Home / Archive by category "regulars" (Page 5)

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up: A Teacher Looking Back… and Forward

standard
| by | personal

If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up…

at 8-10 years old, I would unravel huge dreams. First, I’d be an astronaut. That’d take some time, but by about 30, I’d be a lawyer, because it’s a really good idea to be a lawyer if you want to be president, and I did. “I’m gonna be the youngest president and the first female.” Don’t ask me how I knew at 8 that the president has to be 35 and that many of them were lawyers.

at 14-18 years old, lots of futures crossed my mind. At one point, I wanted to teach English literature in Germany so that I could live there. For several years, I was going to get my PhD and my MD so I could be a research virologist and discover cures for viral diseases. Later, I decided that one doctorate was more than enough, and I would go to med school so I could have a career where I got to marvel at the intricate wonders of the human body. I even applied to UMKC, Dad’s alma material.

at 18-23, I wanted to teach English and develop my web design skills. Then, Dr. Mark Trevor Smith and Dr. Biava introduced me to the field of linguistics. Noam Chomsky. Descriptive and prescriptive grammar. First and second language acquisition. Dialects, idiolects, regional variations. Language isolates… I could go on and on with the ideas that excited my mind.

by 23, I had started grad school and teaching, and, being quite averse to public speaking, I was all nerves the first day. But something clicked, and I felt right standing up there on the other side of the desk, armed with a plan and expectations.

by 25, I had secured a teaching job in a German university. I would teach English language classes for two years, and have the time of my life while doing it. It was hard, don’t get me wrong, but I learned so much while I was there, from my students, from my colleagues, from my in-laws, from grocery shopping and traveling.

at 28, I hated teaching. I had an awful semester. It wasn’t only the classroom that was bad during that time, but it was easiest to blame. At lunch with a friend, one of those who is blunt and honest and sees you for who you really are, I was told that I obviously hated teaching and I needed to get out, that it was okay. But what else could I do?

by almost 29, I wanted to be a social media virtual assistant, or an online community manager. I had gotten out of my rotten funk about teaching and re-discovered the joys it offers, too.

Now I’m almost 30 and I am trying to work out the future I want and the future Rob and I want and what is best for that, so that I can make it happen. Do I go for any old job, but get security and consistency? Or do I pursue a career with flexibility and frequent developments and new technology, that is still in its infancy, really; one that will satisfy me in other ways than an 8-to-5 would?

Who knows.

Let the Steam Escape: Tending the Stove of Creativity

standard
| by | inspiration, reviews

Do you have an item that seemed just an okay gift when you received it, but once you started using it, you realized it was a game-changer? For me, that item is a book called Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach.

I developed a close relationship with my senior high counselor, Jodie Miller, because Beth and I spent hours in her office talking colleges, scholarships, applications, and life. After my parents’ marriage ended the day before my senior prom, I spent even more hours in her office talking through that. She became a very special woman in my life, and as a graduation gift of sorts, she presented me with a copy of Simple Abundance. I loved it then, because I liked the meaning of the gift and the philosophy of the book. But I wasn’t really ready for it until this year.

Simple Abundance is a daily devotional, at least that is the best category for it, I believe. Each month has a theme–simplicity, gratitude, order–and each day, you explore different aspects of that theme. Over the course of a year, the book will, I presume (as I have not yet stuck with it for 365 days) guide you through a transformation if you let it, a transformation that orients you to nurturing your Authentic Self.

As part of my FlyLady before-bed routine, I read Simple Abundance, a book that has collected dust on my nightstand for many well-intentioned years. FlyLady and Simple Abundance are strikingly similar, even though Simple Abundance isn’t focused on de-cluttering your home. Both are all about Finally Loving Yourself, about creating margins in your life during which time you can be your Self. They encourage you to put first things first, to finally realized that you deserve to be surrounded by comfortable cleanliness, by lovely treasures, by nurturing practices.

I just had to write about Simple Abundance today because yesterday’s reading confirmed my feelings about Coffee, Crafties, & Besties, that crocheting, writing, even cooking, all allow for necessary self expression so that you don’t explode from the stress of bottling it up. Here’s the quote from American expressionist painter Lilla Cabot Perry that inspired this post.

Lilla admitted her passion for self-expression reminded her of a “cooking stove which has too much coal in it and it has to have one of the holes open to keep it from becoming red-hot. It did not matter if it was the poetry hole or the painting hole, but the lid had to come off.

