SOLSC '26 Day One: Habit stacking

 

Here we go again!

Year fourteen of the Slice of Life Story Challenge for me, and I wasn't sure if I could take it on.  This March holds a full docket of events and tasks--

turning sixty (!), 

major surgery, 

ticking off the required boxes to retire,

and looking for my next job.

My current mental load feels like an overfilled mine cart about to spill over and slide back down the tracks.  So how do I jump back into a writing habit that I've ignored for the better part of a year, when I can barely keep up with what needs to be done?

Habit stacking.

My doctor and I agree that I need to get more exercise.  I am now entering the official "use it or lose it" stage of life, and I don't want to be on the losing end of my health.  So I've decided on my theme for this year's SOLSC:

Thirty-one walks, thirty-one posts.

My plan is to go for a walk each day, then write about it.  This may work out great, or it may be the most boring SOLSC theme yet.

*********

It's day one, and I was in pajamas until seven p.m. (not unusual for a Sunday).  My husband has been taking after-dinner walks, so I offered to join him, forcing myself to put on joggers and a t-shirt.  I was thankful it was dark and the street was empty.  We talked about the coyotes and foxes that sometimes roam the neighborhood at night.  I mentioned that ringtails had been spotted nearby; I would love to see one of those!  Crossing the street put the waxing moon in full view, the glow competing with the streetlights.

The night was clear, with a breeze that was just slightly on the chilly side.  I smiled at the Christmas lights blinking on a couple of houses; it made me feel a little better about the holiday tablecloth still gracing my dining room.

The front of my hips started complaining, so we crossed back over and headed home.  One walk, one post. 

Spiritual Journey Thursday: Attitude

 

It's Spiritual Journey Thursday,  and Bob is asking us to think about the influence of our attitude.  You can read his post here.

When I saw the prompt for this month's SJT, I immediately felt like I was entering the confession booth of the churches of my youth...

...because there was a situation where I copped an attitude at the beginning of the school year,  and it has affected my working relationships with certain people. I have rarely exhibited such behavior in my professional career,  and I even shocked myself. 

Was my attitude warranted? After much reflecting and discussing with people I trust, the answer has been yes.

Could I have handled my frustration in a more professional manner? After much reflecting and discussing with people I trust...the answer has been maybe.  We all have our limits, and I had reached mine.

I've learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses while navigating the aftermath of my attitude. 

• I am a master at compartmentalizing. My issues with some do not affect my relationships with the rest; in fact, it makes me appreciate them even more. The same goes for my work at hand; I can still strive to be a good educator with my students' best interests at heart.
• I have always had problems dealing with conflict,  especially when I feel like I'm not valued by the other side. It makes me doubt my worth and the wisdom of my experience. This is not the feeling I wanted to be battling during my final year in public education. 

The biggest takeaway from this year is that transparent, timely communication is my first and foremost "love language" in the workplace.  I hold myself accountable for my side of this communication.  I am working on losing my negative attitude, while treasuring the positive relationships at work and at home.

Spiritual Journey Thursday: Renaissance

 

It's Spiritual Journey Thursday, and we're settling into

 our One Little Word for 2026.

My word this year is "Renaissance."

***

I open up my Blogger account for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long, and see that my last post was from April 2025, right after my string of March Slice of Life Challenge entries.

I have not known what to write about since then.  Every thought that came to mind took a negative turn, and even though I am firmly against toxic positivity, I also had no desire to add my complaints to the internet cacophony.  I was--and still am--living on the edge of emotional and intellectual exhaustion, dancing between slivers of hope, desperately sought, and utter despair, fueled by news and politics.  The latter I try to avoid, but the impact is getting so close that I can practically smell the smoke from the dumpster fire.

That smoke is starting to clear, thanks to winds of change.  There is disturbing news, and there is news of resistance.  There is inhumanity, but there is a wave of humanity rising against it.  To quote Susan Cooper, "The Dark is rising."...but we can turn it back.  We have to turn it back.

This will be the year of the Fire Horse in Asian astrology, the sign I was born under almost sixty years ago.  It is a sign of independence, optimism, good humor, and warmhearted generosity.  I am hoping to rediscover those aspects of myself that have been ebbing in my recent circumstances.

This Fire Horse Year:

I am turning sixty.

I am retiring from a thirty-three year career in public education, begun thirty-nine years ago.

I am looking forward to another career path, to be of service and financially prepare for real retirement in seven to ten years.

I am coming to terms with my flaws and foibles, focusing on fixing what I can.

I am coming to terms with entering my last trimester of life, and how I want that to look and feel.

I will be having my first major surgery, one that will leave me less parts than I was born with...I am coming to terms with that as well.

