#sol18 OLW to guide the way

I had started to think about but had not started to obsess about my 2018 OLW when early in the morning, on New Year's Day, there were posts about OLWs appearing on Facebook and Instagram!  Clearly, others had settled on OLWs as 2018 opened! 

I do know the potential power of a OLW to shape decisions and focus thinking!  A few years ago, I chose JOY and the year was not only filled with happy celebrations but culminated in a huge family celebration!  I chose WHY NOT? one year, and the word became real when 2 miracles arrived 3 days apart changing my name to "Meme"!  Last year, I chose HOPE as my OLW...and 2 more miracles  joined my family!  

Thus, for 2018 I chose a OLW based on a little bit of inspiration but with a great deal of respect for what the word might do for my year!  At first, I was not sure this was a "sign" but four different posts in the past week with a quote from Ida Scott Taylor plus some soul searching lead me to a OLW for this new year...PRESENT!

Here is part of the quote that sold me:  One day at a time...Do not...grieve over the past...do not be troubled about the future...Live in the present...make it...worth remembering.  Ida Scott Taylor.

So for this year, I am going to try to be PRESENT more. I am going to try to LIVE in the PRESENT moment finding the joy, hope and inspiration.  THIS will be a challenge as the sadness of the past still haunts me and concerns about the future can overwhelm me!  THIS will be a challenge as there will be MANY lasts and MANY firsts this year!  However, it just may let me focus on the people, events, and challenges of the moment!    

SOL17 Perhaps the Window Will Come Some Day

Perhaps it is the writing course I am preparing to launch in January or perhaps it is a sign that light is beginning to break through the darkness, but whatever the reason, I am finding yet another small moment (3 in one week?) worthy of documenting!

"Um, Mrs. Ferreri?  This is XXX from XXX and I really don't know how to tell you this...but....there must be some sort of mix up with your installation," he began cautiously as if I was going to bite his head off.  "The installers did not show up this morning. I really don't know what to say.  Neither is answering his phone so far!"

I smiled thnking about this third attempt to install a window in four months!  The initial window was broken and then the replacement fell off the truck and so another custom sized window was ordered and so we waited,  I scheduled for Saturday morning a few weeks ago, but it didn't come in time, so today was the day!

Perhaps it is the spirit of the holiday season and perhaps it is a realization that in the whole scheme of life (made more clear by loss), a delay in window installation does NOT rock my world!  In fact, it is not even a ripple in the pond of life!  Perhaps it is the realization is the real "losers" are the company that has long been awaiting my money and really regrets the extra costs involved in this "deal".  

"It's really OK," I replied to the caller, " I'm sure there was some kind of mix up and we'll get it done eventually." Then, thinking about HIS likely loss of money from this lost job, I added, "I hope this is the biggest blip in your holiday season!"  

"Thank you for your understanding," he said softly.  "I'll call to reschedule on Wednesday.  I hope you have a Merry Christmas."

Perhaps it is the season of peace on earth and goodwill towards men, or perhaps a delay is NOT worthy of unkind words. Perhaps that window will arrive before the Wise Men!  Whatever the reason, I'm reminded, once again, that our words matter MORE than that window that will come some day!

Capricorn and This Winter Solstice

I usually catch the "news highlights" of the day on my phone after the alarm rings for the first time.  This morning, the start of winter was on my mind and so I clicked on USA Today's site following a headline about the winter solstice, "The winter solstice — also known as Yule, Midwinter, the Shortest Day of the Year and the Longest Night — occurs at 11:28 a.m. ET Thursday."

Yikes, I thought as I pulled the covers a little tighter and read, "This short, little day with the great many names also may be the worst day of the year, according to astrologers."

I'm not particularly into astrology, but "Apparently, the sun will appear to pass in front of the constellation Capricorn hours after Saturn does likewise. This will cause both of these orbs to line up for the first time time since 1664.".

The inference is , "starting something new on this day is “ill advised” and will have long-term consequences. And anything you try to do Thursday will be more difficult than usual, take more time and be more frustrating."  Ugh, I thought as I headed for the shower. 

But now, midway through a long day with students, I realize that it is NOT just the pull of a pending vacation, the excitement of endless gifts, or the clamor of crazy hat day that has students squirming in chairs and running in the hallway!  There is ALSO to the pull of Saturn, Capricorn and a new moon adding stress to our students' focus, attention and persistence to task!  Yes, USA TODAY, you are right!  Today has been a challenging day for teachers!  

SOL17

The crowd, how plentiful!
The sights, how incredible!

Taking in a plethora of miniatures,

Houses, trains, flowers,
An hour of escape
Into a Lilliputian version
Of NYC nestled
Amidst flowers and tiny trains.
The NYC Botanical Garden's
Annual Train Show.
If you can,
Go see it!
Or at least
Put it on your bucket list!

#SOL17 I Can See Clearly Now

"We're done," he volunteered cheerily as he came back into the house. "They may be a little stiff at first, but you are going to like how they are easy to clean" he continued showing me how the tilting, high tech 21st Century window worked.  I thought about explaining that I HAD 21st Century windows in my old house, in my old life, in a world I left behind, but I didn't. I thought about telling him that my son washes windows, but I didn't.  Instead, while he demonstrated the push, tilt, wash features, I noticed that I could see more clearly, now, than in quite some time.

I noticed the leaves drifting softly to the ground creating a colorful old quilt on the ground.  I noticed the old chairs on the porch rocking empty now that colder weather has reappeared.  I noticed the mailman almost skipping down the street and that fall wreath that needed to be hung on my door.  I noticed that I was looking ahead and at that moment, I could see clearly! It's been a while since life seemed as clear as it did at that moment. Perhaps there was even a song of joy in my heart as those broken old windows with their chains and death defying drops left with a promise that the glass and the wood would be recycled! Don't worry, I did not sing aloud but for a moment, as the fog of life lifted, as the stress of an unexpected turn in life lessened....I could see clearly......