I love writing poetry, but it’s a form of self-expression that requires a certain frame of mind that I cannot force, and I haven’t been in that frame of mind for a while. Instead, I seem to be in the middle of a crafting, writing (of the blogging and journaling sort) cycle right now. I have been dumping on myself for not working on my poems, but I realized that it’s okay, as long as I am expressing myself.

What hole have you opened in your creativity stove right now? Or is your stove tightly closed because you are “too busy”? All parts of You are dependant on and affected by the others, so make time. Relieve that stress.

Tuesdays with Linden’s Favorite Links | 23-Aug-2011

standard
| by | health, Tuesdays with Linden's Favorite Links

I’m beginning a new leg on my fitness journey, so today I’m going to share several pages and resources which help or inspire me, starting with Pamela’s post on Thrive Personal Fitness which explains this new direction I’m taking.

  • The Great Fitness Blogging Experiment: Pamela’s introduction to our partnership (mine is coming soon!)
  • Why You Should Keep a Food Diary: One of the first tasks Pamela gave me was to write down everything I ate. No calorie counting, just an honest record of what goes into my body. Here are some reasons why.
  • HalHigdon.com: This is where I get my training programs, even though sometimes I use it for inspiration to craft a training plan that takes into consideration my current time availability and current running level
  • Ozark Greenways: Are you running in Springfield? This website shows you all of the great places to run in Springfield, with marked paths, good parking, and even some restrooms.

Healthy Obsessions: Coffee, Crafties, & Besties

standard
| by | Healthy Obsessions

image

It just sort of happened. Sarah, her best friend since 3rd grade Jenny, and I met a couple Monday nights in a row at a local coffee shop, each bringing our current craft projects. Before we realized it even, we had a standing date.

Now, some Monday nights have prior commitments, like SgfBlogs.com on the second Monday each month, but anytime we don’t have something like that, it’s Coffee, Crafties, & Besties Night.

Sarah has been working on a small-block scrapghan, and finished the blocks tonight.

Jenny does embroidery–tea towels or baby onsies–and this evening she had formed a little tea pot in her embroidery ring.

I’ve been working on a gift scarf and, my piece de resistance, a large, cozy afghan all for me.

In a couple hours a week, we leave work and family and stress and enter a place that is relaxed and stimulating, engaging our creative selves, indulging in a craft that we don’t get to splurge on at any other time during our week.

In a couple hours a week, I have found a mini-vacation that leaves me refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the week.

Our conversation follows no pattern, no rules. We natter, we discuss, we explain, we tell stories, all while our hands and minds are relishing in a favorite craft. It’s almost divine.

What do you do to disconnect from your stresses and replenish your soul each week? Or… what do you dream about having the time to do? If you’re in the second category, don’t ignore yourself any more; make time for YOU this week, perhaps with dear friend. Tell us about it in the comments.

Soulcaring: No More Working Lunches

standard
| by | inspiration

image

An omelet with sautéed onions, a handful of real bacon bits, and cheese. My favorite coffee in my cute owly mug. A NOOK book in front of me, but no cell phone. Birds twittering or cicadas chirping. Wind gently swaying the trees. And, oh, the fresh air!

One of the most soulcaring activities of mine is enjoying a book on the deck with a meal–breakfast, lunch, or dinner–and I’ve been making it a priority lately.

Working from home is ideal for many reasons, but it presents its own set of challenges too. In the past, I’d grab my meal and head back to my office, a working lunch, if you will. I’d “work” all the time, but suffer from lack of focus and burn out, all while accomplishing less than I believed I should have in the amount of time I put in.

But the combined influences of FlyLady and Simple Abundance have made me respond to the impulse to slow down and eat outside. Even if it’s only for 15 minutes, this ritual refreshes me almost as much as the food energizes me. I tend to choose food that makes me feel good about eating too. Why indulge my authentic self while trashing my body? That doesn’t make any sense.

Sometimes, I do allow myself to take some reading-intensive work outside for these stress-relieving meals, and you know what? I focus better and have higher productivity from the change of scenery and digital disconnectedness–no more phone chiming incessantly or email/Facebook notifications breaking my concentration.

How can you build peace into your life? How are you already loving yourself enough to pamper yourself daily?

