March Musings: Day 1 of March SOLSC! #SOL21

 

Writing is a daily practice, an opening of my heart to the whispers of my soul. 

It just so happens that as I begin this ritual of daily writing with the Two Writing Teachers Community, I am in the process of leaving one life to create a new one. My one word 2021, begin, will be my guide as I pack my Long Island home of 39 years because a new adventure in Virginia awaits me. 

Why, Virginia?

I am moving with my husband and son to live closer to my daughter, son-in-law, and two delightful granddaughters, ages 3 1/2- and 1-years-old. My sister also decided to build a new home in the same community. Need I say more? Family First! But before I start a new chapter of my life story, I must cross one last hurdle as March chillingly marches in. Winter still lingers but time does not stand still. Packing continues. An estate sale commences. Movers arrive in one week. Then, off to Virginia and back to Long Island for the closing.

Today, with so much to do and so little time, I was able to pause for a brief moment this morning to listen to a sweet song.

During March SOLSC! #SOL21, I plan on documenting each day of my new beginning. Join me this month to reveal another page in the journal of life as I search to find meaning in a new life and gratitude in quiet corners.

Proud Member of Two Writing Teachers Community

since 2015

Wearing of the Green

On a chilled March day, the village of Rockville Centre donned the green as families lined the streets for the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. 

Eager anticipation was seen in the eyes of the children, bundled in thick, cream-colored Irish sweaters or winter jackets, who patiently waited for the fire trucks to appear.

The chilly temperatures did not dissuade those who were eager to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade come marching into the village. 

Green-garbed folk lined the street.

     A sea of different-sized leprechauns

             flanked the village green and police station.

                      All waited in the chilled afternoon air.

With festivity, 
the marchers appeared. 

politicians smiled, 

shook hands, 

and horse hooves 
clomped on by. 

A spirit of community 
existed on this day of days
as an amazing explosion 

of sights and sounds 

paraded on by. 

Excitement was in the air. 

Camaraderie warmed the day. 
The luck of the Irish
was with all.

My first entry, The Luck of the Irish, paved the way for this retelling of the St. Patrick's Day Parade. 

Please enjoy this short video, Wearing of the Green, that I created in Animoto.

On this day of days in Rockville Centre, 

everyone was Irish and merriment 

felt by all who lined the parade route. 

This post marks the twenty-second one of my Clearing a Path series for the Two Writing Teachers' March Slice of Life Challenge - Day 22. 

Discovery

In my attempt to clear a path this March and savor the single, simple moments of each day, I created a new look for this blog and for my Wonderopolis Wonder Lead Ambassador site. Actually, the computer issue disaster that I experienced earlier this month precipitated the move to create a new identity for Beyond LiteracyLink. 

With the Wonderopolis Wonder Ground launching tomorrow, I was asked to populate my site with content. Wondering what the digital visuals for both Beyond LiteracyLink and my Wonder Lead Ambassador site should be led me to discover the bigger picture of design and the details needed. 

Brainstorming Ideas On What I Vision a Site Should Look Like:

Clean, simple style showing a creative flair 

     with varied, engaging content to share-

     colors and fonts visually appealing

     digital compositions conveying meaning

     and multiple texts worth your reading

Why the Site Needs To Be All of the Above:
When creating a blog site, I feel that matching the site to your identity is key. For my Beyond LiteracyLink blog site, I challenged myself to design a clean, bright screen splashing color across a page, much like voice that rises from within and boldly announces its entry into the world. On some days my mood is quiet and reflective so muted, watercolor-like digital compositions suit me, but on other days a bold expressive approach is important. My Wonder Lead Ambassador site hopes to be a place for educators to find wonder and inspiration.

Reflection:
I feel that the new designs invite "voice" to make its entrance and be received by teacher and colleagues as learners across the world. I would love to hear your comments on whether the styles I chose are ones that capture my thoughts as they splash across a page. 

What Readers Can Discover at the Wonder Ground:
The Wonder Ground is a site to "help educators make the most of Wonderopolis" so the creative team is working diligently to prepare for the launch. They encourage teachers to log in and visit the wonders of Wonderopolis. Once the site goes live, teachers can share lesson plans, blogs, and resources with colleagues and students. The Wonder Ground will be a "valuable portal for educators everywhere" and provide the inspiration to continue to bring children into a world of wonder.

Digital literacy is alive and breathing life into lessons, learnings, and life daily. 

Be Inspired. Create!

Today, I am writing on the topic of discovery for DigiLit Sunday under the leadership of Margaret Simon. In my own journey of discovery, digitally creating meaningful content is important.

This post marks the twentieth one of my Clearing a Path series for the March SOLSC-Day 20. In this piece, I talk about creating new designs to bring a new look to my blog sites. 

Luck of the Irish

Stories about St. Patrick's Day grow from lore and reality. 

Their words find a home as pen lays to rest. 

It's the day of days in Rockville Centre, my hometown. Green is everywhere. Irish flags, high on the poles sitting next to American flags, flow in the breeze. Green and yellow painted stripes line the village route. Restaurants and bars prepare traditional Irish food and green drafts. The luck of the Irish is anticipated by all. 

Putting on the green is a town ritual. Whether you are Irish by heritage or Irish for the day, there are songs, food, the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, and blessings to be shared. 