My Fire Horse may just be a four-legged phoenix, burning its way into my crone years...my renaissance.

"Abraxas", AI Art by Colleen Bruggman

Tuesday Slice: The librarians

 

It's the third night of our state library conference.   Over a hundred librarians are gathered in a large ballroom-turned-assembly.  There's popcorn in paper bags and flavored water.  Usually night activities at the conference are lighter fare like illustrator sketch-offs, but tonight the mood is more somber.

We are there to see a screening of the documentary, "The Librarians".

Texas seems to be an incubator for book-banning; some reports have this state placing second only to Florida in the number of challenges.  Librarians are often the target, both professionally and personally-- dangerously so.  The documentary turns the lens on several of those librarians, as well as exposing the money and politics backing the organized efforts to censor materials. 

There is resistance.  Groups such as the Texas FReadom Fighters and Texas Freedom to Read Project highlight the positive impact libraries make every day and support the right to access materials.  There is some good news, too: we learned that every book challenge that has made it to the courts has been ruled in favor of intellectual freedom.

Librarians protect the right to access materials; that right is codified in law.  That access is open to all, regardless of political or religious leanings.  

Librarians are protecting your right to read.  During this National Library Week, visit a library.  Give the workers behind the circulation desk and in the stacks a smile and knowing nod.  You may not know what battles they may be fighting on your behalf.

And if a screening of "The Librarians" opens near you, buy a ticket. 

SOLSC '25 Day Thirty-one: A rosy send-off

 

I am participating in The Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life Story Challenge, writing every day during the month of March. My theme this year is "Outdoors".

Here's to thirty-one days of stories

Early morning thinkers, and late-night scramblers 

Thematic, or stream-of-consciousness

Family love and teaching celebrations 

Each Slice a rose, a gift for all to enjoy.

Thanks to this community of writers for another great SOLSC!

SOLSC '25 Day Thirty: Shoe problem

 

I am participating in The Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life Story Challenge, writing every day during the month of March. My theme this year is "Outdoors".

While packing for a four day conference,  I was once again reminded that I have a shoe problem. 

I don't like wearing the same pair of shoes two days in a row.  My feet sweat, so I like to air out my shoes between wearings.  

Common sense and sensible packing would then suggest that I would only need two pairs of shoes for a four day conference. 

But no, I  couldn't come up with outfits that would coordinate with just two pairs of shoes, other than my travel clothes for the way up and my outfit for Wednesday.  Even my extra, just-in-case clothes required yet another pair of shoes.

So four pairs of shoes it is.  Good thing I'm taking a decent sized suitcase.

SOLSC '25 Day Twenty-nine: Conference prep

 

I am participating in The Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life Story Challenge, writing every day during the month of March. My theme this year is "Outdoors".

Our annual Texas Library Association conference is next week in Dallas.  I love being surrounded by fellow librarians for four days.  I love learning about new book lists, seeing beloved authors, and celebrating information literacy and the freedom to read.

But...I ain't gonna lie; it's an overwhelming experience for an introvert like me.  Full days of navigating crowded,  unfamiliar places is exhausting exercise that tests my socialization and sensory limits. 

But...this isn't my first rodeo, as folks in Texas say.  Beyond the usual tips of packing snacks, wearing comfy shoes and clothes layers, I have developed a system of preparing and overpacking to cover most of the possible annoying and/ or anxiety-provoking circumstances while spending four days away from the comforts of home.

Here is a list of some of those items and tasks, in no particular order:

• Tweezers, after spending one conference constantly messing with an annoying chin hair.
• Super stick bandages,  because those shoes that were so comfortable for the first five hours will  suddenly decide to start rubbing your heel raw.
• Gum, essential post-lunch because you never know what favorite author or future employer may be standing next to you in the elevator. Same reason to carry a stain-fighting pen.
• Doing my full-on curly hair routine right before I leave home. The products alone would add ten pounds to my suitcase.  Yes, I will have to wash my hair by the evening of day three, but no one on day four will care if it's frizzy; we're all bleary-eyed  by then.
• Kleenex, hand sanitizer, and wipes for both ends...you know what I mean. While walking from one end of the convention center to the other,  spending hours scouring the exhibit hall, and standing in book signing lines, a fresh wipe can make you feel a bit more socially acceptable in those crowded spaces.
• Taking care of mani/pedi needs before leaving...and praying the polish doesn't chip, because who really wants to pack that stuff, too?
• Nail clippers...because you know you'll break a nail--Murphy's Law prevails.
• Last, but not least--I splurged on a private room this year.  Not only will it allow me to decompress after peopling all day, I won't embarrass myself by waking up a roommate with my snoring.

Here's to four days of learning and filling my bucket with all things library-related...and relaxing alone, in my hotel room, each evening.