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Showing posts from 2020

52 Weeks of Anti-Racist Action (#52weeksofantiracistaction)

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One year. It has been such a positive experience for me to focus on becoming more anti-racist this year. In many ways it was the perfect year. Teaching online gave me time to reflect on how to be culturally responsive every day with all my students; being quarantined at home gave me more time for reading and listening and paying attention to the racist and anti-racist events happening around the world; being alone much of the time gave me a chance to reflect on my own thoughts and experiences and failures in the areas of racism and anti-racism. Thanks to those who have come along with me on this journey, and especially to those who have joined me on it, given me an idea, shared a podcast or article, drank coffee with me at a BIPOC-owned business, etc. The idea of sharing this journey on Facebook came from Dana Spindler Cavin . Thanks Dana! I hope it has landed as intended, as a way to hold myself accountable and share resources for becoming more anti-racist. It was not me

Travel and Kinship

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"It is a cliché to say that we are all kin, but it is true. Even if we hail from different clans, travel makes you certain that kinship is true not only in sentiment but in fact." --James O'Reilly Hopefully this pandemic is doing the same thing. It has the potential to anyway. I see people everyday supporting neighbors, friends and strangers in this time of crisis. Travel is something many of us may be missing, so today I want to know where you would go if you had the ability to safely teleport to another location for an afternoon?

This Will Also Change

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          Once upon a time there were two siblings who lived together in their father's house. Upon the death of their father it was his wish that they split all of his assets fifty-fifty. When the time came, they divided his houses, his livestock and his money equally.           After this was done, however, they discovered two rings which had not been mentioned in the will. The first ring was made of pure gold, encrusted with diamonds and it sparkled from a great distance. The second ring was made of plain silver. It was old with many scratches and any shine it may have had at one time was long gone.           The older sibling immediately took charge and said,  "As the oldest one in the family the gold ring should be mine, I will give it to my oldest child when the time is right."   The younger sibling did not complain and so they received the silver ring.           Many years passed. The older sibling had sold the diamond ring and made a great fortune o

Complaints for the Management

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When our sons were young and they were whining we always used to joke that they had a lot of "complaints for the management." I have tried to keep my posts during this time positive and upbeat and that is all good, but sometimes what you need is a really good MOAN. I am feeling like that today, so the theme today is complaints. What are your complaints for the management? I probably can't do anything about them, but I am here to listen.

Gratitude in Spite of It All

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I just haven't been feeling it the past couple of days. "It" being this new way of living that introverts like myself are supposed to love. One thing that helps me is focusing on gratitude. Not sweeping general gratitude like home, family, health, but gratitude for small, specific moments of beauty. (Thanks to Melisa Beckerman for this phrase.) Today the smell of the Daphne shrub by our back gate is one of mine. Its sweet smell greets me when I take off for a run or when I come back from the grocery store and it lifts my spirits. Thank you Daphne! (And thanks to Mary Gerstenberger for putting her there!) What small, specific moments of beauty are you grateful for today?

Reading as Therapy

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What books are keeping you company during this time? Are you reading something new and exciting or something comforting that you have read before? This week I am reading "I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith - a book I grabbed out of our Little Free Library on a whim - but it is proving the perfect book for these uncertain times. ( https://www.powells.com/…/i-capture-the-castle-9780312201654 )

Challenge Accepted!

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Have you set yourself a challenge for this time indoors? A thing to keep you focused on something other than that which is occupying so much of our bandwidth? Yesterday I started this 30-day yoga challenge from Adriene Mischler ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--jhKVdZOJM ) presciently named HOME. I am also doing the Social Distance Run to help me stay sane and in shape. What about you? What challenge are you accepting other than the obvious? (It's okay if the answer is NONE. This is enough.)

It's the Little Things

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One of my college roommates always used to say, "It's the little things." In other words, it's the small pleasures of the day that make life worth living. In college this meant receiving actual paper mail (or better yet, a package), concocting new recipes in the dining hall (microwave Rice Krispie Treats with peanut butter anyone?), or hanging out in someone's dorm room all night playing cards. What does it mean to you right now? What small pleasures do you look forward to now that you might have taken for granted in the past? What "little thing" made your day today?

Look for Silver Linings

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Looking for silver linings today. What are some of yours?

Embrace the Stillness

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Message from The Universe: "Embrace the stillness of this time. Let it surround you, nourish you, embrace you. Drink it in and let it fill you. Stillness can be a great gift. Accept it. Welcome it. Love it."

Food, Glorious FOOD!

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"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." --Virginia Woolf What food is filling you, sustaining you, getting you through right now? For me it’s this cold-buster smoothie ( https://wholefully.com/cold-buster-smoothie/ ) (with thanks to Cheri Turin Gail ) & this gluten free honey oat bread ( https://hungryhobby.net/honey-oat-bread/ ).  Also, potato chips. LOTS AND LOTS of potato chips :)