Maybe it started when I started teaching. Maybe it’s just the way my dad’s stoicism shows up on my face. Regardless the why, I have a history of being in charge of groups of people where I’m not entirely comfortable and where those who are in the group are generally unaware of my discomfort. It … Read more
Annie Duke was the guest on an engaging episode of A Slight Change of Plans. The theme of the episode was quitting and it offered so many new thoughts to me. “If you think about the way that we process narratives, we don’t really see the quitters…The heroes are the ones who persevere beyond the … Read more
Because very little if anything in life is completely binary, I felt myself needing to qualify many of these thoughts as I wrote. Instead, I’m just going to say here at the beginning that yes, there are exceptions to these generalizations, and since they’re exceptions, their incidence is low. If you’re feeling like you’re the … Read more
My standard advocacy for change is small, sustainable pieces. My eating habits changed that way. My exercise habits changed that way. My financial habits changed that way. (I do think there are situations where this isn’t the best, but it applies more broadly than cold turkey, in my opinion and experience.) Bits that are so … Read more
Prices of seemingly everything are going up. Delays in arrival of products and materials/components have been going on for over a year now but also seem to be increasing. The shipping delays are in part due to a shortage of workers (which is largely due to losing people—temporarily, long-term, or permanently—to COVID) but also because … Read more
Taking a tangent from Tuesday’s thoughts on self-care and self-awareness for improved creativity and brain flow. One way (and a variation) to help give yourself a bit of motivation to do something: Have a conversation with your future self. No shame in having it out loud…probably. What can you do today that your future self … Read more
A blank page in front of me for writing, whether I’m writing by hand or typing, is rarely intimidating. There’s more in my head than I can get down on paper, and unless other things are hijacking my brain, writing comes easily. (And if there are other things hijacking my brain, writing about those often … Read more
Rocket Kid did some week-long theatre day camps over the summer, each of which ended with a performance in their classroom. Classes were small, and the teachers held the performance until each child had someone in the audience to see them. Due to COVID mitigation strategies, each child was permitted two audience members. Chairs were … Read more
Until recently, our next door neighbor had two dead trees in their yard. One in the middle of the yard had multiple trunks and was quite tall. I don’t remember it being alive while we’ve lived here. Climbing Daddy said he thought it was half alive when we moved in and died soon thereafter. Either … Read more
Yesterday would have been my friend Michelle’s 45th birthday, if cancer hadn’t taken her when she was 38. Yesterday, a friend had a memorial service across the country for her mom who died of cancer earlier this year. They were both from the same state which made their coinciding date stick out to me more … Read more