I was looking forward to my Aqua Fit class all week, and it did not disappoint. Making it to the Saturday morning class is always the goal, but not always possible, so despite the rainy forecast, I was out the door and on my way.

The class is all women but for one lone man. We spend 50 minutes working out to a variety of music playlists provided by our encouraging instructor. Today it was oldies – as in the 50s, 60, and 70s. I found myself singing along as I moved my body in ways that would be impossible on dry land. With the use of water weights and pool noodles muscles get a great workout while joints can glide easily in the water. No matter how my week was or my mood going into the pool, I always leave feeling better physically and mentally.

As a reward for spending 50 minutes working out (and to avoid a crowded locker room) I spend 10-15 minutes in the hot tub where the jets help to loosen the tough spots – hip flexors and lower back. Sometimes everyone in the spa is quiet and other times there are lively conversations. Today was a quiet day.

There are times when I think about going to a Tuesday or Thursday 6:00 PM class, but the thought vanishes at the thought of coming home in the dark. Since we are losing an hour of sleep tonight but gaining more daylight, those Tuesday and Thursday classes look more promising – especially during weeks where other plans preclude me from getting to class on Saturday. I need to start penciling them into my calendar and making time for my physical and mental wellbeing – once I make up from losing that hour of sleep tonight that is! Happy Weekend!

I thought this day would never come! After six days of standardized testing and rain, the week has finally come to an end. I love every Friday afternoon, but this one is particularly sweet.

For the first time this week, the sun is shining. The students are gone, my classroom is quiet, and I am taking home an almost empty backpack. Life is good.

I am looking forward to a weekend with minimal plans, no alarm clocks, and a new book to start. The only thing better would be if we were not losing an hour of sleep Saturday night, but that is an excuse to take a nap on Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, I have a ton of things on my “to do” list at home, but there is VERY little on my “must do” list.

I hope your Friday afternoon is landing easy and is a little slice of heaven.

My students have been taking standardized tests since March 1st. and will take the last one tomorrow. Each day there is a different subject area test administered first thing in the morning. The daily teaching schedule is altered, and we have shortened class periods. On top of that, the weather has not cooperated, and we have had indoor recesses all week. I can’t wait to be able to say TGIF!

This week is exhausting for the students who are taking the tests and the teachers who are administering them. My 7th graders are used to having 20-25 minutes to get outside and get some fresh air before they go to lunch. The boys usually spend that time burning off some pent-up energy by playing basketball or football. Needless to say, the energy level is VERY HIGH this week with no place to let off some steam. The boys have taken to making paper airplanes – some sophisticated ones – from our classroom stash of looseleaf and colored paper. Some of my colleagues are surprised to see paper airplanes flying every which way when they walk past my classroom. I am not usually one for chaos, but this was controlled chaos.

Time is a thief, and these middle-schoolers are already growing up too quickly. If I can give them some time to just be kids and use their creativity and laugh – a lot – then why not? As long as the planes get put back in the “hangars” when it’s time to get to work, these student “pilots” have my blessing.

When I hear words like aerodynamics, float, lift, speed, and balance flying around the room alongside the airplanes, I know there is learning going on. When I see one of my airplane “engineers” going back to the supplies to make changes to their glider designs or completely start over, I know there is learning going on. I don’t need a standardized test to prove that to me.

It is not the clear-sighted who rule the world. Great achievements are accomplished in a blessed, warm fog.

Joseph Conrad

The drive to school today was very foggy, a little rainy, and a tad dreary, but I do love the fog on Mann Road. I always want to stop and take pictures as long as there are no cars creeping up behind me. If I didn’t have to go to work, I would have been parking by the side of the road and writing in my notebook using the fog as a metaphor for this stage of my life. All I kept hearing in my head was “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2.

When I was younger with a growing family, I thought that once my kids were grown and on their own I would have life figured out. WRONG! Now that time is more precious, decision-making seems to be harder with more pressure to “get it right” whatever that means.

I look at those trees shrouded in fog and know that before too long they will be covered in leaves, and it will be hard to decipher one from branch from another. But today I can still see each individual tree and branch – some in the background – some in the foreground. Yet each plays an important role in this particular grove.

This foggy, rainy, dreary day has given me permission to go a little slower, think a little deeper, and trust a little more. No need to fear going into the unknown.

This is my 9th year participating in the Slice of Life Story Challenge sponsored by https://twowritingteachers.org/. I am participating in two other writing challenges at this time as well, and I am a little behind in both of them. I contemplated not participating in the #SOL24 challenge because I was afraid of not being able to keep up and complete the challenge based on how the other two were going, but I love being a part of this community.

I began January with high hopes of renewing my writing habit. I took the ten-day Winter Writing Sanctuary with author Beth Kempton. (https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/) Off to a great start, I was writing every day and tapping into my creative self, but life got in the way. There was some personal writing that had deadlines, a few snowstorms that included shoveling duties, and just sheer tiredness that all took their toll on my plans. I couldn’t even take advantage of the extra day in February!

That is behind me now. A fresh page on the calendar means a chance to start over. As the quote above states, my winter doldrums are beginning to thaw, and my creativity is beginning to run again. What I am going to keep reminding myself is that these writing challenges are a chance to “wake into myself again.” While I will do my best to meet the goals I have set for myself to complete these challenges, I am going into March giving myself grace and looking forward to the hope of spring.

