Tipping Point

3 of 31 - SOLSC 2018

The Slice of Life March Challenge is hosted by Two Writing Teachers and part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge that takes place each Tuesday throughout the year and everyday in March. It is a supportive (and awesome!) community of those trying their hand at writing and encouraging others in their writing. Join us!

I have been walking six days a week for the past month! That's 24 days of walking, if I have felt like it or not. I haven't walked consistently since I was training for the Portland Marathon in 2009, when my daughter was an infant. 

While I have seen an improvement in my health (in ways I'm not going to get into right now) it is still not easy to get out the door some days (for reasons I'm not going to list right here). 

Last night it was after nine before I started. (My ideal is first thing in the morning, both because the weather is better and because I have accomplished something before I have even really gotten started.) But, I did it.

Something happens when I pass the 20 minute mark. At that point I could probably go another hour, even if up until that point I have checked my watch ten times. (I walk for a minimum of 30 minutes.) I don't know why this is, but I have noticed it consistently.

The March challenge is a bit like my walks. I can do it, each and every day, even if I don't want to. Something happens when I pass day five or six. At that point my writing brain is always running in the background and I am more likely to notice small moments. As they happen I start to draft possible ways to put the experience on the page. The writing is not really the hardest part. Having ideas is much harder. When you are notice a slice happening in your own life, writing it down just takes time. Writing it well is another matter. 

(And the challenge of remembering to write myself a note so I don't forget the inspiration is an entirely different feat!)

Party At The Bus Stop

2 of 31 - SOLSC 2018

The Slice of Life March Challenge is hosted by Two Writing Teachers and part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge that takes place each Tuesday throughout the year and everyday in March. It is a supportive (and awesome!) community of those trying their hand at writing and encouraging others in their writing. Join us!

There is a scramble of activity as we walk in the door from school. About ten minutes later our daughter appears, blurting out, "My jobs are done! May I please go to the good-bye party now?"

As we had pulled up to the sidewalk a couple of the neighborhood girls had approached the truck to ask if she could join them. I nodded as she looked from them to me. Knowing we are having guests tonight she explained that she first needed to go home and do a few things.

We've been working on responsibility. When I say 'we', it is true there has been work on all sides. She's been working on doing what she needs to do and being where she says she will be. We have been working on not giving up and locking her in her room until she's 20.

After some very rough patches, the past two weeks have gone very well and she has earned back our trust and some freedom. "Yes, as long as you stay at the bus stop and before you go anywhere else you come back here to ask first."

"OK. Thanks!" and she's off.

We settle in, beginning our weekend with an episode of "The West Wing", which we are on our way through for the umpteenth time. We don't expect to get the luxury of finishing it because our friends should arrive shortly, but the physical moment of stopping after a busy week of school is appreciated.

I receive a message part way through the episode saying they have made a stop and will be later than anticipated. When they finally message that they are at the gate of the compound, we walk out to the truck. My husband will drive out to schlep in anything they are wanting to bring in with them and I will tell the little one they have arrived. 

"Do you think she will still be at the bus stop?" I ask.

"No."

We both expect he is correct, but hope to be wrong. As we round the corner we hear voices at the bus stop and look at one another with wide eyes. Hope of her success soars.

I arrive at the bus stop as he drives by. Several sets of parents are enjoying the shade and afternoon breeze while they talk among themselves, but no kids are there. 

Bummer.

The First Step

1 of 31 - SOLSC 2018

The Slice of Life March Challenge is hosted by Two Writing Teachers and part of the Slice of Life Story Challenge that takes place each Tuesday throughout the year and everyday in March. It is a supportive (and awesome!) community of those trying their hand at writing and encouraging others in their writing. Join us!

A blank page is spread before me. The time is carved out for me to craft words into a story, a glimpse into my life.

It feels like the start of a long hike. I know I will not only be elated when I arrive at the end, but I also know I will thoroughly enjoy many moments along the way.

Yes, there is a bunch of elevation gain to be had; sore muscles, sucking air, and possible blisters. That's to say nothing about bugs and sun and being thirsty. 

When I look back on this journey in a couple of months those aren't the things I'll remember. It is the majestic views, tiny alpine flowers, gurgling streams, and refreshing breeze at the perfect lunch spot that will stay with me.

