On my drive to school today I was beginning to stress about what I was going to write about this evening because yesterday was so hard. When I sat down at my desk and flipped the page on my calendar I immediately knew this was my answer!

The definition of a best friend is a person who you value above other friends in your life, someone you have fun with, someone you trust and someone in whom you confide.

yourdictionary.com

For the last almost 50 years, Chuck has been my best friend. We met in high school when I was just 15, and he was 17. This year we will celebrate 43 years of marriage and 50 years of dating. Yes, we still think we are dating.

Chuck is the first person I tell when I have good news to share, and he is the one person I want to help me get through the bad news. I just love being at home and spending time with him. We take care of each other, trust each other, and respect each other. We laugh; we cry; we hold each other up.

On every step of our journey together we are a team. Chuck has supported me in every way – all of my college concerts & recitals, the many shows I produced during my career as a music teacher, becoming a Writing Project Fellow, my pursuit of a master’s degree, my writing, and all the stress and meltdowns that went along with each of those things. There was never any judgment – just support.

Chuck definitely brings out the best in me. He is my biggest champion. He knows when I need a pick-me-up and when I need a smackdown (a Moonstruck moment – “Snap out of it!”). Chuck is such a good man; he makes me want to be a better person. My high school sweetheart, my husband, my best friend. He keeps me grounded and helps me fly.

It’s been some kind of day. I started off feeling peaceful and ended up anything but peaceful. I could ruminate all night, but I think I am just going to unplug from what got me stirred up and plug into the things that bring me joy.

• Chicken Pastina soup for dinner
• Working on a project for my grandkids.
• Reading

That’s about all I can muster this evening. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Who lives on Memory Lane?

Of course, I was struggling for a slice today, so I Googled creative writing prompts and I came across 365 Creative Writing Prompts on thinkwritten.com. I got as far as prompt #52 and stopped.

What does Memory Lane look like? How do you get there?

When you have a lifetime (64+ years) of memories, where do you start? How can you pick one? When I got home from school, I felt the urge to make a visual representation of Memory Lane.

I think I will keep adding to each “road sign” when memories pop into my head. This should give me plenty to write about when I am stuck again. Who do you find on Memory Lane?

Okay, so the hour I lost yesterday really hit me hard today on this dark, rainy Monday. But little did I know – today is National Napping Day! Bingo!

“National Napping Day was created in 1999 by a Boston University professor and his wife. William Anthony Ph.D. and his wife Camille Anthony created this holiday to spread awareness of the importance of getting enough sleep and its benefits. The holiday was meant to help make up for the amount of sleep lost when the hour changes. The date was chosen because studies have shown that people are already at their most tired and sleep deprived after daylight savings changes.”

https://nationaltoday.com/national-napping-day/

I only managed a 20-minute nap after school before I had to go back out in the rain to an appointment, but that was enough to make me feel a little better. Most days you will find me napping at some point between the time I get home from school and dinner. On other days I nap after dinner – before I go to bed. LOL

I must have been meant to live in a country where mid-day naps are the norm. Spain has its siesta, Italy its riposo, and China its Wǔshuì. Do you think this idea could ever catch on in the United States?

Disclaimer: I am not a big shopper. My husband does all the grocery shopping. I only shop when I really need something, and since the pandemic, almost all of that happens online. However, I was at a loss for what to write about today, and the prompt on the Jetpack app was – Where would you go on a shopping spree?

If I could go on a shopping spree, it would definitely be to Target! Target has everything! In no particular order are just a few of the many, many things that would end up in my multiple carts during this spree.

• Books – I have too many on my wishlist to list here, but they would include picture books, middle-grade books, and adult fiction and nonfiction.
• Stationery & School Supplies – Admittedly, I have an addiction to this department. The haul here would include journals, notecards, post-it notes, stickers, index cards, pens (lots of pens) with all different colors of ink, sharpies (thick and thin), flair markers, colored pencils, and folders & folios. The list here could on and on.
• Beauty – I don’t wear a great deal of make-up, but I would get some nice mascara, lotions & potions to help my aging skin, luxurious bath gels, eye masks, and new hair gadgets & accessories.
• Electronics – I’d love a digital camera and an upgrade to my ancient iPad.
• Home & Furniture – Oh what I could do in this section – bedding, storage, pillows, throw blankets, kitchen gadgets for the chef in my life…
• Video games – for the boys in my life.
• Toys – The grandkids would certainly give me a list
• Arts & Crafts – This is a favorite activity when I am spending time with the grandkids.

