“Don’t follow leaders, but watch the parking meters…”
The title is in honor of Bob Dylan’s birthday, which was yesterday, May 24th.
I have been horrible lately at keeping up with my blog. It’s not that I don’t have all sorts of ramblings I could post daily, but sometimes I’m just not in the mood to share. If that makes sense?
Summer has begun, although it took a while to really feel it. I taught at the Middle School my first week, and then started a 9-day teaching travel study in St. Paul. Both experiences were wonderful, but in very different ways. In St. Paul, I was teaching at a high poverty school where 97% of students receive free and reduced lunch, 50% of the students have at least one parent incarcerated, and 17% of the students are currently homeless. I was teaching in a bilingual kindergarten, and I fell in love with them. I never saw myself in that age group, and I still don’t know if it would be my first choice, but I have so much more respect for the teachers who make the children of the world into little people. I was privileged to be able to be a part of that process for a brief span of time. While in St. Paul we had intense self reflection on the culture of others, and possibly more importantly our own culture. I could go on and on, but you can read my blog I created for the course here.
After returning to Winona, I realized how much I have to get done around the house, and in preparation for summer courses and what not. The thought of it all made me even more exhausted than I already was from the lack of sleep on my trip, so I decided to retreat to Crystal Lake for a few days. Recenter myself a bit. I always suggest going back to your roots when you are in need of a getaway or feeling a little lost. I may have a mix of both of those.
I am realizing more and more how strong the human mind is. One of my mantras I consistently have to repeat to myself is to refocus my energy on something positive. Negativity can and will eat you alive if you allow it the satisfaction to do so, but when you cultivate positivity (in everything) life seems a little brighter. Maybe that is me just trying to get through some bumpiness, but if it works, i’ll roll with it.
