Online Grocery Ordering Win! A Poem

Ordering groceries
so far in advance is
new to my parents.
This shifted practice
is yet to become
a routine.

We plan meals
a week at a time,
trying to keep them,
Bernie,
and
Maureen,
out of stores
as
much
as
possible.

When we click our final submission,
they wonder,
"Will we get what we need?"
They're learning,
as I am too,
what we really need
to keep our fridge
and pantry stocked.

Our fingers crossed as
we drove to the store
this morning.
The car, quiet.

Upon arrival,
we dialed the number
and gave our family name.

A man, in his 20s,
pushed a cart
toward our car trunk.
We opened it.
He placed bags inside
and closed it.

We drove home,
put on gloves, and
brought the three bags inside.

Success!
Only a few items missing,
and as my dad said,
"We've got more than
enough right now."

Snail Mail Love Through Making Books

I'm an auntie. I have two nephews. One is two. The other is four. So many of us are finding new ways to connect with our loved ones. Yesterday, I received a note in the mail from my older nephew, Eddie. I decided to show him some snail mail love today by making him a book.

Why did I choose to make books?

I had the privilege to work with Matt Glover, author and consultant several times when I worked in Mumbai, India, at the American School of Bombay. Matt provides some of the best in-school professional development I've ever participated in, especially for teachers of young writers! I learned so many things from Matt, but I loved being immersed in was the importance of young writers making books. In this video, Matt recently created as a parent resource (but I think it is useful for educators too); he shares the principles of why making books is so valuable. 

My slice today is the two little books I made for my nephews. I tried to like Matt does, choose everyday topics, so they know not all books have to have big ideas, just the process of writing is what it's about!

Please note, I'm modeling approximated drawings and writing too. Be kind!

I realized I forgot to put Eddie in the first position (words don't match the text) hence the addition of the numerals.

Here's Oliver's book.

Thanks, Matt. You've made it possible for me to share my passion for writing not only with the students and teachers I support but, even more importantly, with my nephews.

Three Letters: A Poem to my Nephew

Three letters.
Scrawled in turquoise
across the white.

E M
G

The slanted lines,
straight strokes, and quick curves
reveal your affection.
My name written by your hand.

In the mail today, I received a thank you note from my nephew.
Wow, how his writing has grown.

Our New Routine: A Poem for my Father

Each day I knock on your
imaginary office door.

My knock is a pause
at the entrance to the sunroom
where I rap my knuckles on
the wooden pillar which
divides the spaces.

"Yes?" you ask from
your caramel recliner. 
You lookup from the
biography you're reading.

"What time do you wanna walk today?"

You repeat my question back to me.

"What time do you wanna go?"

Each morning I share
one or two of the
to-dos from my list
that I'd like to finish
before we depart.
Based on those,
I make my proposal.

"How about 10:30?"

"Yeah, sounds good," you agree.

For the next hour
I bake, read and write
snail mail notes to
faraway friends.

For the next hour
you read, and
solve your crossword puzzle.

At 10:25, we meet.
Each of us bundled.
Ready to brave the
temperatures and wind
knowing these walks
warm our hearts.

Dancing, Meditating and Drawing.

Dancing.

Meditating.

Drawing.

Just three of the free online courses I've joined over the last week.

I've danced and sweat a WHOLE lot, with Ryan Heffington (@ryan.heffington) in his daily IG live classes. His song choice, including yesterday's Tracy Chapman's Fast Car, has been amazing along with his fun dance party atmosphere.

I joined Tracey Stanley's 21-day Empowered Wakeup course. Today I felt grounded from watching the recorded Zoom call I missed and I'm excited to wake up tomorrow morning to meditate. When was the last time I said I was excited to set an alarm?

Finally, my mom and I signed up to take a line drawing class together through Brit.co.  We're learning to draw and then watercolor buildings. This company is offering free classes through the end of March for anyone interested.

I'm just amazed by how generous artists and teachers, and really so many people have been, with their time and expertise in the past couple of weeks.

These classes help balance out everything else in these strange times. These activities help me to move my energy and shake it out of my body. They help to ground me to feel the certainty that's hidden in the chaos. They push that creativity inside of me that's ready to bloom. One way I'm already using it is by participating in the Slice of Life Challenge, but I feel I've got more to share.

