Instant and Gradual Changes

I am moving this weekend, so the past few days have been full of packing, cleaning, and tying up loose ends. I can honestly say that I'm not at all sad about this. I don't feel nostalgic or emotional. I guess you could say that I've been ready for a while now. After all, the future is exciting :-)

Moving is not fun. There are almost always unanticipated expenses, and the actual labor of moving is annoying. I've been doing my best to not freak out or become overwhelmed. I have been taking it all one day at time. However, I have found myself walking around my apartment over and over again, searching for something to do. I'm just ready to go. 

In between my hot laps, I have been doing plenty of reading and writing. I read a blog post by Donalyn Miller, teacher and author of The Book Whisperer. She wrote in response to attending a high school graduation: "No matter how much we influence these golden children, we have moved into the past now. Just a few paragraphs in their stories. Chapter One." Isn't it crazy to think that we can just drift into someone else's past? Some of my students I will never see again. To them, I am their high school English teacher -- the past. We all have moved into a different part of life.

Sometimes changes in life are more definite; they can happen in an istant. You get a new job. You move to a new community. Someone in your life leaves. It's black and white. That last day at school is just that -- the last. Other times, changes are gradual. You drift apart from a friend. You grow closer to another. Then one day you realize that things have changed. 

People come in and out of our lives. The influence we have on one another varies, but it is all significant. 

The Power of Variety

I think it's pretty safe to say that many of us find ourselves in a rut. The mundane routines prevent us from fully experiences things in life. Seeking a bit of variety can really make a difference.

I realize that there are some things we can't avoid. Yes, we have to work, buy annoying items like toilet paper and body wash, and even make appearances at not-so-fun social events. Life isn't about being excited all of the time. There are peaks and valleys, all of which keep us in check.

But, what if we added variety to those things we do have control over. Rearrange your furniture, take a new route to work, or try a new salad for dinner. I really started thinking about this as I went for a morning jog. It was amazing. My body was rested and in-stride just as it should be. I felt healthy as I dripped with sweat through the morning fog and humidity. I couldn't help but wonder, "Why am I running so well?" I truly believe it was because I have been adding a lot of variety to my workouts. I've been practicing yoga, doing new circuit workouts, and riding my bike. Now I love running, but it started to become a struggle. My body was tired of it, and it was making me feel pretty down. Running has always been something I can turn to when I feel blah. Just like many parts of life, I needed to change it up. My body needed something different.

I love this thought. Why do we have an entire box of crayons if we only use a handful? The power of variety is in our own hands. I'm challenging you, and myself, to find use of those other crayons today. 

A Plan B Kind of Life

Last night, I went over to a friend's house to grill. Now, I use the term "grill" very loosely. For our girl's night, the grilling turned into oven baked chicken. However, we didn't care because the conversation was awesome and the food turned out great. There was a perfect mixture of old and new friends. In fact, I met someone new, and I had a great time getting to know her and listening to her talk about her life over the past few years. I was intrigued by her positive attitude even though life had thrown her a lot of changes. I started thinking about how no matter how much we plan, there are always unexpected events. We simply can't plan too far in advance.

We grow up dreaming. We have visions of the perfect life, surrounded by loving relationships and absent hardships. The problem is, this is not reality. We all know that life is far from perfect, and our plans often fall short. There are disappointments. We get hurt, loose faith, and struggle. And, this sucks. Sometimes this thing called life doesn't make sense.

But the good news is, we come out on the other side. Our plans are fulfilled in other ways. It's important that we don't lose hope because there is always a Plan B. There is always a reason as to why life is hard sometimes. We grow and learn. We appreciate people for who they are, and we continue to be the best we know how to be. We trust in our Plan B.

Changing Necessities

I recently started planning for the courses I will be teaching in the fall. It's exciting and a little overwhelming. I have so many ideas floating around in my head which makes it difficult to focus and be productive.

One of the courses I will be teaching is called Practical English. The course has been designed to stress the reading and writing that students, as future adults, will do in everyday life. While it may seem simple, I'm having a hard time distinguishing what is necessary to teach. Some of the material seems slightly outdated. It's also hard to know what to teach without undermining their previous knowledge.

The world is changing; therefore, our teaching styles and content must adapt. There are some tools that are merely extinct. Like, when is the last time you picked up an almanac? If you need to know something, I'd say, "Google it." So, have the necessities of teaching changed? Do we still need to teach cursive handwriting? How to use a dictionary?

It's not necessarily about learning how to use those tools, but mostly about the process. It is much easier to look up the definition of a word on your smartphone. I do it too, but that doesn't mean it's not important to have knowledge or schema regarding a dictionary. It's still important that we learn the steps it takes to do something.

I'm thinking about shifting gears. What if we focused more on the process? What if we learned how to reach a goal? Use your sources. Use your people. It's more important that we know who to talk to, where to go in order to find the information. I don't know if it matters if someone got the definition from Webster or Dictionary.com. The important thing is that they know it and can apply it.

