Celebrate Old-Time Summer Fun

Remember when summer months were filled with concerts, picnics, and lazy days? Time was spent outside enjoying life's moments. Growing up, I remember one event, the Fireman Field Days, that was the highlight of the summer in my neighborhood. Parents who belonged to the volunteer fire department prepared for the event months in advance. Anticipation came in bundles as the event neared. Children watched adults erect tents and prepare food. Everyone always expected good weather. As the years moved on so did the fashion of the times and the way that we as children participated. Older children were allowed to help prepare for the annual event.

During the hot, summer nights when the field days were held, children lined up in the streets waiting to feel the spritz of the fire hoses as water poured out during the competition. The food tents were crowded, especially the salt potato booth. Gobs of butter were placed all over the delicious small red potatoes that were created in honor of Syracuse's early salt mines. Cotton candy in a bubblegum pink color was piled high in paper cones and often spotted on the ferris wheel ride. Everyone played penny toss and other games as we moved from tent to tent. Shrieks and laughter were heard, evidence that everyone was relaxing and enjoying the nighttime event. Each night when we walked the few blocks home, conversation would center on coming back for one more night of fun. 

Photo from Hannibal, NY Fireman Field Days

When the field days were over, summer returned to a routine: playing in each other's yards, waiting to whiff the delicious smells of the next pies my friend's mom would bake, reading in the sun, and listening to the transistor radio. In contrast to growing up in Central New York, today's children on Long Island are often seen playing with their electronics, discussing video games, and going to beaches. The ever-popular tan is still being sported by many children. 

Today, I try to savor my summer days but I need to be intentional about them. Household tasks always seem to take away from leisure time, if I allow them to do so. On Wednesday night, my friends and I decided to attend the Picnic Pops at Old Westbury Gardens. This time there was a clear weather report and I did not have to worry about being caught in summer rains like the last time (you can read about that here). The weather was warm, the music soothing, and the picnic food delicious but it was the walk in the gardens that brought me to a place of peace. As I walked with my friend she recounted stories about Old Westbury Gardens the way it was at the turn of the 20th Century and thirty years ago when she came to Long Island. The grandeur of the land was evident on this night. I snapped some photos and found a couple that I decided to digitalize with the Mobile Monet to give them an impressionist-look. I think they capture the majesty of the gardens that last still today. 

It is time to Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres. I look forward to hearing the positives of my colleagues' week. 

Finding Balance in Life

Have you stopped to think about the pace at which life is moving? It seems to be a topic of conversation lately. More and more people are multi-tasking to get the most out of their days as they try to keep the balance between home and work. Is this a healthy course of action for us to take?

Articles published on this topic warn us that our brains can't process as many tasks as we think we can. Author Guy Winch states, "When it comes to attention and productivity, our brains have a finite amount." In order not to feel overwhelmed, we need to mindfully process any information needed to accomplish our tasks.

Life is a balancing act with family and home life on one side and work life on the other. Being mindful and having a positive attitude is one way to find inner peace to deal with life's challenges and joys. What else is needed to find life balance? 

ESSENTIAL TIPS:

1. Maintain a Positive Outlook

Being in the positivity zone allows you to take a fresh look at life and diffuse the negativity that may surround you. 

2. Prioritize 
While an endless to do list may be what you think you need, prioritizing one or two tasks is a better option for each day with a long term goal for the week. 

3. Be Mindful-Stay in Moment

It is better to concentrate on one activity or thought than to multi-task. Taking breaks to breathe in the fresh air and relax the mind is helpful when the work load or family chores are more than usual.

4. Plan Quality Time with Family and Friends

Build in time for activities that develop relationships. Family dinners, outdoor   activities, and mini-excursions that involve talk and relaxation time are important.

5. Enjoy Humor

Laughter has been reported to be a powerful medicine to reduce stress. Keep the humor and lightheartedness flowing to create a balance in your mood that will fortify your emotional health.

5. Reflect

The process of noticing and wondering in life is a way to refresh your mind and allow for reflective thinking time to de-stress. Take a walk, pay attention to your surroundings, and listen to nature's sounds to bring a sense of peace and calmness to your day. 

Balancing life takes skill.

Are you ready to take on the challenge?

As you release stress, you restore your sense of balance.

Perspective

“Humans see what they want to see.” ~Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief

When Margaret Simon, host of DigiLit Sunday, tweeted that the word perspective would be our topic this week, I realized that there are so many ways to look deeply at what this word means to me. I'll start with a synonym poem.

Perspective is a viewpoint,

frame of mind that takes

a stance on life, relationships,

work, play, and love.

Perspective is an outlook, 

a window into a world of 

hurried feet, racing to a beat.

It is a position propelled

by choice (solely ours),

leading to voice.

If perspective could speak

it might approach life 

as an onlooker waiting

for the right moment

to provide its own

point of view.

Yea! Nay!

What's your perspective?

©CVarsalona, 2016 

My daughter took this photograph while traveling out West. The perspective she captured from the lens allowed me to notice, wonder, and breathe in life. I transformed the photograph into an inspirational quote. 

Last month, I noticed a goose waddling in a school parking lot. He looked pensive and so I wondered what he would do. Undaunted that I was following him, he continued his slow walk. A notice poem evolved from my encounter. 

I am an onlooker,

sauntering through life.

I pause at times noting

a world caught up in strife.

