Unwind-Relax-Reset!

The beginning of August always seems to have a sense of busyness. School ads are everywhere and educators start thinking ahead to the opening of school. Routines become important but the heat from dog day afternoons reminds me to linger in the ease of summertime just a while longer.

"Taking time out each day to relax and renew is essential to living well."
-Judith Hanson Lasater

Finding this quote on such a hot day inspired me to bring friends together for a small dinner party. Afterall, what is summer without a barbecue? Spontaneous planning is a sure way to enjoy time together so my husband and I fired up the grill at the same time the heat was rising. Grilled vegetables took their turn alongside chicken wings. Thankfully, the air conditioner was working at optimum efficiency so quick runs into the kitchen became a way to beat the heat, even for a few minutes.

As dinnertime approached, the citronella candles were lit to shoo the mosquitoes away but just in case the candles were not enough, a can of Off was placed nearby. All was ready for the guests to arrive and this time even I was ready to greet my friends.  The appetizer table was filled with fresh guacamole, cheese, crackers, and charcuterie meats with beautiful bottles of rose wine.  

As my guests gathered together over a pitcher of sangria freshly prepared by Barbara, we reminisced about the years we spent watching our children grow into adults. The chicken wings that went through several preps and finally remixed with hot sauce came out next. Several statements were made about the heat index of the wings, their wonderful taste, and I commented on how my lips tingled after eating several wings. A surprise was added to the menu, grilled sausage, peppers, and onions over pasta. This was accompanied by a green salad with slivered almonds and mandarin oranges prepared by Judy. The meal culminated in a blueberry crisp from a famous pie bakery on the northeastern shore of Long Island brought by Jo Ann. We all waited eagerly for that dessert topped with French vanilla ice cream. Sparklers were lit as nighttime approached and glasses continued to tinkle until the end of the summer evening.

Taking time to relax and renew the summer barbecue tradition is an essential element of my sweet summer life. I am glad that I was able to share this experience with my family and friends. 

The above digital inspiration will be posted at #TheArtofSummering.  

Entertaining on summer evenings is one way that I celebrate summer.

What is your way to celebrate the art of summering?

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I'm sharing my Slice of Life

at Two Writing Teachers.

I'm also sharing my post

with Ruth Ayres and the Celebrate This Week community.

Expecting the Good

Life is fragile and uncertain and it only takes a few seconds to have it turned upside down. Two days ago, on an ordinary summer day, I felt the wind knocked out of me as I faced a surrealistic experience that left me shaken and in flux. 

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There was not a single sound in my neighborhood as I started the car to pick up my son at work. It was just an ordinary summer day, the kind in which I should have been in slow down mode. Distracted, I reached for a cherry, unaware that this would be the catalyst for a chain of events that turned a sunny day into a nightmarish experience. 

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It was quick. I watched in horror as I was hurled forward and quickly thrown back. A loud sound shocked me into reality - I hit a tree! In a stupor, I grasped for my phone to call my husband. Neighbors came rushing out. Tears streamed. Disbelief! In a few minutes, my husband was by my side along with police medics and firemen. Pain shot out from different parts of my body as I was immobilized and whisked away. 

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Upon arrival at the medical center, I was quickly transported from the ambulance to the hospital trauma center. A team of specialists, similar to what you see on a medical TV show, hovered over me trying to ascertain what I felt and how best to handle the situation. 

"What happened?  What do you remember?"

It was then that I realized it was Friday the 13th and voiced it to make light of the situation. The lead doctor comforted me as the team spoke about the number of car accidents that happened. I paused to remain strong in faith and expect the good! 

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It only takes seconds to turn your life around. This thought kept running through my head as panic started to swell. Remember your breath, fight through the disbelief, expect the good played over and over in my mind as my stretcher moved from the trauma center to the catscan and into xray. I held onto my faith, thankful for the team of diligent and caring medical professionals. Facing all of this was difficult but feeling supported eased the sting of the pain.

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Day 2: 

I lay here reflecting on yesterday's chain of event. 

I think of the life lessons I learned: 

-Be mindful. 

-Remain in the present at all times.

-Do not be distracted by other thoughts. 

-Remain calm-remember my yoga breath. 

-Continue to be faith-filled and hopeful.

-Always wear a seat-belt (it was the belt that protected me)

Next, I read July 13's inspiration from my "God Calling" book and realize how serendipitous and comforting the thought, "Expect the Good,"  is. 

"Can you get the expectant attitude of faith? Not waiting for the next evil to befall you but awaiting with a child's joyful trust the next good in store." - A.J. Russell 

I walked away from yesterday's a horrible experience understanding that faith carried me through a nightmarish Friday the 13th and that I need to make some life changes. 

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A THOUGHTFUL GIFT FROM MY HUSBAND

With an Important Message

"Happy Be Careful for the Rest of Your Life Day"

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Day 3:
Today, I am thankful that I have no broken bones and no negative prognosis. My body is sore as to be expected but Ibuprofen helps. What doesn't help is that I keep replaying the accident to the point of having continuous nightmares. What I need to do is to not dwell on the accident and find peace with what happened. That is difficult but I must remember to always expect the good with a hopeful heart and a positive attitude. This is an important step on the road to change.  

