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Listening to Heal
I’ve told you before that I’m a teacher IRL. And this year, it’s pushing me in ways it never has before, not only because of the work load and the shift in delivery methods, but also because we have been mandated to provide social/emotional support through an advisory class. I forge good relationships with my students in normal times, but trying to develop connections online and support them in times of trauma and stress is pushing me to be more vulnerable myself and engage in ways that I normally would not. It’s not always comfortable. I’m not a touchy-feely, nurturing type. But I am perceptive, and I do care deeply.…
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Leaning In
When things get difficult, I have a tendency to bear down…to grit my teeth, tense my shoulders, and push my way through. Or…I shut down altogether. A lesson I could (and should) follow, instead, is to lean in. I read a story recently about a boy who was pass a set of Chinese handcuffs in school. He didn’t know what they were, but like any curious being, he stuck his fingers in the ends and found himself (as expected) trapped. It didn’t matter how hard he pulled, he was stuck. Suddenly, it dawned on him that he might need to change tactics, and so he did the opposite of pulling…
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A Smoother Shore
Each weekday morning, I follow a particular routine. I get up, let the dogs out (and back in), I get coffee, I check my schedule for the day and figure out how best to prioritize my time, and then I get to the business of journaling. I don’t usually share this journaling, because it’s just my daily thoughts and life…nothing particularl interesting to an outside audience, but necessary to my inner peace and personal growth. I usually have some sort of meditative reading that I do to kick things off and get my mind going…because, let’s face it, in the morning, my mind isn’t really ready to think on its…
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Journal 9/23/2019 a.m.
Okay…our 3rd (sadly low) offer on the house came in Saturday and with news that a 4th was coming, they quickly rescinded. The 4th was actually the most decent we’ve had, and it came with a very sweet letter telling us how much they really liked the house and hoped to raise their kids there. They actually put a healthy chunk of change down in earnest, as well. So…looks like things are moving towards a sale again. Thank god. Yesterday pretty much ran away from us. After having been out of town for soccer most of Saturday, we had to make up all our weekend chores, and our son had…
