The Sunrise Story

Today, I did something that can be a teeny bit scary. The whole time I kept telling myself, it's all good. It's all going to work out.  Guess what? It did!

Spring break started and blogging fell away.  It was not an intentional stop at all. The change in routine means it totally slipped from my mind.  While I believe in the power of showing up, I believe MORE in coming back after a slip or a failure. To me, the number of days doing something is important, but what's more impressive is the returning after a some time away.  I've never been one for streaks...I'm more the person who will do the best I can for as long as I can and I'll come back if I forget or miss a day.  So, I'm back...blogging again...showing up after some unintentionally missed days. Proud of myself for coming back and not giving up entirely. 

I am a homebody. I love my space. It's cozy and happy.  It's safe and comfortable. Comfortable. Comfortable. Yes, it's my comfort zone. I need to leap into my UN-comfort zone more often. That's where change and growth happens...in the spaces where one feels uncomfortable.  I am doing that. A LOT. I am working at a job that's completely new to me, so I've spent lots of time in my UNcomfort zone this year. Once the ice is broken, it feels a bit familiar to feel off kilter. I have joined a gym (I CAN NOT BELIEVE I SAID THOSE WORDS.)  and I'm going 3-4 times a week. And now, I'm planning a trip to a place I've always wanted to visit.  Bella (my dog) and I are taking a road trip to a new place. I am nervous and really, really excited. Today I purchased a ticket to for an adventure while on that trip. Details to follow, once we're back home. Sometimes in life, you just have to jump and figure out how to land on the way down. Here I go....

 Sigh...daily means every single day. It's later than I usually write. I'm tired. Out of ideas...but I said I'd write a blog post every single day. What do I do?  Skip the day? Then I've missed a day of my DAILY blogging or do I just get anything down on the page. I'd rather write something meaningful than just dump anything down and count it.  Extra posts! That's the ticket. I need to have a couple of drafts with finished posts so I'm ready in case this happens again.  Until then, I just finished my daily blog post.  Thank you for reading!

happy grateful loved proud exhausted dread concern frustration confusion clarity inspired productive collaborative relieved hard working frustrated shocked peaceful satisfied seen heard understood delighted unhinged silly like I belong.

 I joined OrangeTheory in January of this year. Here's what you need to know...I HATE GYMS! I have never, ever had a good experience in a gym. My friend, Beth, encouraged me to join her, so I finally gave in.  Almost 30 classes later, I am hooked! I love the coaches guide me through the hour. They are tough and encouraging and so much fun! The whole energy at the studio is entirely encouraging! People cheering each other on...it's exactly what a gym should be.  On January 22nd we had a benchmark. I am a power walker, so it was half a mile for me. I walked at a small incline and it took me 8:38. Almost two months later, I kept the same incline and cut my time by 38 seconds!  This accomplishment is one I am SO proud of!!!

Vogue creates videos asking celebrities 73 questions in one shot. Here are my answers today... 1. Favorite time of day? Early morning before the world wakes up. I adore the quiet peaceful feeling I get at that time of day.  2. Biggest weakness? I hate to admit this, but sometimes I feel like I give up too easily on myself.  3. Biggest strength? My empathy. 4. Biggest learning experience? Calling off my wedding two weeks before and moving almost 500 miles away from most everyone I knew and starting over.  5. What makes you angry? Meanness! 6. A vice you wish you could give up? I did give up Diet Coke which was my biggest vice. Now? Maybe reality television- but is that really a vice?  7. What are you most excited about these days? Writing and notebooking! 8. Best compliment you’ve ever received? I love when someone thinks I’m funny! 9. When are you most inspired? After I talk with my friends. 10. Sweet or savory? Sweet. 11. Something that makes you smile? Angel num...

I live in perpetual decision fatigue . The more decisions I make, the less I wonder or wander. I feel less creative. OK, that may be a slight exaggeration but there is some truth to it. When I approach my creative endeavors, I struggle with making decisions and I flounder in an ocean of questions, like: Which path do I take? Which project do I start with? Which font do I use? What colors go together? What's next?  When should I start?  What if...? This is where things start to go downhill. The "What if...?" questions signal to me that Fear has entered the room.    Today, I just push through. I remind Fear that I'm in charge and I politely ask it to leave me alone now.  When that doesn't work, I write. Writing about the creative process helps me work through it...which is what this post is.

Words matter. Your words matter. Your tone matters too. I can think back all the way to fifth grade and I can still remember the words of the classmates that called me names and laughed at me. That was over forty years ago. I was thinking about that today.  How do I want to be remembered? How do I want to treat people? I never, ever want to be the face or the voice of mean ugliness for someone else. I want people to remember that I showed up and I showed up with respect and kindness.  Use your words wisely...with every single person who crosses your path. Lead with respect and kindness and love. 

I am a creature of habit. I love creating routines and rituals for my days that help me celebrate the ordinary and make it whimsical and lovely. Because of that, I don't stray beyond my habits much.  Today, I did. I decided to do something unexpected. With the encouragement of a good friend, I took a leap and moved forward. Taking an unexpected route means there's new scenery to see and new perspectives to learn. It can be a little scary but it's mostly exciting! Today, RIGHT NOW, do something just for you. Do something out of your ordinary. You won't regret it!