Food for thought.

A Few Observations

Over the past week, my body decided to shut down. It started with a lovely migraine that never seemed to end. After a few days of intense pain, I decided to make my way to urgent care. It just so happened that I had some sinus pressure that wanted to linger around. Luckily, after only one day of taking meds, I'm feeling much better. As the days passed, I was in and out of naps. I wanted to read; I wanted to write, but nothing was motivating me. The result? A few random observations that I'd like to share. 

1. Just because clothes are "in" doesn't mean they're "in" for everyone. (I told you this was going to be random.) I was reading one of those list articles online. You know, "27 Things I Wish I Knew by the Time I Was 27" or "The Top Ten Things Happy People Do." For some reason I'm a sucker for these. Anyway, one that I stubbled upon discussed how sometimes we just outgrow stores. As much as I love the outfits designed for 22-year-old girls prancing out of H&M, many of these styles aren't for me. I'll make my way to Express and Ann Taylor and be okay with it. 

2. Productivity doesn't define your day, but it helps. I hate feeling lazy, and when you're sick, that's just a part of the gig. Yesterday, I attempted to workout -- fail. Even walking up and down stairs was a task. So, I made my way to the couch to engross myself in Law and Order: SVU and Flip or Flop. It goes without saying that after a great kickboxing class this morning followed by school work, I was feeling like a real person again. While it's important to relax and regroup, productivity surely makes me feel a lot better.

3. Older people are full of wisdom. As I waited to get my prescriptions filled, I sat next to an older man and two college-aged girls that were looking after another girl with a disability. I messed around on my phone, occasionally smiled as the girls interacted, and patiently waited. The girls paid for the prescriptions and were on their way. The older man turned to me and said, "It makes you realize that our problems really aren't that big." I nodded and soaked in his words. Clearly, he was talking about the girl with the disability. While I was a little shocked at his observation, he was right. The problems that are happening in my life are not nearly as big as those of other people. It really left me thinking that we have a lot to be thankful for. 

You're welcome for the randomness. Off to continue my productivity (maybe). 

Do What Makes You Happy

I feel the happiest when: 

1. I'm active. I hate feeling lazy, and I like to be on the move. My health and well-being are very important to me; therefore, when I living a healthy lifestyle, I'm happy.

2. I'm around people. I know it's important to have alone time, and there are times when it is much needed. However, I love talking and interacting with others. It especially makes me happy when I find time for someone I haven't seen in a while. It's always so rewarding to leave a great conversation with a smile. 

3. I've had enough sleep. Isn't this true for everyone? Not only does lack of sleep make me crabby, it also leads to unproductively. I hate spending a whole day tired; it feels like a waste. Waking up from a good night's sleep and feeling rested is the best way to start a day.

4. I eat well. This ties right into number one, but it is very important to me. I read once, "If you eat crap, you feel like crap." Yep, I couldn't agree more. Eating whole foods to fuel me leaves me energized and happy. 

5. I finish a good book. I always go through a range of emotions when I complete a book, but mostly I feel accomplished. Even if it is short, I still feel great. The only downfall is that I feel like I'm divorcing the characters. Am I the only one who feels like they are my best friends when I'm finished?

6. I'm in the sun. I'm solar-powered. Enough said. 

7. I'm teaching. If you haven't figured out yet, I love my job. I love being around kids, and I am so proud to say I'm a teacher. 

Here's what my question is today: Why don't we do more of what makes us happy? Does life have to be that complicated? Doesn't that make the most sense? (I guess that's more than one question.)

Do more of what makes you happy.

Importance of Words (Once Again)

Yesterday and today, I practiced yoga. It was awesome. It's so good to listen to your body and really focus on breathing and smooth movements. After getting cleaned up, I sat down to watch the Today Show (shocking). There was a segment about how Johan Hill apologized on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon about a recent racial slur he spontaneously (and stupidly) blurted out to paparazzi. Basically, he was genuine. He knew he was wrong, and he talked about the importance of kindness.

Here are a few of this words on the matter:

"How you mean things doesn't matter. Words have weight and meaning."

"If you're watching this, and you're a young person especially, if someone says something that hurts you or angers you, use me as an example of what not to do. Don't respond with hatred or anger."

I had goosebumps listening to this. He made a valid point about the use of words. It really doesn't matter how we mean things because the truth is, people are still going to hear it. "Oh, I didn't mean to hurt you"... But you did.

It reminds me of a line in You've Got Mail. Tom Hanks's and Meg Ryan's characters are discussing the recent closing of her store. He said, "It's not personal." Her response to that was something like, "Why do people say that? Just because it's not personal to you, doesn't mean it's not personal to me."

I always tell my students to choose their words (usually after a swear word slips out), and while they may not take this that seriously, I do. We all need to choose our words because what affects us may not be the same as what affects others.

P.S. If you've never seen You've Got Mail, you really need to.