When I begin to think about the new year, words start finding me. This year I spent January trying on each word as it came to mind, sometimes for two or three days. The word for the year has to sit with me for a bit in a variety of circumstances. Once I commit, the word is with me for the whole year.
As 2020 started I knew I was teaching for the month of January. I planned to catch up with myself in February. The grandkids near Boston were on the calendar for the first full weekend in March. Then I was going to see what teaching gigs were open for the last few months of the school year.
The word that kept coming to mind didn't seem like my kind of word at first, but I've learned to let words float and show me what they have to offer. I imagine the word rotating in space so I can see it from every angle and consider how many different ways it might fit in my life. I got comfortable with this particular word, mostly because it opened up many possibilities by virtue of the open ended nature of the word itself.
As the weeks passed and life drastically changed due to the pandemic, this word was true to itself. It offered possibilities I wouldn't have considered in ordinary times, ways to look at life if I took the word to heart.
My word for 2020 is create. When it first showed up I thought it had to do with sewing and baking and making meals, all things I intended to get more inventive with and challenge myself to stretch. Ken and I planned road trips to places familiar and new. We had projects lined up to do with all the kids and ideas for how to entertain grandkids.
Then the word "isolation" became part of my vocabulary. Since March 9 I have left the house only for groceries, gas, and to transport my granddaughter who lives locally. I didn't give up on my word but sat with it to see how it would fit... and it expanded to address every aspect of this new circumstance ~ as in create pockets of time, create spaces to dream, create positives about the situation, and create ways to stay connected across the miles. So far, so good.
The journey continues....
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Time to Write
Last summer everything seemed possible.
After my trip to Scotland, Ken and I took a road trip to see family in West Virginia and friends in Pennsylvania. We came home to do yard work and spend time with kids and grandkids ~ the weather was perfect for trips to the beach and cook-outs. I made it a point to enjoy every day of the season.
Then autumn arrived and I found the ideal long-term substitute teaching job. It started three weeks into October, which gave me time to get the house in order and organize quilting projects to do in the evenings. The 7:10 start time was early and the days were long, but I enjoyed teaching the 4th and 5th graders, my favorite age group. Snow days delayed the end of my commitment until January 29. I accomplished the goals I had set for the class and left on good terms with students and staff, so it was another good teaching experience.
I had such plans once I was home again! The first few weeks I spent cleaning house and catching up on my sleep. I started more quilting projects and tried new recipes. I relished time with family. I committed to getting back on the treadmill and found that mid-morning is a time I can stick to.
I have drafted several blog posts in my head but have been reluctant to spend much time on the computer. I was going to post pics when quilts were finished and while we were on a trip to New York's wine country. Then life changed....
In February we heard about a virus spreading through Asia and a cruise trip. Soon reports of COVID-19 in Italy made the headlines. Then cases were reported in Washington, California, and New York. We were not alarmed, but the more we listened and watched the more convinced we were that this epidemic is serious. We cancelled our plans for New York out of what we hoped was extreme caution.
It turns out it wasn't extreme at all. It was common sense. Maine was one of the last states to verify cases of the virus. It's here now. We are in close touch with our sons in the Boston area, both of whom are working from home for the foreseeable future. We are available to help our daughter with day care if she is called in to work. And I have time to work on all the projects, including writing here.
My word for the year is curiously appropriate for where I find myself. I'll share next time.
The journey continues....
After my trip to Scotland, Ken and I took a road trip to see family in West Virginia and friends in Pennsylvania. We came home to do yard work and spend time with kids and grandkids ~ the weather was perfect for trips to the beach and cook-outs. I made it a point to enjoy every day of the season.
Then autumn arrived and I found the ideal long-term substitute teaching job. It started three weeks into October, which gave me time to get the house in order and organize quilting projects to do in the evenings. The 7:10 start time was early and the days were long, but I enjoyed teaching the 4th and 5th graders, my favorite age group. Snow days delayed the end of my commitment until January 29. I accomplished the goals I had set for the class and left on good terms with students and staff, so it was another good teaching experience.
I had such plans once I was home again! The first few weeks I spent cleaning house and catching up on my sleep. I started more quilting projects and tried new recipes. I relished time with family. I committed to getting back on the treadmill and found that mid-morning is a time I can stick to.
I have drafted several blog posts in my head but have been reluctant to spend much time on the computer. I was going to post pics when quilts were finished and while we were on a trip to New York's wine country. Then life changed....
In February we heard about a virus spreading through Asia and a cruise trip. Soon reports of COVID-19 in Italy made the headlines. Then cases were reported in Washington, California, and New York. We were not alarmed, but the more we listened and watched the more convinced we were that this epidemic is serious. We cancelled our plans for New York out of what we hoped was extreme caution.
It turns out it wasn't extreme at all. It was common sense. Maine was one of the last states to verify cases of the virus. It's here now. We are in close touch with our sons in the Boston area, both of whom are working from home for the foreseeable future. We are available to help our daughter with day care if she is called in to work. And I have time to work on all the projects, including writing here.
My word for the year is curiously appropriate for where I find myself. I'll share next time.
The journey continues....
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