Skip to main content

Meandering Days of Summer

Each week on Saturday 
bloggers celebrate at Ruth Ayres Writes
Won't you join us? 

Today I celebrate meandering days. I celebrate the freedom to schedule my time however I like. Summer is a time of projects and planning and catching up. It's also a time of relaxing and enjoying and meandering. Yesterday, I finished one book and started another. I worked on some projects for the English Department. I played with Bella, did laundry, met a friend for dinner, went for a walk...I meandered.
Bella enjoying a summer morning...

I love that word...meander. It's like there's a long, winding path in front of me that I follow, stopping whenever I like...in no hurry to arrive at my destination. That's how I see summer. There are things to be done, but my focus isn't finish, finish, finish...it's enjoy the journey. 

I mentioned the English Department...I celebrate the amazing leadership the English Department in my county. Dr. Michele Schmidt-Moore drives the department. She's creative and hard working, reflective and thoughtful. Working with her challenges me in amazing ways that make me better. Her generosity inspires me and her knowledge motivates me to always keep learning. 

Next week, I'm part of a group presenting four days of curriculum work for middle school English teachers. Now, if you're like me you may hear that and cringe. I'm not a fan of curriculum work normally, but Michele came up with a creative way for these four days to work. I'm so excited about it. (Stop by next week and I'll post about it!)

I celebrate blogging and my PLN. My presentation at ActivLoudoun was called What Does the Blog Say? I spoke about blogging as a teacher, as a reflective practice. I shared my experiences blogging here and at Two Writing Teachers. While talking about it, I celebrated each of you reading this today...my PLN. You support. You encourage. You guide. You help. I'm grateful for this community...more than you may know. Today I celebrate YOU!

Comments

  1. What a great celebration. Meander is a wonderful word. I hope your summer is full of time for meandering and enjoying the journey.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It was so good to read this celebration. It made me smile.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Michelle, you make blogging look effortless (which I know it isn't) and joyful (which from your posts, I know it is!) I totally agree with your thoughts about Michele! She is a wonderful leader and I'm looking forward to being a camper next week!

    PS Look for my first summer blog post later today :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for your sweet words, Michelle. Sounds like a beautiful beginning to the summer. Happy meandering...

    ReplyDelete
  5. MIchelle,
    Such a wonderful mix of what you love. I could feel the green path you were meandering on, the passion you are going to bring to your colleagues and the gratefulness you always show in your posts. I'm looking forward to what you will post next week. Thanks for sharing this today and happy weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Michelle, you gave the word "meander" a brand new meaning! I will forever look at that word and think of summer days filled with relaxing or doing anything and everything that brings me joy. I believe that I will meander next week as well!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing that word meander. I love that summer gives us more flexibility for meandering. Like Jaana, I believe you have made a strong connection for me with that word and my summer days.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is so much fun to just putter!
    EnJOY!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love meandering! I think I will finally hit the meandering mode this week - so ready for slow-it-down time! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I know just what you mean about meandering in the summer. It's amazing that having time to cook dinner and do the laundry can make us happy. Your post is filled with joy. I found myself smiling as I read through it. Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  11. A perfect launch into summer post. Thank you for sharing all of your thinking and celebrations.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please share your thoughts. I love comments!

Popular posts from this blog

Here I Am

I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. I've been thinking for the past couple of days about this post...but I can't think of anything to write. Frozen in my failure, I want to quit, but I push through and show up here...even though it seems pointless. Who wants to read a blog post about nothing?  I begin to panic a bit...Have I "lost it"? My passion for blogging? My ability to blog? Why can't I think of something clever? What do I have to say that anyone will want to read? (By the way, I'd have all of these answers if it was you asking the questions!) Should I quit? Give up? Accept defeat? NO.  Instead, I show up.  Instead, I remember the words I said yesterday to my seventh-graders,  "Show up. It gets easier." Instead, I write and show grace to myself. Instead, I remember that blogging is a muscle that I haven't stretched in a while and I need to warm up, I need to take some deep breaths. Here I am. Showing up to the page. I'...

Someday...

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers . Do you have dreams? Kids are good at dreaming. I find many adults struggle with it. Speaking for myself, I get so caught up in the everyday drudgery of life, that dreams get nudged aside until they disappear.  It's important to have dreams. I've been writing about my dreams in my notebook and so I thought I'd share my dreams here... 1. Writing a book.  While I'd love to get a book published, my dream is to write a book...to complete the act of writing it.  I've started on this dream and it's hard and challenging and exciting and amazing.  2. Living at the beach.    I love the water, the waves, the ocean smell, the seafood, the sand...all of it! The Outer Banks is my favorite place in the...

Chasing My Dream

I'm doing it. I'm chasing my dream. I've always wanted to run writing retreats and workshops for people, but I've always been too scared to do anything about it...until now. I don't know what's changed...maybe I've changed. I'm not allowing the fear to stop me anymore. I've started Selah Writing Retreats.  The past couple of weeks I've been getting the business end in order. I thought I would hate that...I don't. It's scary, but I am surprising myself with how efficient I am. Yesterday I went to a bank to set up a bank account. The woman I met with was kind and helpful and so enthusiastic about my dream. My website is set up. I've done lots of work on it. I hope you stop by and let me know what you think. It's  selahwritingretreats.com . Balancing creative with business has been challenging but fun. Creating the website, getting a federal tax id, making business cards, planning dates... My favorite voxer group is called Butt Ki...