Category: reflection
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The Peril of a House Divided
“A House Divided.” This phrase has resonated throughout history since its origin in the gospels. Most Americans associate the phrase with Abraham Lincoln who famously used it to describe the disastrous state of the United States during the Civil War. Recently this phrase and its implications became startlingly clear in my own work life. The…
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A 2017 Retrospective
As I reflect on 2017 and reread my three, yes three, goal posts from the beginning of that year, I am struck by how appropriate my theme for 2018 really is. If I had applied that theme to my actions in 2017, I believe that I would have had greater success. For this post, I…
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2018: The Deep Dive
With the start of the new year comes a preponderance of resolutions, anti-resolutions, intentions and every shade in between. I have found myself in many of those camps. I have made specific resolutions. I have made goals, goals upon goals. Last year, I set up some intentions which I will revisit in next week’s post.…
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Simple Living Aspirations
Anyone who knows me, knows that I rarely sit and do one thing at a time. While I read, I walk around. While I watch TV, I cross stitch. While I work on school-related things, I listen to podcasts. My grandma once asked me if my hands were ever still. Nope. As I mentioned before,…
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Feeling Left Behind
As the oldest grandchild on both sides of my family, I accomplished a lot of firsts for the new generation. I was the first born, obviously, the first to go to school, the first the graduate from high school and then college. As I entered adulthood these firsts slowed until they now have trickled into…
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Prone to Procrastination
Recently I noticed a proclivity for procrastination and negativity creep into my daily routine. If only “recently” meant the last week or two. Weeks past, I opened the door just a crack or maybe I just forgot to close it all the way. Like a persistent weed, this proclivity took root. Half-hearted attempts to change…
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Connotation versus Denotation
As an English teacher and an author, words are my area of expertise, my happy place. My love for words goes way back. I often revel in the rich texture and complexity of words, the layers of connotation added by culture and personal experience. Recently, I once again delved into discussions of connotation and denotation…
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Words Have Power
The night before the first day of school I had my second brilliant eureka moment concerning this school year. The idea turned into a monologue that set the stage for what will no doubt be my best school year yet. During our last teacher workday my principal held up a handful of pencils and told…
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When Reality Intrudes – Homelessness
Every time I travel to San Francisco for the marathon, I encounter homelessness on a scale that I have not encountered any where else in my travels. Obviously, San Francisco is not the only city in the United States with a significant homeless population or even the city with the highest population. However, I see…
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Loss Examined
On Sunday, July 9th, my grandmother passed away unexpectedly. According to the doctors, she suffered a silent heart attack the day before. Her body simply could not recover. Obviously, I am not the first person to write on the subject of loss, nor will I share any unique or profound insights. However, I feel compelled…