Even our parish rector recognizes that everyone in town thinks "Irish" on St. Patrick's Day. There is a wink in his eye and a smile upon his face as he recounts a true story about the importance of the parade to the village folk. 

Reporter: Monsignor, will the cathedral be open in time for the St. Patrick's Day Parade? 

Monsignor to the congregation: What do you expect? After all this is Rockville Centre!  

It's the day of days in my hometown today but this weekend is the parade the village waits for all year. 

Below is a poem I created after reading Wonderopolis' Wonder of the Day #1649. The informational text, Why are Four Leaf Clovers So Hard To Find?, proved to be a worthy resource for my blackout poem attempt.

This year I did not have time to purchase a shamrock plant so the blessing below will be my gift to all who read this post. 

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing

A special thanks is extended to Denise Buchman, founder of #couragecafe, for posting the beautiful St. Patrick's Day image above, created by @Heatherstilluf. Unknowingly, they cleared a path for me to write this post on celebrating the luck of the Irish.

The Poetry Friday Round-up is being hosted by the artsy poet, Robyn Black at Life on the Deckle Edge. Robyn also is showcasing award-winning student haikus. Please visit.

This post marks the eighteenth post of my Clearing A Path series for Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC-Day 18.  Please visit the site here to read what other small moments slicers are writing about. 

Quiet Nook

Reflection

Come find me in a quiet corner of the house. 

I am a newly configured quiet nook, standing in sharp contrast to a lower level, messy office. 

I am a sanctuary of tranquility. 

For the past months in the midst of de-clutttering winter decorations from the living and dining rooms, I became a storage area. That was unacceptable, so a great exodus of winter items to the pull-down attic began. Slowly, my space was transformed. 

I am a peaceful writing place to slip into in the early morning hours. 

Styled in the fashion of a bed and breakfast room, serenity and simplicity exist in my space. 

I am a safe haven where time passes slowly but in my sacred sanctuary alone time is not lonely. 

I am a place that the muse visits; whispers her soft tune as the world unfolds each day. 

From the outside world, I hear the birds chirp. I imagine an array of thoughts floating out through the window and connecting with nature. In this flow, words circle back finding a home at my desk.  

I am a reading and writing corner, a cherished space for reflection and wonder. 

Come find me when the quietness of the house settles.

I am always here for you.

Is there not a better way to start the day than to be alone in my quiet corner of the house? 

No constraints or tasks exists here in my quiet space.

I am your place of tranquility. 

Where do you go to still the chatter, find quiet,

and invite the muse into your life? 

(Slicer Bonnie Kaplan is capturing all of the different writing corners to showcase them at Two Writing Teachers. I sent in the above photo without the poem.)

Today marks the sixteenth post of my Clearing a Path series for Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC. Please visit the site here to read what other small moments slicers are writing about. 

I Believe

At the beginning of March, Michelle Heidenrich Barnes interviewed New York State poet, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. Amy, inspired by nature wrote and recently published Every Day Birds. You can read the interview here. For this month's challenge, Michelle and Amy announced the little ditty to be the following task. Write a poem about something small, an animal or object you see every day and do not usually give much thought. 

Quote taken by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes from an interview by Irene Latham 
on the Nerdy Book Club website.

As I started to think about this challenge, I searched for such an object and realized it was right before my eyes. After Christmas, I placed a believe inscripted ornament that my friend gave me in my front entrance for all to see. Since believe is my one little word for 2016, I talked about it, wrote about it, held it dear to my heart, and then, showcased the ornament. As many times as I passed by the entrance stand that holds the winter shopping doll, I had not stopped long enough to notice that the ornament adorned the hallway. I wondered why and then decided that this would be the small object to write about. I hope to be more in touch with my word ornament as I clear the path of winter decorations to make way for the spring ones.

Today marks the fifteenth post of my Clearing A Path series for Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC. Please visit the site here to read what other small moments slicers are writing about. 

Story To Be Told

Created with Quoxio CV2016

Story comes from the heart and so the day begins with a backstory that begs to be told. Have you ever had a strange gremlin or ghostly specter lurking in your computer system? Because I am impatient, I often quickly race through mundane tasks to get to the icing on the cake type of activity. Intrigued? Read on. 

One ordinary day last weekend, I started writing and right before my eyes, comments on my blog posts were disappearing. Strange? Yes, and what was more bizarre I could not figure out how to control the movement. This began my four day, stress-producing craziness with tech glitches. Three long-winded calls to Apple techs, two visits to the Genius Bar later, and I am still not completely clear of issues. And to make matters worse, after many attempts to rectify the issues, my comment section on my blog site for people who are not part of the Google+ community is spotty at best. The only way I can explain my dilemma is that a black hole formed around me, sucked me in, and really disrupted my balance. 

The tip of the iceberg during this mess was when I could not find the key to my new car. That added a new layer of stress because the key was the type of gadget that costs a bundle when it needs to be replaced. Since stress wrecks havoc on life, I frantically searched for my keys. Breathing in and taking part in my yoga practice did not seem to have a lasting effect and so the black hole kept getting larger each time I searched for the key and with each visit or phone call to Apple. 

I sit here now trying to relax with a movie, San Andreas, and Plan B (just like in the movie): reclaim my balance in a quiet spot, writing and creating digital poetry and inspirational quotes. 

This post marks the second one of the Clearing a Path series for the March SOLSC. You can follow the slicers this month at Two Writing Teachers here. Enjoy Day 2.