(2/31) Ashes

 2 of 31 - SOLSC 2022

Ashes mark my forehead. They say to the world that something is different, something is happening. The ashes acknowledge the finite reality of current life. They are applied in community with the scorched remnants of the waving palms that accompanied the Hosannas from last spring. The community walked together into the city. Now the community walks together awaiting the return to the city - and then the coming of a new city. Both now and not yet. Both here and somewhere I can't imagine. Lent has begun.

(1/31) Let's Do This!

1 of 31 - SOLSC 2022

Jumping into the March slicing community with other teachers in my school community brings another level of excitement to my tenth year of the SOLSC. I have had 'a' teacher join me for a year here or there. This year there are seven of us! I have no doubt that the SLOSC community will wrap their arms around these women and that they will grow as writers, commenters, teachers, and as humans - thanks to these 31 days of slicing.

The daily discipline of writing will add to this.
Leaving comments that reflect on other's writing will do this.
Reading about classrooms all over the world will do this.
The range of experiences they will read about will do this.

I am excited that we are all here together. For those of you I have known for years, for those who are joining me from our corner of the world, and for those I have yet to meet - let's do this!

The Raw Truth of Now

I don't feel like I can say this outloud. These thoughts are raw, and true, and I'm hesitant to put this out there. And yet, it is what comes to mind each time I ponder what to write.

Some of you are going to wonder what took me so long to get here. Some of you may not be able to relate. Here it goes...

This is hard!

[large exhale]

Being a teacher, who is working from home, while my child is going to school at home - is hard. And it is mostly the parenting part.

I think the work part helps. It gives me something to do that is focused outside of these walls. There is so much to do that the days zoom by. (Did you see what I did there?)

And then there is this other layer, the part where I have a fantastic life partner who also parents, but they don't do it during the day, every. single. day. For the past nine months, they have gone to their office to work. The office that is 30 minutes from here. The office that doesn't have any parenting.

Yes, they do parenting and household chores and all the things you would want, when they are here. Which isn't all day, for 5/7 of each week.

There it is. I've said it. This raw truth I am living and I am not sure how to feel about it.

What I've Read

 

What I've Read This Month...

Kristi's bookshelf: april-2021

Marco Impossible

by Hannah Moskowitz

The Person You Mean to Be: Confronting Bias to Build a Better Workplace and World

by Dolly Chugh

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot

by Ellen Vaughn

Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom

by Jan Burkins

Love, Hate & Other Filters

by Samira Ahmed

I'm Ready

All of my adult life I have always had my next plane ticket in hand - until spring of 2020 when I cancelled all scheduled trips. And I was OK. I spent more than a year without a plane ticket in hand and it was OK. Some days it was even better than OK. Months went by without my thinking about where I would go and when. This week that has ended. Now, I am ready. I have plane tickets (for both summer and Christmas). I'm not certain I will be able to use them, but I have them. We shall see.

Spots

The sky darkens. I notice because I catch myself thinking, "It's the middle of the day. Why would I pause at the light switch?" I grabbed a hoodie and make tea, brisk air and a damp walk are on my mind. The wind is blowing the palm branches vigorously.

"SPOTS!" yells my daughter as she rushes to put on shoes. 

Opening the door, the warm are blows in. No spots - at least not yet, mug in hand I ascend the stairs and return to work.

"May I go for a bike ride?" inquires my bored child. After talking through her route and when her next Zoom call is we agree on a plan and she heads out, wheeling her bike to the door. 

"For real now!" she doesn't hesitate to ride off, as the pavement begins to darken beneath her tires.

By the time I have finished typing this she is still gone, but so too are the spots.

Things That Make My Mother Happy

There are many things that make my mother happy. These are some of them...

Her grandchildren

A bobbin that doesn't run out of thread during a project

Carmina Burana

The color blue

Fabric

More fabric

A good puzzle

Seeing live theater

A well read audio book

Singing in a choir (especially if it is a Colorado College Tour Choir Reunion)

Chocolate

The anticipation of a trip

John Rutter's choral arrangements

Not cooking

The view at our family's place on Fox Island

Justice and acceptance for all

Into The Woods

Communicating via email rather than the phone

Ferry boats

That the end of March didn't bring an end to my slices of life being posted here