Fifteen. Fifteen days until the last day. The last day of school!

This time of year is so hard. Hard for teachers. Hard for students. Hard for parents. Patience is being tried by many things – antsy kids, deadlines, grading, changes to the schedule – the list can go on and on. A person could very easily be prone to behaving badly, but what would that prove? Who would benefit from the impatience?

Instead, I am going to try and be even more patient than normal. How am I going to accomplish this? I have compiled a list of 15 things I could do for 15 minutes to help reduce the stress of these last 15 days. Some of these things could be done in school, and others can only happen after school or at home. In no particular order…

• take a walk
• Chai latte from Starbucks
• meditate/breathe
• listen to music
• sit on the deck
• ride the recumbent bike
• yoga/stretching
• take a long shower & use an aromatherapy shower steamer
• write in my gratitude journal
• watch a stand-up comedian
• connect with a friend
• read
• pray
• power nap
• walk in the pool (this one is longer – have to go to the gym.)

I am thinking about putting these in a 15-block grid and choosing one a day to be my reward for keeping my cool in school. It will be like an end-of-the-year bingo game for one. Let me know if you have any tricks for holding onto your patience when it is being tested.

Today is National Moscato Day! This day was created by the Gallo Family Vineyards in 2012. When it comes to drinking wine or any alcohol for that matter, I am a lightweight. I have tried fancy red wines and dry white wines, but my palette could not grow accustomed to the tastes. It did not mature with the rest of me. I prefer light, sweet wines, and Moscato is one of my favorites!

Moscato is made from the Muscat Blanc grapes from Piedmont Italy. Believe it or not, muscat grapes are the same grapes that are used for raisins. Moscato has peachy, orangey, and nectarine flavors and is often used as a dessert wine and comes in white, red, and rose’. It is the third most popular win in the US. I guess there are many other wine drinkers with the same taste as me.

Moscato is a great summer wine. Here are a few ideas.

If you haven’t tried Moscato, put it on your shopping list and start creating sweet summer beverages. Cheers!

PIECES – This was yesterday’s writing prompt provided by teachwrite.org on their May Writing Prompts list. If you haven’t visited them, please check them out.

It really got me thinking. What do I write about? Missing pieces? Broken pieces? Puzzle pieces? Bits & pieces? After searching for quotes about “pieces,” I landed on the one above and the idea of “pieces of me.” Then everything started to fall into place – like pieces of a puzzle.

I have been listening to “Words & Music” on Audible as well as some celebrity memoirs. What I have enjoyed hearing about the most is the people/things that influenced each of these people. They have given me a glimpse into their many “pieces.” Yoyo Ma was greatly influenced by his immigrant parents, Sting by the town he grew up in and left behind, and the list goes on. I began to think about my “pieces” and how they all fit together to create the puzzle that is me.

• Places I Have Been – Philadelphia, Horsham – all the places I have visited in my life.
• People I Have Loved – parents, siblings, aunts & uncles, cousins, Chuck and his family who became my family, my kids, their spouses, my grandkids, and friends from grade school, high school, college, and beyond.
• Song Lyrics – too many to begin to even make a short list, but those of the 70s for sure.
• Book Quotes – beginning with my favorite Nancy Drew and all those that followed that helped me garner the nickname, “Read-a-book.”
• Places I Have Worked – Burger King, Brooks Drugs.
• Places I Have Taught – St. James, Holy Angels, St. Catherine, St. Alphonsus, Bucks County Community College, West Chester Writing Project, Our Lady of Mercy, and all the wonderful colleagues I have had along the way.
• Students I Have Shared Learning With – I have even taught children of former students!

This list could go on, and on, and on, but what is important is to recognize that I did not get to be here in this place being the person I am today without capturing “pieces” of every person, place, and thing that has come into my life. I wholeheartedly believe that every experience – good or bad – shapes us and helps us grow.

One thing I know for sure is that my hourglass has more sand on the bottom than on the top. This realization is not meant to be maudlin or overly sentimental; it is a fact. Another thing I know for sure is that my vision of life has gotten clearer (and not just because I had cataract surgery on both eyes). Here are just a few of my “visions.”

Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Yes, I have heard this all my life, but now that I am older, and people around me are getting sick and/or dying, it is really hitting home. Losing parents and aunts and uncles is very sad, but losing contemporaries is sobering. It reminds me that living every day and staying in the moment is even more important.

It is okay to say, “No.” I have been a people pleaser for most of my life. This often resulted in me being overworked, stressed out, or frustrated. There was no one to blame but myself. Now, I guard my time and energy and only commit to things that are important to me.

Not all people are meant to stay in your life. Over the years I have had many “friends” with whom I thought I would have long-lasting relationships. That isn’t how life works though. I use to be sad that I had not remained close with some of my friends, but I realize now that each person comes into our lives at a certain time for a certain reason. Not all are meant to be with us for a lifetime, and that’s okay.

Do what you love. So much of life is taken up with responsibilities and “have-to-do” moments. Not everything on the “have-to-do” list is of equal importance. It’s okay if I let the less important things go and do what is really important – spending time with my husband watching sports, reading, or writing.

The creation of this list is still a work in progress because every new day is an opportunity to see life through a different lens. The closer your focus, the clearer the view.