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-Shiny day.

Have a Nice Day

When I got there, all three bays were busy and there were 2-3 cars in each of the lines; thus, I almost kept on driving delaying the oil change and tire rotation for at least another week. "This is going to eat up the rest of today," I thought.  But, there was a book on the passenger seat and the service light had been on for a month; so, I decided to step out of my usual "busy" mode and wait. The time flew as I first cleaned my bag and then got lost in a good book stopping to glance at times, at the packed, aging Dasher wagon waiting beside me.  In a flash, my car was being waved into it's bay as if I were an airplane pilot headed into the hanger.

After scanning my car's ID, they greeted me by name and began the "complimentary" safety check of the lights and tires as someone deep below the garage floor began emptying my "old" oil.  They kidded me about my ultra high mileage and then asked if I wanted a battery stating that Mazda issue batteries are 36 months without even knowing that my daughter's Mazda issue battery had passed at 38 months not that long ago!  How did they know?

I was thinking about getting a book on car repair so that I could do my own oil change and repairs next time as I watched the total add up on the screen inches from my car window and handed over my credit card,  And then, as he returned my credit card, he said, "I thank you for coming in today and letting us serve you.  I really hope you have a nice day and find time to enjoy this long weekend for teachers and students. You teachers really do make a difference." 

I left with a smile and some deep reflection on the power of our words and the potential of kindness to make a difference. I forgot the DIY idea and promised to return for my next service in 4 months.

Highly Efffective Student Engagement: Petting a Mouse?

                                                 
Perhaps it was that solar energy

Spurred by a magical stop in my tracks,

Against my will by traffic moment

Crossing the Hudson.

Perhaps it was the the lunar energy

Powered by an October Full Moon

Before a 3 day weekend of 

Questionable determination

Perhaps, it was
A topic of yesterday's faculty meeting:

Student Engagement

Lingering on my brain.

We can all agree that student engagement

Is a critial factor in good teaching 

As well as student learning.

Yet it was in the hallway

On the dreaded morning duty

That I watched a classroom greeting

Through a warmed up lens.

Not individual handshakes

Not empty good mornings,

But, a carefully executed
Attempt at student engagement

By a seasoned teacher,

I am pretty sure I noticed
What was 

A four out of four

On student engagement

On any APPR rubric.

I know

It happens every day

In a hallway crowded with students

Not too far away

It's a magical sight

Second graders holding a mouse 

In the early morning light!

They are eager to be learning

You can't pet a mouse and be uptight

It's a supernatural delight

Petting a mouse in the early morning light!

SOL17 Some assembly required?

I spent a good amount of time attempting to assemble a "toy car" that says, "Some assembly required!"

After 38 years on the market , there must have been TENS of THOUSANDS of these peddle-less cars assembled across this country! I am positive that exhausted parents as well as individuals who can barely read have assembled these. I am certain that some families have assembled more than one! I have an advanced degree in literacy and have assembled IKEA bookcases, a gas grill, and a picnic table!  "I can do this," I thought as I opened the box.

But, it's still wheel-less at one week  I am trying to persist; however, at this juncture, it is STILL not drive-able!

So, it was with trepidation, I opened the other Little Tykes box to find out how bad the other gift, for the other two-year-old was going to be! According to Amazon, it is a NUMBER 1 BEST SELLER!   I assembled it in minutes!  I was so excited.....

But I noticed something interesting as the two sat side by side.  The Cozy Coupe, hard as it is to put together, appears to be made to last a lot longer than the basketball hoop....that I suspect will likely have a life-cycle measured in months!

Of course, like so many life experiences, there may be a message gleaned from all this time with Little Tyke plastic: Things might be a little sturdier, a little more valued, and perhaps more stable if they are a little harder to achieve.  Or, perhaps I am just reading too much into this "some assembly required " Cozy Coupe challenge me during this once-in-a-lifetime-season of toddler birthdays!

Why Write?

I write to remember
Small moments
Special sights
Strong feelings
Savory images
Spare tires
Sappy conversations
Second birthdays
Can merge onto
A highway of life
Racing through time.

Those moments,
The laughter,
The smiles,
The tears,
The joy,
The peace,
The sadness,
Blur with time,
Become lost with living,
Are buried under daily chores.

I write
To remember.
Do we share that with our students?
Do we show them the magic
Of revisiting our words?
Our moments?

We also write to understand
To explain and to convince.

Today,
I write to remember
Color cookies
"How you doing, baby,"
"I'll be right backs'"
Scarves and necklaces
Singing, rocking, loving,
My Birthday Girl.

#sol17 Duty Calls

I was early,
Frisked
Searched,
Scanned,
For the opportunity to 

Sit
For hours, longer,
In a hard chair amongst
Too many people
Too close together
Coughing, texting,
Carrying briefcases,
Conducting business,
Caring for loved ones.
Cell calls about boredom
Where are you froms?
Amongst trapped people.
Sharing strange connections
Political perspectives,
Most of us, I suspect,
Hoping.
Our service would end
Before it began. 
I tried to read 

Below the flashing florescent lights,

Tried to watch Kelli, Rachel
The Price is Right,

With text delay from afar.
Watched the time tick
Ever so slowly
Thinking about all I should,
Could, might be doing
Along with the possibility
Of deciding someone's fate
In the juror holding room
On the 3rd floor. 
At least the view

Through the window
Was as gloomy as
The mood in the room.