Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Allergies

 Spring brings joyous change. 

Walks, open windows, tennis,

Gardens and sunshine.

Sadly, my darn allergies

make me only want my bed.

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In honor of April being National Poetry Month, I will write one poem per day.

Day 1: Tercet

Day 2: Haiku

Day 3: Acrostic

Day 4: -----

Day 5: Cinquain

Day 6: Tanka

Monday, April 5, 2021

Mox

Mox

German Shepard

Docile, Protective, Goofy

Love, Insecure, Apathetic, Delightful

Puppy



_____________________________________________________________________

In honor of April being National Poetry Month, I will write one poem per day.

Day 1: Tercet

Day 2: Haiku

Day 3: Acrostic

Day 4: -----

Day 5: Cinquain

Saturday, April 3, 2021

Spring Break

Slowly coming to a close

People traveling near and far

Running errands or visiting beaches

Intermission of an unprecedented year

Naps at random 

Gorging on nourishment and Netflix.


Better set an alarm

Return is approaching fast

Evading reality

Avoiding the inevitable 

Keep on swimming, keep on swimming.


____________________________________________________________________________

In honor of April being National Poetry Month, I will write one poem per day.

Day 1: Tercet

Day 2: Haiku

Day 3: Acrostic

Friday, April 2, 2021

Authenticity

 Smile. Disguise yourself.

Authenticity welcome,

If you think like us. 


_____________________________________________________________________________________

In honor of April being National Poetry Month, I will write one poem per day.

Day 1: Tercet

Day 2: Haiku

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Laundry

Clean, fresh, folded it piles on the floor.

Reminding the kids to clean their rooms becomes daily chore.

Today, I guess, I will make my own pile no more.



In honor of April being National Poetry Month, I will write one poem per day.

Day 1: Tercet

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Posted

     Completing projects is something I have always struggled with throughout life. I am FANTASTIC at coming up with ideas and starting new projects. However, judging by the half organized book shelves, unattached hand rails on the stairs and box of paint supplies outside my son's bedroom door, I do a really bad job of following through to completion. Therefore, going into March with a goal to complete a daily Slice of Life was a very lofty goal.

     Here are some of my ups and downs during the month of March: 

  • Took one and a half sick days because of a high fever and dizziness
  • Attended six doctor's appointments
  • Wrote six IEPs and my portion of two ETRs
  • Felt physically and emotionally exhausted almost everyday after teaching from home while simultaneously parenting three kids who are learning from home
  • Listened to a TEDTalk: 30 out of 31 days
  • Swept my house 1 out of 31 days
  • Read for 30 minutes: 14 out of 31 days
  • Worked out for at least 30 minutes: 13 out 31 days
  • Watched every episode of: Casual, Shrill, Euphoria, and The Flight Attendant 
  • Listened to My Favorite Murder every Monday and Thursday
  • Shopped in-person for the first time in over a year
  • Had ZERO intrusive self-harm thoughts
  • Meditated for at least 30 minutes: 27 out of 31 days
  • Celebrated my 7th grade son making the middle school tennis team

    While this list is in no way a complete list of my March successes and failures, I share this because in the past many of the items on the list would have been detrimental to my mental health. Easily, writing every day would have been the first thing to slowly disappear from my daily routine. 
    
    Today, I celebrate the fact that I wrote EVERY DAY during the month of March. This is something I have never accomplished before. To be honest, something I never thought I would be able to accomplish. I have enjoyed pushing myself to be vulnerable, find humor throughout life moments and reflect on my daily experiences. Reading other writer's Slices of Life have inspired me to try new writing styles and discover new perspectives on living. Being a part of this community of writers has been one of the best things in the my life over the last year. I look forward to continuing my writing streak in the form of poetry throughout April. 



Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Car Love

     In order to avoid taking time off work for doctor's appointments, I try to schedule as many as possible over my breaks. Currently, I am on Spring Break, so instead of sleeping in I woke up early for a morning appointment. I have never been to this specific office, and it's about 25 miles away.  I wanted to make sure I left early enough in case I took a wrong turn or traffic was bad. 

    Let me back up and share that I bought a new Volkswagen Atlas last summer. However, I haven't really had a chance to drive my new ride. Even in a pre-Covid world, I hardly ever drive. I live directly across the street from where I teach, so my commute involves walking. Prior to the Atlas, I drove a van for six years and when I traded it in, it only had 42,000 miles on it (thanks to drives from Ohio to Florida). We even joked that I should just buy a golf cart instead of an SUV. 

    While on my drive to my appointment this morning, it occurred to me how much I love driving the Atlas. I've never loved driving a car before. I've enjoyed the convenience (side note: why is convenience so hard for me to remember how to spell?) of previous vehicles, but nothing has ever stood out about the feel of driving one. This morning I could feel the wheels on the pavement as I zipped down the freeway. I really noticed the true feel of driving the Atlas when on exit ramps. It handles turns with such ease. I used to laugh when I would hear people say that about their car, but I completely understand how that statement now feels. 

    I arrived at my appointment with plenty of time to spare. I put on my mask and happily headed up the elevator to meet my new spine doctor. 

    "I'm sorry ma'am. Your appointment was rescheduled for next Tuesday at 9am. Didn't someone call you to let you know?" the receptionist hesitantly asked.

    "Ummm...nope," I semi-kindly replied while being thankful the innocent receptionist couldn't see all of my facial expressions behind my mask. 

    While I left very disappointed that I wasn't able to get neck injections this morning, I was happy that at least I enjoy driving my car. 

Allergies

 Spring brings joyous change.  Walks, open windows, tennis, Gardens and sunshine. Sadly, my darn allergies make me only want my bed. _______...