I woke up feeling like journal writing in that way where you dump every bit of thought swirling in your head onto the page. Early early today, before the sun rose.
Yesterday was so full.
I had jumped on the bike a little too close to the session I was co-facilitating with Cornelius, and had nearly gotten on screen with sopping wet hair. The 90 minutes were beautifully crafted, I thought. I loved the masterful way Cornelius connected the pieces of our thinking for such an honest, community-oriented learning experience for participants. I had brainstormed these big ideas of beliefs (humans have capacity for growth exponentially rises with reflection; deeply listening to kids means letting them show us; learning journeys rarely happen on prescribed paths), and he wove it all so gorgeously with imagination protocol, data collection on kids and institutional bravery, while I added little bits and pieces from my experience as an educator and caregiver too. We had folks thinking through their own lives and adding to visual text journeys in breakouts to build additional mentors in our lives whose moves we might replicate in classrooms. I was so touched by everyone’s honesty and experience sharing. I’m still thinking about their stories. And Cornelius: how supportive and thoughtful he is in his gentle way of teaching. I dig.
Thirty minutes later I was at Costco picking up contacts with two of my four kids. It was drizzling, not too cold, and I thought briefly about beauty in the mundane. Little hands held in mine, walking across the parking lot. A smooth transaction, a routine.
Two songs (from Kendrick’s good kid M.A.A.D. City) during a quick drive, and I was at Elana’s, sitting at her small wooden table working on invoices. She brought me a cup of turmeric ginger tea; her hair was wet from a recent shower. The kids made a raucous downstairs. We discussed longer term ideas for our Catholic schools work. Elana set the girls up with paints. I checked Twitter briefly. She gave me a book, Fire Shut Up in My Bones by Charles M. Blow, and I felt tears threaten to spill when she told me she was taking us to Chicago’s Lyric to see the opera designed off the memoir. Just to get me out. Just to do something different. Date your friends. We made a quick charcuterie board: thick mustard seed, crackers near Matzo, garlicky octopus; tiny dill pickles with pearl white onions and hard white cheese. The kids ran around at our feet. It was still raining outside.
It wasn’t dark yet when I jumped a cab next, heading downtown to Beatnik on the River, where I met some Heinemann folks in town for the ACSD conference. I ordered a bunch of small plates. We laughed and laughed and told stories about everything. I loved the meandering and real way our conversation bounced from family to education to work and back. Being out, on the water. Big, in person squeezes. The humanness.
Once again the images and the words intermingle beautifully. I vote for taking it easy on yourself in whatever form that may be – cooking or ordering. So glad you found time for quiet reflection this morning and grateful we benefitted by reading it. Dig, squeeze and marvel – some good verbs to guide my day, my week …
What a beautiful "swirling thought dump" (your, well, edited words). You manage to reflect on the pace of your life with intensity and thoughtfulness. It was a pleasure to read and follow your journey. You are clearly, without me knowing you, and this is your first blog piece I’ve read, value community and togetherness, which is wonderful to read about. Your photos give me as a reader even more depth as I read. Thank you!
Today’s post makes up for yesterday– be good to yourself! I love that you didn’t beat yourself up after the presentation, but instead, looked for the good in it! And I second Clare’s vote to take it easy on yourself today– that will not be a copout; it’s a move to give yourself more time to enjoy and appreciate more of what you value.
This is a beautifully lyrical post of the fullness of life. I like how water flows throughout this reflection from “sopping wet hair” to drizzling at the Costco parking lot to turmeric ginger tea to tears that “threaten to spill” and back to the weather. Thank you for sharing this.