If you haven’t read Pamela Snow’s, The Snow Report, be sure to do so. Pamela Snow, who hails from Australia, is a professor of cognitive psychology at La Trobe University. She posts somewhat irregularly and when she does so, she very regularly gives her readers MUCH to think about. She is much smarter than I, … [Read more…]
I’m coming off the heels of a marvelous bicycle trip on the George S. Mickelson Trail in South Dakota and preparing for another bike trip on the Constitution Trail in Bloomington/Normal Illinois. Both trips are being taken with wonderful people in terrific settings. Both trips require planning, commitment, and a break from routine. Choosing to … [Read more…]
I avoid conflict like the plague. It is not in my nature to seek conflict; it is in my nature to hold hands and sing “Kumbaya.” That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but perhaps illustrates my point. Conflict brings me great anxiety, so I will tip toe around it, which can invariably lead to trouble. … [Read more…]
My sister, Katie, sent a new podcast recommendation the other day. My siblings and I were instantly intrigued. The title, alone, was enough to spark intrigue. In addition, Question Everything, by Brian Reed, is a “spin-off” of his award-winning, and perhaps controversial, podcast, S-Town. I knew within the first few minutes of listening on Friday … [Read more…]
Today’s post has been days… possibly weeks in the making. I have added it to it, slowly, over the last week – a luxury I have enjoyed as a result of two full weeks away from work. There are advantages to writing a post over several days: time to mull things over, less pressure to … [Read more…]
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Two days of RAGBRAI filled with generous Iowa spirit, camaraderie, hard work, and unexpected miles. At a critical juncture on the first day of our ride (Day 6 for other RAGBRAI riders), we decided to ride the Karras Loop, adding 16 miles to our 84-mile … [Read more…]
Everything is Figuroutable, and most things worth figuring out take time, hard work, perseverance, and collaboration. Proof of this very concept has come to light over and over again, including this past week. Collaborating with Coaches Our FMCSD instructional coaching staff was tasked with refining our district’s work around identifying essential standards for social emotional … [Read more…]
We were able to celebrate my dad’s life last Friday, surrounded by family and friends, and with an outpouring of support from our community. My siblings and I, and all 13 grandchildren were dressed in finer attire than we were for Mom’s Celebration of Life in January: a testament to the difference between Mom and … [Read more…]
It has been three weeks since Mom passed away. It has been three weeks of trying to find my footing, with a lot of slippery slopes making it tricky to find that footing. As Mom’s illness took such a sudden turn the second week of January, my siblings and I were able to be at … [Read more…]
I have a confession to make for my first post of 2024: I’m finding that I dread writing posts for this blog more and more frequently. I’m not sure where the dread is coming from, but I know that I don’t like it, and I do not want it to become a reason to quit … [Read more…]