sizzling hot beach days in Long Island and the Jersey shore

 

• Blissful summer evenings with family and friends watching the boats come in while eating on the Nautical Mile

I celebrate photo moments that "reveal how rich reality truly is when you take an image and freeze a moment." 

(The quote is adapted from an anonymouse write seen at http://petapixel.com/2014/05/29/70-inspirational-quotes-photographers.)

Each weekend, I celebrate a week of positivity with Ruth Ayres and the #celebratelu writers who capture life and share photo moments. You can access the site and read the bloggers thoughts here.