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At the end of this unexpected series of weekend events, I celebrate the act of expecting the good in life with Ruth Ayres' community of writers, Celebrate This Week. 

Celebrate Sunshine and Happiness

After a week of grey days and rain, the sky opened yesterday to a brilliant sunshiny day that brought crowds of people to the Long Beach boardwalk. A sense of freshness and hope was in the air. 

There was a buzz on the boardwalk as babies were strolled, bicyclists exercised, teams enjoyed volleyball, and a yogi on the beach greeted the sun. Everyone seemed to feel the need to celebrate springtime under a canopy of the sunshine. 

As my husband and I walked the boardwalk, we paused briefly to look at the beach artwork. Although we have done this many times, we chose a section that reminded me that the beach filled with sunshine is our happiness go to place. 

Today, the sun is shining again so I am off for another walk before the final preparations for a happiness happening on Twitter. #NYEDChat, the education chat for NYS educators and beyond, is featuring Happiness Coach, Kim Strobel, as guest moderator.  The topic for tonight's chat is "The Science of Happiness" and both Kim and I are very excited about it.

In closing, I think back what was last week when grey skies replaced sunshine. Negative thoughts about the weather were voiced, thus leading to slumped over stances and little smiling. While I always say it is best to remain positive, I will now add a new thought from Kim's research findings: happiness is a choice. 

😎

Celebrate Each Week with Positivity!

😎

Happiness Challenge: If you are inclined to brighten the world with a spring digital, whether it is an image poem, nature photo, inspirational quote, or piece of artwork, you may be interested in offering your work for my Sense-sational Spring Gallery of Artistic Expressions. I would like to fill the global online gallery with inspiration so that voice can be carried. The invitation can be accessed here.

Celebrating What's New

Another weeklong celebration of spring, has inspired me to notice my surroundings in a new way. From the stance of an observer, I reflected and created #digipoetry (digital poetry) for my upcoming global gallery of artistic expressions, Sense-sational Spring and the family's Google Photos album.

So Just What Is New?

I created my first Fib poem with a photo I digitized
as the promot.

Based on my yoga practice and the colors of spring

I channeled my emotions to create a poem of feelings.

 

Each week, I connect with my grandbaby

via Google Hangout because she lives 5 1/2 hours away.

I love watching her grow.

seven little teeth 

extra gentle soothing needed-

rub a dub thumb 

camera ready

happy smile lights up screen-

distance melts

🀦

I offer this post to both Ruth Ayres' weekly site Celebrate This Week and Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life to connect with my writing colleagues. May each person who reads this post, celebrate spring in your own special way and enjoy your Mother's Day.

Celebrating the Work of Teachers

It was a busy week, more so than usual as an ELA Consultant. I presented professional development workshops in four different settings to a variety of educators over the course of four days. There were full day presentations to a mix of literacy administrators and English teachers and two late afternoon workshops for either special education teachers or reading teachers. After the last presentation, I felt exhausted for I forgot how difficult it is to wake up early and spend long days in classrooms. On the other hand, I felt exhilarated. 

I honor and celebrate the work that teachers do daily. 

What I Believe:

Post-it Poetry on Teaching

(for National Poetry Month)

I continue to teach because it is a joyful experience working with teachers who are passionate about impacting children's reading and writing lives.

Each weekend, I join Ruth Ayres at her Celebrate This Week blog site to write alongside a group of inspiring educators.

The unveiling of my Winter Wonderland Gallery of Artistic Expressions has been delayed by the workload of this week and the computer problems I have had. Stay tuned for the launch. In the meantime, please see the short video poem I created.

March Musings 24: Celebrate Connecting

Today, I am a learner who firmly believes in the power of positivity and the impact of being connected as a way to advance my learning .

Today, I am  a traveler traveling to the Connected Educators' of Long Island Summit, #CELI18, where I will discover new ideas to impact teaching and leading. 

Today, I am an educator ready to connect with 475 other educators from Long Island and surrounding area at #CELI18. I will reach out to new colleagues and greet familiar faces.

Today, I am a moderator of #NYEDChat hoping to lead a virtual, fast-paced , half hour conversation at #CELI18 among connected educators with my friend Blanca Duarte. We will follow the breakfast chat with three slow chat questions during the morning. 

Today, I am full of hope that many tweeps from our vast #PLN tribe will join the #NYEDChat conversation from all corners of the Twittersphere to share ideas and learn from each other. Below are the questions, if you are interested in participating.

While virtual communications bind us together in unique ways, the aha moments of face-to-face conversations are not to be missed. I am excited to be part of the connected education movement where innovation, positivity, and creativity thrive. Within our tribe of connected educators, trust and support exist as we journey to find our greatness as lifelong learners.