My morning routine includes writing in my notebook. Some days it's only a line or two and other days it's a to do list. I write to clear my head. I write to set an intention for the day. Notebooking is how I untangle the world around me.  I've been using my notebooks to make sense of life for most of my life. My first real notebook goes back to my year in the fourth grade. Today, I'm writing in my 100th notebook.  Notebooking has helped me through some of the hardest times in my life and it's witnessed the joys and successes too. I feel so grateful for all of my notebooks.  Everyone has time to do this. It helps, more than you even realize. If you aren't notebooking...maybe this is your sign to start!

  For the past six (or maybe seven) years, I've been writing and sharing a daily message. It started as a way to communicate with my students in my classroom. We rarely discussed it, but every single day, a new message was waiting for you- on the board.  This year, I am not a classroom teacher for the first time in almost thirty years. Being an instructional coach is such a hugely different job and I wasn't sure where these messages would fit.  My office is by a door where many people enter the building each day. I usually get the message written before many arrive.  These messages have allowed me to share my thoughts and ideas and the feedback has been wonderful! Lots of adults stop and read in the morning. Others come and check it out during the day, while some read the words on social media.  This is me...using my words for good, not for evil!

Good morning from Bella! Here I am...blogging again today. I'm not sure what to say, but I AM sure that I needed to show up. I'm reminded of Seth Godin. He's blogged daily for more than a decade. Here's what he says about his practice and why he feels like it's a valuable use of his time:  “I’m encouraging each one of you to have (a blog). Not to have a blog to make money, because you probably won’t. Not to have a blog, because you’ll have millions and millions of readers, because you probably won’t. But to have a blog because of the discipline it gives you, to know that you’re going to write something tomorrow. Something that might not be read by many people — it doesn’t matter — it will be read by you. If you can build that up, you will begin to think more clearly. You will make predictions. You will make assertions. You will make connections. And there they will be, in type, for you to look at a month or a year later. This practice of sharing your ideas to people...

I just arrived home from a surprise trip to Massachusetts. I drove north to surprise my niece and nephew for Halloween...and I did!  On my second day there, my niece grabbed a notebook she had from a year ago. She asked me to work in our notebooks together. I told her that I was her age when my mother gave me my first notebook. She said she wanted to use notebooks too- just like me- except she wants to draw in her notebooks. I told her that she's the boss of her own notebooks, and that sounded like a great idea to me! We spent time each day doodling and writing in our pages.  She showed me some of her drawing tricks and I showed her some of the things that I wrote. It was heaven.  Saying goodbye is always hard, so a tradition I started when they were young is I leave them a goodbye note. My nephew always reminds me that he has a collection of all of my notes. I usually leave in the morning before anyone wakes up, so it gives them one more surprise.  ...

Today is the final day of #TeachWritetober19! I set some goals and more often than not, I met my goals. I leave this month having written and post thirty blog posts. I finished and started a notebook and I revised more than half of my book. That's not bad for thirty-one days of work. I leave this month feeling proud of myself. I did it! I focus on what I achieved and how I can keep this habit going!

Yesterday I cleared out all of my email accounts. Answered emails. Organized emails. And then, the best...delete, delete, delete! I sent from over four hundred emails in my three accounts to twenty-nine. What is is about organizing an email account that feels so good? It's like an empty sink and all the dishes have been washed or a freshly vacuumed floor. It's like laundry folded and put away.  And now I feel old...I just wrote a blog post celebrating an organized email inbox. Well, whatever brings you joy, right?!?!

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday...even as a kid. A few weeks ago, I was Facetiming with my niece, Jillian, and she was telling me all about her costume. She even asked me to come trick-or-treating with her. The problem with that is we live 400 miles apart. After I hung up I thought, "I could go trick-or-treating with her..." It's a surprise. I'll be driving up on Halloween to surprise her. I can't wait! Now for my costume...we Facetimed again and she suggested what I should wear on Halloween for trick-or-treating with my friends. She said that I should dress up as HER. My dark curls are the opposite of her blond tendrils, so I solved it.  For the first time ever, I am looking forward to Halloween! 

Listen for  the love Ignore all  the hate- Listen for the kindness Ignore all  the malice- Listen for the laughter Ignore all the yelling- Listen for the honesty Ignore all  the liars- It's not easy Nothing worthy ever is... It's what I'm trying to do today- Ignore the  phonies and  Listen  for the     love,  laughter, authenticity, friendship,  and the truth. I'm feeling a bit down today...struggling with some relationships in my life. As always, writing to the rescue. Poetry to the rescue! I needed these words and I'm sharing them because maybe someone else needs them too...

A few years ago, I began sorting through my notebooks- all of my notebooks. I decided that I wanted to count them. That seems easy enough, right? Until another notebook pops up in a different spot and I've already numbered beyond that. I will usually tack it on to the end and keep going. Today I started a new notebook.  The last notebook that I wrote in was number eighty, so you'd think the next notebook would be eighty-one, but NO. I found a notebook that I hadn't counted.  Number 80 Number 81 So, my new notebook is number eighty-two. I still include -ish because there may be another notebook hanging around waiting to be counted...until then, I will happily write in my new notebook.