Thank you to those teachers and to you all who are giving more. Especially stopping by to read this post. Are you taking any free classes currently? Exploring your passions with some extra home time? 

I Spy A Silly Face! A Tale of a Community Window Walk

Today, in Northern Illinois, the city my parents live in the residents participated in a Community Window Walk. The first community window walk occurred on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. Participating residents placed shamrocks in their windows, and families would walk around neighborhoods looking for as many shamrocks as they could find. This event was so popular, someone, somewhere who should get credit, added other ideas, and wanted to continue the fun. 

In case you'd like to start one in your community, here's the schedule that's 
been going wild around the internet and the world!

My family didn't participate in the first walk, simply because we were unaware of it. I thought, despite today's chilly temperatures, we should join in the fun. So I printed a silly faced emoji I found on the internet and taped it into my parents' front window.

Can you find the second silly face? 
It's my mom.

This afternoon, my dad and I bundled up. Even though spring has officially begun, our temperatures have a differing opinion. This meant wearing extra layers...hats, gloves, scarves and of course the usual uniform of winter coats. We walked about three blocks and hadn't spied any silly faces in windows. Until from across the street, we spied...

Four faces were smiling back at us!

But not just one an entire house full!

Each street-facing window contained a silly face. You could observe the representation of different ages in this home—some silly faces made of scribbles, while others appeared more sophisticated. Regardless of artistic ability shown, we laughed and paused and talked about each one.

For the remainder of our walk, we searched for more. We didn't spy any other silly faces on the streets; we wandered down. I noticed that this small task that defined our walk increased my observational skills. I was observing not just windows but the colors of shutters, yard decor, and tiny stems peeking out from the cold ground.

I'm looking forward to the next walk, on March 23rd, animals.

Today Just Feels Weird

Today feels weird. I am experiencing the roller coaster of emotions that we all are, but today for feels weirder than the past few days have. 

I've tried to keep a good self-care routine this week. Each morning I meditate for about 30 minutes. Then I journal for a while afterward. It's about an hour I spend starting each day slowly and checking in with myself. Today I felt optimistic until I opened my window blind.

Northern Illinois was coated in fog. In movies and books, when there's fog, it sets a creepy atmosphere or unsettling tone. With the virus news, the fog became an emotional pull this morning. It made me feel a little bit more exposed even though we were coated in clouds.

As the day went on, my feelings of vulnerability increased...

• A trip to the allergist was my first medical encounter at an elevated level. I've had other appointments and been asked if the usual series of questions, but today I read a sign on the door that I needed to call to enter the building. 

Waiting

They explained the new procedure to me, which included waiting in my car until I was called and that one patient would be allowed to enter at a time. I was greeted at the door by the nurse, who was wearing a mask, gloves, and other protective clothing. She took my temperature. After receiving my shots, I had to return to my car to wait for the standard 20 minutes so she could check for any allergic reaction.

• On the way home, I stopped by my bank. Right now, you can only drive-thru. You must make an appointment to have any transactions that require more than can be handled from your car.

• As I picked up lunch from Panera, I accidentally touched the drive-thru employee's hand. After we brushed fingers, I noticed each of our eyes widened by the surprise touch, and then we exchanged awkwardly smiles. We each wished one another a good day, but I wondered if she felt the same way I did, a little too exposed. 

• When I checked in on friends and family today, others were feeling the weirdness too. Being a former international teacher means I have teacher friends and colleagues scattered across the world. Today one friend, who's been facilitating distance learning for his school located in Shanghai, China for the past seven weeks, was told that his school might lay off teachers in June due to low enrollment for the following school year. Another friend is stuck in Saudi Arabia as she's not allowed to leave the country for her spring break, but she's looking forward to learning more ukelele songs via YouTube. My sister, who's a high school Spanish teacher, made her first trip to Target in a week and had some anxiety before entering the store.

Maybe it was the fog. Maybe it's just the day. Maybe it's just more getting used to the changes, but with them happening daily, it can feel like a lot. Today it did. And as I write this, I feel okay, not worried, not fearful or anxious, just weird.