The list could go on and on. There still are many other things on my list – purses, comfy socks, slippers, and new luggage. Then there is the seasonal section of the store. A lot of damage could be done there! Of course, there are all the practical things I could use – cleaning supplies, personal supplies, and food. And don’t forget the DOLLAR SPOT!

For someone who doesn’t shop very often and can’t say they enjoy it, I am having no problem dreaming about what I would get on my shopping spree!

I try to participate in Haiku Saturday by posting one haiku on Twitter each week. Today I decided to take it to a new level and create my slice with a series of haikus.

It was a long week
So many things on my plate
Wanted to give up

Overloaded mind
No nourishment for my soul
Weekend finally here

Time to think of me
What is really important
Relax and refresh

Home is what matters
Where we come to be ourselves
Just the family

Be in the moment
Enjoy the downtime for now
Monday will come fast

Each morning when I enter my classroom, I walk to the opposite side of the room to look out the window. There is a wooded area that separates our campus from a satellite campus of Temple University. I search for the deer that often make their way through the wooded area in the morning. A tornado in September of 2021 thinned out the woods a great deal, but my deer friends with their natural camouflage aren’t always easy to see.

This morning I saw a rather large brown mass. I couldn’t tell if it was a deer sitting down or a tree stump. I watched a little more and then went about my morning routine. A few minutes later, the teacher in the next room came in and pointed out that several deer were sitting out back. Just then a couple of them began to lift their heads. There was the answer to my question – it was a deer.

By now, a student had arrived, and we looked at the deer together trying to count how many were moseying around out back. We were up to about ten (which was more than usual) when all of a sudden two deer railed up on their hind legs and began fighting!! Neither Sean nor I had ever seen this happen before. I sent Sean into the next room to alert the teacher to look out and see the conflict going on outside.

The skirmish went on for a few minutes and then the deer started running and chasing each other, leaping over fallen tree limbs, and circling back around. It was like the deer were filming a new version of the rumble scene from The Outsiders, but it was hard to tell which were Greasers and which were Socs!

Unfortunately, they were too far away to take a good picture, especially through the screen, but they looked something like the two pictured here.

They romped around for a couple more minutes before they dated off in different directions. It was time for us to get moving on with our day, but the sight of those deer fighting (something until today I had only seen on TV) has really stuck with me.

I really don’t like packing my lunch. My husband is a chef, and he cooks dinner every night. You would think I could handle assembling my lunch since I don’t ever have to think about cooking, but I am always procrastinating.

At the beginning of the school year, I was packing my lunch the night before. I had all the cold items neatly stacked in the refrigerator and the rest of them on the kitchen table ready to be placed in my lunch bag. Unfortunately, that only lasted a few weeks – maybe a month.

I use to enjoy taking leftovers to school for lunch when the teacher next door to me had a microwave. About a year ago, all microwaves were banned from classrooms because they interfered with the Wifi. The faculty room is at the opposite end of the building, so I stopped bringing leftovers because I had difficulty walking that far without my cane. Now that I have two new knees, I don’t have any excuses, yet I still don’t bring leftovers.

I tried packing for several days at once and stocking the mini-fridge in my classroom. I did that a couple of times, but that strategy didn’t last very long either. I could order lunch at school, but the cafeteria is three flights of steps each way, and I am not sure my shaky hands would make it back to my room without spilling something from the tray. Plus, there really isn’t any reason for me to spend money when I have plenty of food at home.

I do try to make a salad a few times a week, but lately, I have resorted to waking up in the morning and foraging through the fridge for whatever is the easiest to grab and go. Usually, that looks like yogurt or string cheese, some veggies, or a snack pack.

Am I alone in this predicament?

Yesterday my Slice was about wanting to have a tantrum like a toddler. Today I am taking a healthier route and focusing on ways I can relax. Almost everyone is going through life at breakneck speed and trying to check off an ever-growing to-do list. There is so much on our plates – places we need to be – deadlines we need to meet – that focusing on ourselves usually takes a backseat in our day-to-day existence.

