Ringing Like a Bell

I know people who are bold, courageous, and inherently tough. I know people who are humble, focused, and intuitively seem to know just what needs to be done in every situation. I know people who don't have a habit of second guessing themselves. I know people who find living and breathing in their mortal bodies effortless. I am not one of those people . When I first started writing this blog last year, I felt like I was trying to expose what's really going on with me, deep inside, the way you might pop off the back of a watch to see all the little gears and springs inside. I've got a box full of old journals in a closet right beside the desk where I'm sitting. The chief difference between what you're reading now and those journals is audience. I'm letting you see what I have to say if you want to. I just read a book called An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith   by Barbara Brown Taylor. As I read the introduction, I found a kindred spirit, not someo...

"Christmas in July" annoys me. Thankfully, it only shows up in cheesy sales promotions and gimmicky Television programming marathons. Last week I stretched out on the couch ready to relax a little and watch some TV. When I accessed the guide, I noticed that the Hallmark channel was showing a non- stop Christmas movie marathon. I gagged. I apologize if anything remotely Christmas related is enjoyable for you at this time of year, but for me, it's like trying to wear a heavy sweater into a sauna. If I sat around watching Mrs. Miracle , Elf, and Midnight Santa, it would ruin real Christmas for me. Christmas is special because it's seasonal. All the enjoyable things about Christmas- brisk weather, hot chocolate, special cookies, and cozy blankets - just don't work in July. Christmas is only supposed to come once a year . That's what makes it something magical to savor. When we start celebrating "Christmas in July," the specialness gets sucked ...

Since school has been out, I've been catching up on all the little things I've put off during the year. One of those things, besides resting and going to the dentist, is listening to all the podcasts I've missed in the last few months. One of my favorites is the Freakonomics podcast. The subtitle is "The Hidden Side of Everything." So if you like thinking about off-beat things in a weird way, let me recommend it. The Stevens (Levitt and Dubner) do a lot of talking about unintended consequences, and last week I listened to one called " The Cobra Effect ." Here's a quote: MEHROTRA : So the “cobra effect” refers to a scheme in colonial India where the British governor, or whoever, the person in charge in Delhi, wanted to rid Delhi of cobras. Apparently in his opinion there were too many cobras in Delhi. So he had the bounty placed on cobras. And he expected this would solve the problem. But the population in Delhi, at least some of it, responded by f...

Summer Reading. Ahhh, the phrase that strikes fear in the hearts of vacationing honors students everywhere. Last year, I set up an interactive message board for my rising tenth graders, so they could communicate about the book we were all supposed to be reading over the summer. It didn't work out quite the way I intended. In June and July, only three kids posted to the board. Nobody else asked me any questions. There were no signs of life from any of the other seventy students. Nothing. Then in the last week before school began the message board lit up. There were so many posts that I couldn't read and respond fast enough. Can we say procrastination ? After that experience,  I abandoned the message board idea and changed the assignment this year. I put my email address at the bottom of the assignment page. In case you're wondering, I haven't heard a peep -- yet. In about a month, I'll probably get about twenty emails a day from panicking students. I'm resign...

During the summer, I take Bailey for a walk pretty much every morning, even if it's drizzling a little bit. We both love our walks in the mornings. It's the best time of day in the summer, and being out there is good for all of you not just your body. It gives us time together. I can breathe in the peaceful air, and she can sniff for rabbits. You'll recall how much she loves to chase a rabbit. Unfortunately our walk this morning wasn't quite as satisfying. First, I had to go to the dentist this morning (something I despise more than nearly anything else in the world). Second, I spotted a young little bunny in the front yard this morning when my husband was leaving for work. I realized I wouldn't be able to take ol' Bailey outside our backyard fence without a leash, and I didn't have time to rummage around for the leash. So I decided to just circle around the backyard instead.    Consequently, Bailey stood expectantly by the gate for at least 45 minu...