Writing Outside - #SOL21

 

Write. Share. Give.

Saturday morning I went outside to write.

The clouds were wispy and sort of spread throughout the sky. They moved along at a consistent pace, at times giving the sun a place to hide, and at other times, allowing all of the sun's rays to shine through exposing me to brief moments of Texas hot.

I had ever noticed how peaceful and quiet our neighborhood is at this time of the morning. The birds provided a song for me to enjoy - an occasional "oo-oo-oo" could be heard, while much closer were the "teeer-teeer-teeer" sounds from birds living in the tree in my front yard.

Everything seemed so still except the occasional sway and rustle of the trees as a gentle breeze made its presence known, then quickly was no more.

Having taken the moment to sit in my driveway and write this morning made me realize that I need to adjust and find balance in the busyness of my schedule and obligations; I need to make time to enjoy the beauty of nature right outside my front door.

A Golden Shovel - #SOL21

Write. Share. Give.

I am participating in the Chippewa River Writing Project, and the "write out" prompt for the day required that I write a "Story Only I Can Tell."

In my response I used the line "Only I can tell the story of...".as a refrain, beginning each thought.

So, I have decided to use that line in a Golden Shovel that I wrote for a different writing opportunity.

    There are stories that need to be told and the ONLY

    one who can tell them is you, or I.

    Words inside of us that would, will, CAN

    penetrate the reader's mind and soul and TELL

    of joys and pain, and heartache, and triumph...THE

    lines of the perfectly-crafted STORY

    that only you, or I, possess the words OF.

A Feels-Big List - #sosmagic - June 19

I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic

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I have been thinking about this prompt most of today, and I could not come up with one thing that feels/felt big. What came to mind was several things that feel big in my life right now.

So, I created a list...

1. Teaching in today's political climate feels big.

2. Teaching in today's social climate feels big.

3. Letting my 22-year-old, college graduate, who will always be my baby girl, figure out her life feels big.

4. Trusting my 14-year-old, black son to be safe in this world/country/state/anywhere feels big.

5. Starting the school year in a new school with a new team of teachers who I am expected to lead feels big.

When I think about the weightiness of my list, it is not hard to feel small and insignificant. I understand, however, that feelings don't always equate to reality. As I lean in to the big-ness of my feelings, I'm confident I will learn and grow, and maybe others in my sphere will learn something, too.

Finishing One Story and Looking Forward to Begin Another - SOL 2021

Teach Write, LLC. Writing Workshops for Teacher-Writers

I am currently taking the workshop in the image above. Cherylann Schmidt is an amazing instructor who is helping me make sense of Practioner Inquiry and the stories that can be gleaned from the work we do with our Scholars.

At the beginning of each session, we spend some time in our notebooks responding to a question related to the data we have collected. This past week, she asked two very simple questions.

• Where did we come from?

• Where are we going?

I'm not sure how much thought I gave to either of the questions before I started writing. Below is what came to mind.

• We came from a place of questioning...our practice, our effort, our impact, our purpose.

• We are headed toward understanding and revelation. - toward the ability to identify the stories our Scholars tell.

I know what you're thinking. Your responses are as simple as the questions. You might not be wrong. 

But, when I weigh my responses against the practioner I strive to be every year for every group of Scholars I have the privilege of teaching, those words carry a lot of weight; a weight I hope I can carry year after year.

Sometimes Things Go Haywire - June 10, 2021

Image by anncapictures from Pixabay  

So...the situation I write about below may not technically count as "going haywire", but it's dilemma for me all the same. 

As much as I welcome Summer Break, it comes with its own set of challenges. Namely the hours between 7am and 4pm. During the school year, those hours are accounted for. In the summer, I'm responsible for  making those hours productive.

I am keeping my routine for the most part, and I have an ever-growing To-Do list, but there are times in the day that I don't do much or I seem to get sucked in to doing something NOT on my list.

At the time of this notebook entry, I don't know how I will solve this problem. But, I do know I can't let time pass me by this summer. August will be here before you know it, and I will be writing about a totally different time problem...not having enough.

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Just before I was about to hit "Publish", I heard a familiar voice (in my head and not my voice) telling me to keep a "Done List". A list of the things I get done during the day. Some of those things may not be on my To Do list, but I will have accurate account of what I have accomplished for the day.

I think I'll try it. Thanks Jennifer Laffin for being that little voice I hear that keeps me on track.

I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic

Pieces of Sanity and Jeweled Fragments of Calm - SOLSC 2021

Last Friday, my friend, Leigh Anne Eck shared the poem below by Alan J Wright. In her Friday Night Quickwrite, Leigh Anne invited writers to write with her in response to Alan's words.

My Friday Night Quick Write Response

I have read the first 3 lines (of Alan's poem) several times, and I can think of several instances in which I experienced "the stormiest of days". The most recent being May 22- May 31 when Rodney was in the hospital (in Austin) with a collapsed lung. 

In the midst of the confusion around how it (could have) happened, the  frustration surrounding when he would (actually) be released, and the discomfort of sleeping in a hospital ("window") bed (me, not Rodney), there were "pieces of sanity" through it all. It has taken a few days for me to get back in stride now that we are home, but I think I am finding "jeweled fragments" of calm.