Before connected learning was popular, voices were in silos. People worked alone, trying to navigate their path. One shot professional development did not open doors to enlightened learning unless strategies discussed were implemented, reflected upon, and shared with colleagues. Now with the advent of choice-driven learning, connected educators can engage with others in professional conversations that ignite additional learning and reflective actions, like the ones that I will be experiencing today.  

I leave you with an inspiring thought from  Dr. Bill Brennan, one of the original founders of #NYEDChat and Assistant to the Superintendent for Innovation at Farmingdale School District. "Innovation transcends technology and is more about thought, process, and methods. When actualized it connects with individual and collective purpose and serves as a solution to an identified problem."

Join me  today as I connect with colleagues, lead with #NYEDChat, and  learn at #CELI18.

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I celebrate connected educators of Long Island this week
with Ruth Ayres and the Celebrate This Week writers.

 

Day 24 of Two Writing Teachers' March Slice of Life Story Challenge

March Musings #3: Celebrate This Week

One day warm enough to walk outside with a light jacket-another day bundled up to stay grounded during a nor'easter - strange weather patterns happened this week. 

While it was great getting outdoors for a walk in the sunshine, the sudden change created quite a stir on Long Island. Unfortunately, many limbs from our majestic trees in the neighborhood were strewn around the ground with remnants of thrown-over garbage cans.

The good news is that the expected power outage on Friday never happened so I was able to continue baking for the Sunday Oscar parting my family and I are attending. 

But then this morning, I opened a text from my daughter that was dated last night. During the nor'easter two of the trees on their property toppled over and landed very close to their home. "We're at a hotel." 

Shocked by the news, I scurried to make a call and then, a Google Hangout to see that everyone was fine.  Relieved that all was okay for the time being, we said our goodbyes and would wait for more news. Stay tuned...

🙋While there may have been uncomfortable situations this week, the positives outweigh the issues. At Mass tonight, I was thankful and felt blessed.

Each week Ruth Ayres Celebrates This Week at her blog site. I am grateful for this writing community that celebrates the positives of life. I am also grateful for the March Slice of Life writing community at Two Writing Teachers.

                                                Day 3

Celebrate Sharper Points

This was a week of questioning, writing, and reflecting on finding my greatness after a rousing shot of inspiration at Monday night's #NYEDChat convo. My esteemed colleagues, Laura Robb, Dr. Mary Howard, and Evan Robb, guest moderated the Twitter chat while Dennis Schug and I manned the moderator desk. There was an amazing flow of spirited conversation throughout the convo and an immediate rush of excitement. Positivity was in the air. 

Yes, it was a night to remember. I was riding the high waves of life but sometimes, after a thrilling experience a flatness occurs. Exhaustion takes over and questions start popping up. "Where am I going? I must slow down. Remember that small moments matter." I spent the rest of the week subconsciously searching for the greatness of inner strength to flow like a fountain. Some of the days, the flow was scarcely enough and my writing got many false starts. Other days, thoughts were in the form of rewrites for the 6th Annual February Poem Project, the brainchild of Laura Shovan. 

Buncee Animated original is here.

I may have needed  a sharper point but I persevered and embraced hope.

It is time to Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres. Ruth has a wonderful story to share about her son moving onward with a resilient spirit.

Harvest Moon Grandeur

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more.” 

– John Burroughs

When my balance is off due to overload, nature is one of my healers. The other night, October 5th, while driving home from errands, I was struck by the glow of an amazingly beautiful full moon against the darkened sky. It was such a stunning autumn moon that I wanted to stop the car and just stare at its brilliance. That was not an option so I kept driving, noticing how the moon changed from a clear, huge circle to slices that poked through the trees.  What I witnessed was a rare sight, an October harvest moon that was reported to be the first in almost a decade. The feeling of being on high overload dissipated as I arrived home thanks to this natural wonder so I celebrate nature's ability to restore balance to my day. 

Headlines and images of the harvest moon awaited me when I returned home. I was so excited by what I saw that I searched the internet for information about this phenomenon. 

Photo by Cristina @cri_stina2000, Long Island

Below is my found poem created from selected words in the Wonderopolis, Wonder of the Day #1282, What Makes The Moon Look Orange. 

Rest assured that 
tonight's Harvest Moon
touched the horizon
brilliantly glowing
in full color 
against a blackened sky.
Angling my head to
catch its moon beams,
thoughts swirled into a
composition of gratitude.
Was I spinning on an axis
awed by a celestial sight?
Was this sphere of brilliance, 
full in face, rare in appearance, 
the decade's show stopper?
The night sky's celebration
lay scattered among headlines.
Shine on Harvest Moon!

Shine on Harvest Moon by Ruth Etting (1931)

Today, I celebrate moonglow and its ability to bring balance joy and balance to life. I also celebrate the glow of my grandbaby's smile. She lights up a room almost as grand as the moon lights up the night sky. 

Each week Ruth Ayres invites all to celebrate the positives. I join her today as I fly out to Tuscon for the NCFL 2017 Conference.