Healthy Obsessions: FlyLady

standard
| by | inspiration

Sarah introduced me to FlyLady back in June, and I took a while to warm up to the (admittedly awful) webpage, but when I did, all I found was solid content.

I’ve learned in some marketing workshops that features don’t sell but benefits do, so I am going to give you some FlyLady benefits.

You can declutter your house in 15-minute chunks. Are you like me and, for whatever reason, never learned to keep house? FlyLady will teach you, and she’ll do it lovingly, practically, and fun-spirited.
Busy busy busy? Aren’t we all. You can find 15 minutes to declutter each day. Your spirit and your family’s spirit need you to.

Feel overwhelmed about the clutter? FlyLady turns that feeling into hope.
You will find out just how much you can really accomplish in 15 minutes and slay the engorging excuses that challenge you and create the ironing pile that’s seen three seasons or the rooms you haven’t really looked in in years. Me, I found out that what I was sure would take me all night–the ironing I’ve been neglecting since Christmas–really only takes about 20 minutes total. Easy peasy.

And the best benefit by far??

A shiny sink; clear, clutter-free surfaces; and the huge weight of clutter and chaos lifted off your soul. Well, what are you waiting for?! FlyLady.net

5 Reasons To Get A Vizsla

standard
| by | pets

Back in February, we decided it was time: we were ready to make the leap from cat owners to dog owners, and Sarah O., a dear friend from way back in elementary school helped us choose the breed. We found new homes for Naveed and Stella, found a breeder, and paid our deposit. We became the proud alphas to one adorable Vizsla puppy in early April, and I’ve (mostly) never looked back. Here’s why.

  • No undercoat. Don’t like shedding or that “doggie smell”? Then you’re on the right track.
  • “Demonstrably affectionate” is in the Vizsla AKC description. If you want a dog that keeps her distance, this is not the breed for you. Rowdy, our pup, loves to be with us all the time. She’s cuddly and gives lots of what I call puppylovins, but what is technically face and ear and hair and chin and whatever-she-can-lick licks.
  • Independent and intelligent. Rowdy was sitting on command after three days. She “gets” obedience behaviors (aka tricks) quickly. Without consciously training her, she has learned “go inside,” “go outside,” and “drink some water.”
  • Generally healthy. Vizzies can get hip dysplasia, but it’s rare and something you reasonably plan to avoid by choosing a breeder who can show you the OFA records for the pup’s pedigree. That’s about it. Long life and a great chance for fewer vet bills? Yes, please!
  • Athletic. Fight the fat by going on the Vizsla training plan. As we were told before we even adopted Rowdy, a happy Vizsla is a tired Vizsla. She generally requires two long walks a day to keep and even keel, but even then, she’s energetic. We liked the breed because we wanted a running dog, and even though our vet has advised us to wait to run with her until she’s full grown to prevent joint problems, we are much more active than our pre-dog days.

    • These are just a few of the factors that made us choose the Hungarian Vizsla, a hunter, pointer, retriever, and lethal licker. What made you choose YOUR dogs breed?

Specific Needs in Joplin — May 28, 2011

standard
| by | personal

Short background: I grew up in Neosho, which is about 15 minutes south of Joplin, Missouri. Neosho is a small town, so we teenagers spent a lot of time in Joplin. Now, 11 years after graduation, many of my friends live in Jopin, and my mom does too. I can’t tell you how greatful I am that everyone I know is safe and well, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to help however I can.

Today, I helped a high school friend, Mac, find some work for him and some other ex-Army buddies who are traveling to Joplin from Tennessee. Jacque connected me to Joplin Family Worship Center, who is sending out teams to work through the rubble. While on the phone with Cindy, we talked about need the JFWC has, and I want to help get some of those items from the Springfield area to Joplin.

The especially need items that you don’t want to wear used:

  • bras
  • socks
  • underwear
  • boxers

They also need work items:

  • men’s work boots
  • work gloves
  • duct tape
  • tarps
  • chainsaw bar oil

For their meal ministry—they’re serving food from 9 AM until 8 PM—they need these items:

  • peanut butter and jelly
  • macaroni and cheese
  • cereal

Find the entire list—updated daily—at JFWC.org

So if your office or church wants to help, collect the following items, contact me by commenting, sending me a Facebook message, or calling/texting me at 417.597.3045. I will deliver the items to JFWC next week, either Thursday or Friday—or sooner—depending on how quickly we fill up my car. (Yes, that’s a challenge!)