I stretch my neck, turn

to see hurried feet,

moving so briskly.

Then,

a thought overcomes me-

Humans see what 

they want to see.

I see all that needs

to be.

©CVarsalona, 2016 

Positive thinking changes your perspective on life. It allows you to see life with fullness. While it is true that life is fragile and uncertain and each person's life is different, hope can be found in the word believe. I believe that the power of positivity can change perspectives as we seek the balance. 

Ponder this statement:

Life is full of miracles. 

You just have to find them

EACH DAY.

Please visit DigiLit Sunday here.

Join me on June 5th at 10 am EST as I co-host #PeopleSkills chat on Twitter with host Kate Nasser. We will be discussing "Balance in Life & Relationships."

Technique

Margaret Simon, my colleague and twitter/face-to-face friend has invited teacher bloggers to participate in a weekly meme, DigiLit Sunday. Yesterday's topic was technique which is timely since I have been asked by a poet friend, Heidi Mordhorst, to share the tools I use to create my digital compositions. Let me start with a backstory on why I enjoy creating digital compositions with through a poetic lens. 

I have always been interested in design and writing since I was a child. In high school, I designed a fashion wardrobe layout for Mademoiselle magazine and received an honorable mention award. I loved writing poetry so I composed poems for the literary magazine. In college, I minored in art and took photography, thinking I would enjoy being an art therapist. When I entered the teaching profession technology was not the rage so design existed with art projects. As soon as Apple products became popular, I started playing with the tools and learned alongside a tech guru teacher friend who moved to Las Vegas upon retirement.

The above digital inspiration, the term created by Margaret, was designed as a teaser for my upcoming gallery, Winter Wanderings. I started the process by finding a free photo from Pixabay instead of one from my collection. If you do not have one in your own portfolio there are other free photos sites to go to beside Pixabay, such as morgueFile and Photos for Class. Over the years, I have enjoyed creating my own collection of photos. Now, I am always on the lookout for unique photo opportunities.

Once I determined the photo to use, I brought it into PicMonkey, my go-to tool for photo editing. I have also used Canva for photo editing. Some of my colleagues use this one for their digital flyers and posters.

The steps I used to create the above digital composition via PicMonkey are:

1. Open the Edit icon to find the photo that is housed in your documents. I like to store my photos in iPhoto or iCloud.
2. In Basic Edit, use the crop tool to choose the right format for the photo. Then, resize the photo using that tool to achieve the right dimension for a gallery photo. I have been told that 450 pixels is a good size. I usually do not create anything larger than a 4x6.
3. While still in Basic Edit, use the exposure and sharpen tabs to create the desired image.
4. Use the Border icon to create the type of border that you desire. In the above image, I used Drop Shadow. When I opened that tab, I played around with the intensity and angle of the shadow.
5. Use the Text icon to find the text, size, and color of the font for the poem, quote, or poetic thought. (It is best to create your thought in Word or in your notebook before starting the digital process.)
6. Use the © symbol sign and date the digital creation. You may want to note the location of the photo also. 
7. Save the digital composition to your computer and share it via social media in a blog, a tweet, or print it for a project.

Once you have played with the digital tools available for photo editing, you will be able to advance to the next level of layering effects, mashing apps together to create one image, and creating collages. 

In the end it is all in the technique and execution of layering effects to create a artistic piece.  The addition of a poetic thought allows the writing process to blend with the artistic endeavor and the technological skill to send voice into the digital universe. 

Have fun and when ready introduce the process of creating digital inspirations, posters, flyers, and projects to your learners so their voices can fly as well as yours. I hope this post helps those interested in creating digital compositions that blend art and technology with literacy. I am aware that although this process is fun it is time consuming so start slowly and be pleased with your first creations as a starting point on the design journey. Fellow slicer, Julie Johnson, in her Sunday post reminded me of Troy Hicks' statement in Crafting Digital Writing, "digital composers have to think not only as writers, but also as artists and designers."

This post marks the 7th post of my Clearing A Path series for the Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC. I have tried to clear a path for an easy transition from paper creations to digital photo poems. Now please visit Slice of Life here to read what other slicers are writing.

Also, please visit DigiLit Sunday here to read what other teacher bloggers are saying about technique.

Indulging the Inner Cravings

When Laura Shovan posted the Day 14 picture prompt for the 2016 Found Object Poem Project, I immediately thought of comfort food and cravings. Since it is Valentine's Day, one should be able to indulge her inner cravings. Right? 

As I sit listening to the #EdBeat Valentine's Day Mix of Songs sent by colleague Sean Gaillard and gazing at the loaded baked potato image, I decided to spend quiet time creating. 

Craving comfort food?

I indulged my inner cravings this week.

Brownie Cookie Dough Bars for a luncheon on Friday

Poached eggs with bananas topped by Nutella and coffee laced with chocolate for the Valentine's Day breakfast

And there is still more to come tonight-
dinner at one of our favorite gourmet restaurants!

This is a yummy day to indulge my inner cravings.

Please check out the 2016 Found Object Poetry Project - Day 14 poetry offerings at Laura Shovan's site later on today or tomorrow.

Please join me as I continue to share the love of poetry next Sunday night at #ISTELitChat. I will be the guest moderator. It is my hope that my poetry, blogging, and writing friends will join in the chat to bring the power of poetry to Twitter.