The only way to have those memories is to take this first step -

And then keep going.

What I've Read This Month

What I've Read This Month...

Kristi's bookshelf: february-2018

Sun Spoon

by Kevin Henkes

Six of Crows

by Leigh Bardugo

The Wild Robot

by Peter Brown

In Between

by Jenny B. Jones

A Week Of Firsts

Thirteen years and I have now had the opportunity to hear rain on my tent in the desert in the Middle East.

***

Not only watching rugby, but choosing to watch it, AND understanding what is going on.

***

Playing every track of "Hamilton" in the car as a family. 

My visor is down, not so much for the sun, but so I can watch my daughter in the mirror.

"Someone under stress and someone's looking pretty."
No reaction.

"I'll let him tell it."
No reaction.

"I hadn't slept in a week. I was weak."
Head snaps up, brows furrowed.

"I know you are a man of honor."
Eyes wide, imploring me to explain, hands raids - palms up - questioning.

***

Teaching Fantasy writing brought fresh excitement for both myself and my students - until we realize it is work, and then we set in to do it.

OLW - Huge Confession

I'm not a OLW fan.

There.
I said it.
Publically.

Are you still reading? 
I half expect that after such a statement I'm kicked out of many communities. 
Sigh.

In fact, I closed my eyes as I clicked 'publish' for this post.

Since OLW became a thing a few years ago I noticed that I would scroll past all of those posts. I stopped and reflected. I paused and pondered. While I appreciate that having a focus for the year is helpful for, it seems like, all the rest of you - I couldn't authentically join the fun.

I appreciate that having OLW gives you a focus. I can see how having a lens through which to view your year can bring you purpose. I'm glad it works for you.

It doesn't for me.

Now you know.

It's About To Happen

There are certain days that you can think back on year after year, remembering where you were and what you did. Generally they are spread out, (unless you are one of those people who chooses to get married on a birthday so you have a better chance of remembering both!) Sometimes dates overlap, (like my sister-in-law's and niece's birthdays). Occasionally cycles overlap - a calendar date and a lunar calendar occurrence, for example. I can't think of another time that three completely different events have happened concurrently.

Tomorrow will change all of that.

Tomorrow is February 14th - it is obviously Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day comes with all kinds of emotional baggage for folks of all ages. It is also very much a cultural occasion. I like the excuse of the day to be given chocolate and flowers (if the country I live in hasn't banned the sale of flowers on that day). I'm optimistic for tomorrow as the seniors decided to sponsor 'Friendship Grams' and I'm pretty sure someone made sure to get money from my husband! 

For a parent of a TCK I try to find ways for my child to experience a holiday as closely to what she might if we were in Seattle. I make sure there are Valentines for her to give to each of her classmates. We work for days ahead of time to get them filled out, find ways to check that everyone's names are spelled correctly, and anyone special (favorite teachers or neighbors) also get something prepared for them. (This year all of the neighborhood boys are getting a homemade craft and a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. It may not seem like much, but that stuff is hard to come by around here!)

As a teacher, Valentine's Day can be a recipe for too much sugar, or hurt feelings, or both. I'm at a school that doesn't have parties. Friendship Grams will be put in their backpacks to be opened AFTER they have left the building, and I only have one kid for whom the idea of giving out Valentines would cross the mind of any of their parents. I'm anticipating a low key day.

Tomorrow is also 46 days before Easter, which makes it Ash Wednesday. Whoa. That's a change of pace from Valentine's Day! Instead of chocolate and flowers and friendship and love it is a remembrance of our mortality. Ash Wednesday is the start of the Lenten season, a chance to prepare ourselves for the biggest celebration in Christendom. 

Tomorrow will also be marked, in my little corner of the world, by primary classrooms in particular. It's our 100th day of school. For those of you who may be far removed from any young children - it's a BIG deal. Imagine everything being about counting, and collections  of 100, and celebrating the largest milestone you couldn't even imagine when it was the first day of school.

(Tomorrow is also the second Wednesday of the month, which brings several meetings for me, in scattered locations across the globe. My alarm gets set unbelievably early for a Tuesday evening meeting, PST. In addition, I meet with the Literacy Coaches across my district - all of which are 900 miles from me. Finally, there is an Elementary Faculty Meeting after school.)

Tomorrow is about to happen.