Monday is on the horizon. For many of us, that understanding can be accompanied by a since of dread, even when we enjoy our work. Since the pandemic began, my weekends have become what they always should have been -- time to relax and recharge. I spend a lot of time outdoors. In the garden. … Continue reading Beginning a New Week: A Strategy for Calm
Twelve Places I Want Go
I love airports. Airports mean travel. For me, travel means adventure. And, I love adventure (see my last post) 1. I am also an avid photographer 2. I am a shameless user of Instagram where I share my photos and follow hundreds of accounts of national parks, exceptional landscape photographers, and world travelers. On Instagram, … Continue reading Twelve Places I Want Go
Around the Bend
This fall I spent a couple of days camping and fishing in the mountains at one of my favorite spots in Arizona. One morning, I got up early to fish the stream near my campsite with the plan of returning for lunch and a lengthy lounge in my hammock. Nearly seven hours later, I stumbled … Continue reading Around the Bend
Renewal and Healing
The Four Peaks Wilderness area, just East of Phoenix, is one of my favorite places to explore and take pictures. Once you travel past the ATV and target practice areas, you will find rugged Sonoran Desert with countless ravines and nameless canyons ripe for exploration. There are very few trails, but traversing the hidden places … Continue reading Renewal and Healing
I Bought You Ice Cream!
This is a true story 1. After you read it, you may determine that it possesses a moral, or two, but none are intended. The school day had come to an end and I was sitting in my office, finishing up paperwork and responding to a few emails. As I was wrapping up my work … Continue reading I Bought You Ice Cream!
Changing the Momentum of the Day
I've been on a quest to be more at peace with my work. I'm trying really hard to maintain a positive mindset, focus on the things I enjoy, and be relentless about helping others. It's not always easy 1, but I know that it is worth the effort. If a body is at rest or … Continue reading Changing the Momentum of the Day
Staying Connected
My job requires a lot of personal interaction throughout the day -- with colleagues, parents, and kids. I take phone calls, answer emails, speak to people in person, and spend time with junior high students 1. As an introvert, this is good practice. It pulls me out of my shell and has helped me become … Continue reading Staying Connected
Scheduling Time to Think
Here are a few things that went through my mind this weekend. I need to plant some Armenian cucumber seeds. I would like to learn to draw. I have to go through my old clothes and get rid of the things I don't wear. I have too much stuff. I need to get my old … Continue reading Scheduling Time to Think
Nature as a Reminder
I have started keeping a little prayer list on my phone. I try to go through it a few times a day and offer up petitions on behalf of those in need 1. I started doing this because during this time of the pandemic, "those in need" began to outpace my ability to remember. Shamefully, … Continue reading Nature as a Reminder
On Missing Coffee Shops
I have not been writing as much lately. Prior to the pandemic, a typical Saturday morning consisted of rising early, driving to my favorite local coffee establishment, purchasing an espresso tonic 1 (with a glass of soda water) and spending the first hour and a half of my day writing. Being at a coffee shop … Continue reading On Missing Coffee Shops
