Tuesday Slice: Hydrotherapy

H20

Hot under the collar

Overwhelmed

Out of sorts

Holiday frenzy

Overtired

Out of patience

Headache

Overworked muscles

Out of steam

Hot shower

Over the day

Out like a light.

 

Tuesday Slice: The waves and smiles

 

I don't often write about work on this platform, maybe because I have another blog on which I post twice weekly about reading and library happenings.  But with a lack of other fleshed-out ideas, a work post it is.

I get smiles and waves in the hallway.

I know, I'm not the only educator that gets this attention.  But think about what this means.  This isn't just a nod to popularity.

Our students choose to send those smiles and waves our way.  It's not the same as the perfunctory greeting we elicit at the door, or the thanks that teachers prompt on the way out of the library.  Those smiles and waves are genuine (unless they're being used as a ruse for more thought-out shenanigans, but that's rare in my elementary school).

In my unique position as the campus librarian, I come in contact with every single student, every single week.  First and foremost, I want them to see me as a safe, reliable adult who welcomes them into an inclusive space of literacy, learning, and exploration.  There are days where the behavior and attitude of some students, and sometimes my behavior in response, makes me feel like I am failing at my task.

And then I get the smiles and waves, and I know I'm getting it right at least some of the time. So I always take the time to smile and wave back. 

Spiritual Journey Thursday: Slow the pace

Bob has given us our theme of acceptance and change this month,

with the following questions:

So, friends, I ask you how do you slow down? What helps you focus on you well-being and that of others around you. What little changes do you make in your life that can affect others?

The collective unconscious must be clamoring for calm, a break from the chaos this season, because I've been drawn to three different practices for just such a purpose.

1) I am reading Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton.  It is a guide for honing in on what your spirit really wants and needs during the holiday season--not what the commercials say you need, or your hundred-year-old family traditions, for that matter.  It's a lovely small book that is easy to read a bit, then ponder a bit...and then maybe cross off an item or two on your to-do list.

2)  I receive weekly emails from Ami Kunimura, founder of The Self-Care Institute.  This Wednesday's post gave us four tips for managing holiday stress.  The first two are my favorites:  "pace yourself", and "honor your personal boundaries."  Ami gives us permission to save some time and energy for our own personal needs.

3)  I am filling in the Cultivate What Matters Advent edition of their Write the Word journal.  Each morning, I write a note of gratitude, look up the assigned Scripture in my Bible, copy the lines, write a reflection, and choose a word to carry through the day.  The whole process takes me fifteen or so minutes, but it is a calming and centering routine that connects me to the hopeful, peaceful anticipation of the liturgical season.  

The calm I feel through these practices gives me the patience to manage problems as they arise at work and home.  I can choose to absorb only news that affects and informs me, and take time instead to enjoy a scented candle, baking my favorite cookies, wrapping gifts for family and friends.

May this Advent be less a season of chaos and stress, and more opportunities to breathe, be still, and believe in the hope that came to life on Christmas morning.