Life – Page 3

Happy April

April 1, 2018

Today is a beautiful and wonderful day! Today, I am happy to be celebrating Easter and The Resurrection with my family. There is nothing better than celebrating with my family.

March was a much kinder month to me than January or February proved to be (old-man back notwithstanding). I read some really great books, starting with Every Heart a Doorway. I followed that up with Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison at the request of a student who chose it to do her senior project over. My eighth graders read Flowers for Algernon in their English classes, so I read it along with them for the first time. I can’t believe I’d missed reading it!

Next, I read the epistolary The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows. I’m not normally a fan of epistles–books narrated by letters–but I really fell in love with this book. It was a delightful read and a nice palette cleanser after Flowers for Algernon and before rushing into The Mothers by Brit Bennett.

The Magical Librarian

March 21, 2018

Last year, I was at the library–you know, just one of my casual trips I make three times a week–and I saw a sign for my library branch’s book club. I had recently “changed my membership” from one library branch to another and was excited to see my new branch was reading Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

So at 28 years old, I went to my first book club meeting, ever. And it was as magical as I’d expected. I met readers like me. Readers who consume as many books as they possibly can and want to talk about books and about bookish life. I met readers who were open-minded free thinkers who liked books to help them reassess their views of the world. I met readers who read and really, really read. It was wonderful.

That first meeting, I was afraid I’d be out of place. I didn’t know anybody there, and–while I’m very much an extrovert–I need a security blanket to help me initiate conversation. Apparently my book was my security blanket, because I had no trouble hopping right in. It was invigorating.

Happy March!

March 1, 2018

So, February came and went much faster than I anticipated. January lasted exactly seven years and thirteen days. And February lasted six minutes and forty-three seconds. I’m not sure how that happens, but I blame flat earth, aliens, chem trails, and MK Ultra.

So today starts March, and with March comes my new monthly thing. I have carefully complied and curated a playlist of the music I like to listen to while I read. I will post a new playlist every month. It’s a nice way to discover new music that you wouldn’t have listened to, before.

With March comes big things. First, I turn 30 tomorrow, which sounds equal parts ancient and immature. Like, surely by this point, I should have figured out how to get my act together. But maybe that’s a 35-year-old skill. And if you ask my students, then I’ve got 1.5 feet in the grave. I’m just waiting out my final days, now, as far as they’re concerned.

Wake Me Up When January Ends

February 1, 2018

Look, I’m just going to say it.

January was AWFUL. It was awful. It was only highs and lows. There were no middle-of-the-road, chill days. There was literally as high as possible and literally as low as possible.

I would have killed for an average day in January.

One of my friends mentioned that January 2018 felt 6 months long to him and I have to agree. I’d almost ask for a do-over, but I’m afraid January would figure out how to fix it so the highs didn’t happen. And I definitely needed the highs to counteract it all.

“Sometimes When You Dream,

January 27, 2018

you dreams come true in extraordinary ways.” -Jo March, Little Women: The Musical

This past week, I got to have the experience of a lifetime. I got to check the last item off of my bucket list.

For those of you unfamiliar with the idea of a bucket list, it’s the list of things a person hope to achieve before they die. In my own practice, my bucket list was filled with things I never thought achievable. I wanted to give myself a list of things that were just outside of the realm of possibility so that I could challenge myself to keep working and fighting and growing.

How to Go On a Date

January 3, 2018

If there’s one thing I have learned to appreciate as I’ve gotten older, it’s a good, solitary lunch. Growing up, I used to get genuine anxiety thinking about going to lunch by myself. I’d plan my meals around the schedules of others. I’d sometimes skip a meal completely just so I wouldn’t have to eat alone. These days, though, I look forward to the rare opportunity to take myself on a nice date.

There’s something wonderful about going to a restaurant with delicious food, sipping on a sweet tea, and not worrying about anybody else’s schedule. I love turning off my phone, opening a good book, and watching people interact. For me, no lunch date is complete without chips and queso.

So, as we run into 2018 and you’re living your “New Year, New Me” thing, consider taking some time to date yourself. Here’s what I suggest:

2018; New Year, New Reads

January 1, 2018

Happy New Year, readers! It’s 2018. Can you believe it’s already 2018? I swear, the older I get, the more quickly years seem to fly by. It feels like I’d barely gotten my feet on the ground in 2017 before we were ringing it out. But now we’ve got a new year, 525,600 minutes to make the most of.

For many people in my life, 2017 was a dumpster fire. For much of the world that surrounds me, 2017 seemed like utter garbage. So, readers, today I challenge you to embrace the new year and to make it newer, better, cleaner, more successful than you ever thought possible.

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