🎜Summer Break is Here🎝

This is my second summer break without my children at home. Yesterday evening I had some weird feelings. Thankfully, I am house sitting and could talk to Mork about what I was feeling. Mork was willing to listen to my debrief without judgement. That is one of the reason I like my house sitting gigs; pet therapy without the vet bills.  

I don't have before and after pictures for me, but Jennifer Aniston has the general idea here.  

This picture popped up in my Facebook from 7 years ago when I graduated.

I was 52 with three daughters in college, one graduated High School that year

and my son was just 16.

Me the last day of school after our Basketball game between staff and students.

It was just for fun. The wind was wiping around and I was a little sweaty.

I had barrows a Referee shirt, because I didn't know anything about refereeing

basketball (Seriously or not serious, I decided to play the part). 

Reset (Time Out)

Now it is time to set my goals for the summer. I have this stack of books.

Water, books, journal and darn good yarn projects

First: Drink enough water this summer. Educators do not get enough "room of convenience~breaks"

Second: I need to get working on my Darn Good Yarn project.This is my "cause box" that I get once a month. There is a video on the website that explains their great service to woman in India. I am now a few month behind and a new box is on it's way to my mailbox.

Third: Book Launch The Middle Matters. This book by Lisa Jo Baker is not releasing to the public until late July, but can be pre-ordered through Amazon. The more pre-orders the lower the price will be on shipping day, July 23rd.

Fourth: My Journal from Nepal

My friends visited Nepal for three weeks. They only take carry-on luggage that they will pack for two weeks trekking. So, I was overwhelmed with this beautiful gift that they carried from the peaks of Nepal. The book is handmade with paper and dye from a special tree that only grows high in the mountains. My thoughts through the summer will fill these pages.

Fifth: Two books that my coworkers are reading this summer. The first is Feel Better Fast by Daniel G Amen.MD and Think,Learn,Succeed Workbook "It takes about 21 days to rewire neural pathways and begin a new way of thinking about your life." (page 9) Both of these book are about changing mindset. I am open to forming a Book Club with colleagues for any of my summer books.

Change is a Choice

I know most people with a phone have a game or two on their phone. My game is BOLD MOVES a match three game. When you get the puzzle done, you get a quote. I've been playing for 466 days straight and I am on level: 252. The level I completed last had this quote: 

I was curious what the complete statement that Sophia was being quoted was...

"We are so afraid to end relationships, to outgrow people or places—and that's just growth. To me, choosing to go toward the cracking in order to keep expanding is the only way. The only way to get out of pain is through it. Pain is information." ~ Sophia Bush

I have never thought that falling through the crack was a good thing. When ever "something falls through the cracks" in education that means that someone is missing out. But then I thought of an old movie where the gold dust fell through the flooring of a room and the people who went under the building were able to collect a lot of money. Maybe there are good cracks and bad cracks in life. I do chose to change my thinking for the better. I do chose to move toward a better understanding of my profession and improve my people skills. I have had the unpleasant experience lately of seeing where my largest flaws are in people skills and I chose to make changes that will help me deal with those flaws better in the future. 

The past couple of decades there have been a lot of books written on the power of positive thinking, but a good heart has to be the key. I have been told that I have a good heart. However, I am thinking that is not enough. 

My thought for the summer comes from an article in Psychology Today ~  

      Real life consequences can be ugly and disturbing and

   if we hide from them then we never stand a chance of learning from them.

I want to be like one of my mentors this year who people said, "She had the moral 

compass that followed True North." 

Enough for today. My brain is already hurting, or it was the three hours and three glasses of water while I formulated this blog.

Thank you for reading all the way through my twisting thoughts today. I pray you have an amazing Summer Break and time to Reset too.