We’ve officially been in pandemic mode for over a year. We went home from school and into lockdown in March 2020 on Friday the 13th. One year later, there’s a lot to reflect on. Almost too much, at least at the macro level. Quite a bit on a personal level, too. It’s interesting how we…
Category: Photo Journal
Inspired by author David Levithan, I tried something new—something intentional with the every day. As a record of the real life I live, I began compiling one picture from each day of the year—a flip book of sorts of 365 (366 the first year) moments in my life.
I did this for two years but stepped away from the project in 2022. Now I’m back at it but with a slightly different agenda:
- Weekly posts
- A picture spotlight each week (not each day)
- Themes
Every other week I will focus (get it?) on a photography technique or theme. Don’t get excited- it’s about to be amateur hour. I just want to force myself to get out there and then get writing. Alternating weeks will be more “day in the life” snapshots like I’d done in the past.
So let’s find that joy in the quotidian– in the cozy cat cuddles, and the sounds and scents of coffee brewing. Let’s capture the quiet moments and relish the slow mornings… And then let’s have a wild rumpus or two. Because sometimes you need one of those.
Life is about both the every day and the exceptional. So let’s make note of it all– the big stuff and the little moments in between. Because only together do they add up to a life.
“This is another thing I’ve learned: There are no ordinary days.”
– David Levithan
2021 March – Week 10
Week ten was… a long week. Work has been stressful lately with the pressure admin has put on the ELA department to administer and analyze the STAR exam. Plus, my co-teacher has been out for three weeks because of an injury, I had my formal observation, and our rosters continue to change as students return…
2021 March – Week 9
Holy shit, it’s March. Sunday I made a new friend! Well, okay, Jasper and I aren’t exactly friends yet… But when I realized it wasn’t a stray cat eating from the food dish on my porch, I opened the door to say hi and he just sort of speed-walked away. This bodes well for two…
2021 February – Week 8
The last week of February was fairly eventful. A return to school, a tough decision, a discussion with my neurologist… The discussion went well. The decision about whether to coach lacrosse again this year was difficult, but ultimately I think it’s best if I step back. Having made the decision, I now feel immense relief….
2021 February – Week 7
Who doesn’t love a week off? I’ve always used my February break as a time to rest up before the start of a very busy season of the school year… March is a long month for teachers, and it’s when middle school ELA teachers are forced to turn a good deal of attention to the…
2021 February – Week 6
My mind couldn’t keep the days straight this week. Halfway through first period on Monday, I thought it was Tuesday. On Tuesday, I thought it was Monday. Wednesday felt like Friday, and Friday morning felt like the start of Wednesday. Some weeks are just like that, I guess. They simply exist and you simply exist…
2021 February – Week 5
I’d like to pretend January was 2020’s hangover and that February will be the real new year, because January was rough. And on the last day of it, I witnessed one of the saddest things of my lifetime. I knew the funeral would be rough, and I was prepared for the tiny coffin… Or so…
2021 January – Week 4
At some point the upsetting news will stop pouring in, right? There’s just been so much loss lately… I no longer feel confident that I know how to walk through this world. I thought I understood— sure, there’s sadness, but that’s how we appreciate the happiness. Loss and emptiness are a part of life from…
2021 January – Week 3
A woman became Vice President this week. Not only a woman, but a woman of color. And the world went wild over a youth poet’s inspiring poem and performance. Finally— not a return to normalcy but movement forward. We can “let out that breath we didn’t know we were holding,” as so many YA authors…
2021 January – Week 2
I was in a daze this week. I lost my soulmate, and as a result, time moved strangely. Whole days disappeared and by Friday, I couldn’t believe almost a week had gone since I’d said goodbye to Sammy. On Sunday, though, when they delivered his ashes, I couldn’t believe it had only been a week….