If you Google ways to relax, you will find site after site of suggestions on things to do to de-stress your body and mind. Some seem very doable, and some seem like they require too much effort – as silly as that sounds.

Here are some favorite strategies I use to help me relax which are quick and easy.

A Warm Beverage – I like to brew a cup of tea. Everything I have read indicates that it should be decaf, but I don’t always take that advice. My favorites are tea with lemon and sugar (I like it sweet!) and chai latte. I actually have the server in my dining room set up as a tea bar. My family knows how much I like tea and has kept me stocked with all the different flavors you might be able to imagine.

Breathe – Sometimes that’s all I need to do to de-escalate a stressful moment. First I try some focused deep breathing, and as time goes on, I try to bring my breathing back to a normal rhythm. It really works!

Progressive Muscle Relaxation – I use this before going to bed if I am having trouble settling in. I often use the CALM app for guided relaxation, but it is easy to do on your own. You just start with an area of your body and systematically tense different muscle groups then you release the tension and notice how your muscles feel when you relax them.

Hand Massage – I use this at school very often. All you need to do is take a favorite lotion and massage your hands – each joint – the webbing between each finger – the palm – the back of your hand – the wrist. Use your thumb and put pressure on each of these areas. Take your time and notice how it feels. I especially like to use Bath & Body Works Stress Relief lotion. It is eucalyptus and spearmint, and when I am finished massaging my hands I breathe it in and that is an extra calming benefit.

Stretch – I could never do yoga because of my bad knees, but now that I’ve had them both replaced I might try it. In the meantime, I stretch. I have a series of stretches I do to help my back, but when I am feeling stressed it helps to strategically stretch my neck and shoulders. I even have my students stretch when they have been reading or writing for a length of time. I tell them to reach up high like they are trying to get cookies from on top of the fridge and then reach way down to their toes. I can often see their faces soften after stretching.

These are a few of the many ways I try to relax. The problem is that I don’t do it often enough. You know what I mean. How many times do you find yourself clenching your teeth? Are your shoulders up by your ears at the end of the day? Remember to take time to relax. It is important!

I am sure you have your favorites as well. I loved to know what you do to relax.

tan·trum
/ˈtantrəm/

(noun)
an uncontrolled outburst of anger and frustration, typically in a young child

Wouldn’t it be nice if adults could have tantrums? (Yes, we all know people who do, but it’s not really acceptable.) What if we could just pitch a fit, blow up, boil over, blow a fuse, fly off the handle, rant & rave, erupt, seethe, let off steam, have a hissy fit, explode, or have a conniption?

I know that having an adult tantrum is frowned upon in all professional settings, but some days you just want to let loose and wail! That’s how I’m feeling today.

We are on day three of our four days of standardized testing. The students are tired of having to wait for me to read all of the directions, and I am tired of reading the same directions over and over. “Open your test books to the first page of… ” We will begin by doing two sample questions.” “Fill in the circle that goes with the answer you choose.” “Make your mark heavy and dark.” YIKES! My students are in 7th grade and have heard these directions year after year. I don’t want to do any more testing!

Because of Terra Nova testing, we are on a modified schedule where each period is 30 or 35 minutes long. While I like the idea of seeing all of my classes, I feel like a gerbil in a wheel. By the time everyone is finished asking questions, settled, and working, it is time to pack up and move to the next class. I don’t want to have another day of shortened classes!

On top of that, the grading period ends on Friday! I have a stack of final, short answer assessments to grade and a bunch of missing assignments to track down. Once I have all the assignments graded, I need to put qualifiers in multiple reading and writing skills categories. Oh, the joys of middle school ELA. I don’t want to finish grading everything for report cards!

But worst of all is the ever-changing weather! I am a human barometer. If it isn’t my arthritis and creaky joints letting me know rain is approaching, it is my sinuses telling me the temperature and pressure are changing. Today it’s sinus time. All of a sudden I got a wicked headache and stuffy nose. On top of that the allergy index for my area went from 2.2 yesterday to 7.8 today! Achoo!! I don’t want to keep sneezing and taking meds!

I want someone to send me to my room to nap until I have my big feelings under control!

Calgon – take me away!