No…No…to Negatives

 

Each new school year seems to begin with and end with lots of negativity. It can be mentally and physically draining. If I could have one school wish granted before I retire, it would be to work with a staff that is one hundred percent about the kids and that would include dropping the negativity at the door in order to create a warm welcoming setting for kids to learn, grow, and flourish.

I don’t want to hear about the ugly paint color someone else picked out, complaints about the schedule, or the angst of having to do RTI. I want to hear about new ideas, activities, great professional development, ways to communicate with parents, funny kid stories, and how the effort of a staff results in the accomplishments of children.

When the negatives start, they travel from room to room having free roam over our school. Everyone becomes affected. A happy, lively school can turn sour and ugly in just a few hours. I am not immune. I get caught up in it too and I don’t like how it feels. That negativity can cling onto people following them out the door at the end of the day…traveling home…and then back to school the next morning. I love home and I love school. I don’t want that lurking menace anywhere around me.

Negativity is not the same as problem solving. We all have to deal with problems but there is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Negativity travels through whispers, closed doors, and rolled eyes. Problem solving commutes with open dialog, respect, trust and compassion. It travels above ground.

This year, I am returning to school with high hopes. I am entering the door with an open mind. I am covering myself with an invisible shield of positive to repel those negatives. I hope all my colleagues do the same.

The Rain

Pitter, patter, splatter…the sound is like a lullaby. The rain falls softly at first sending me into a deep sleep.

Angry skies send water plopping, spattering, and gushing to the earth. I awaken.

Pitter, patter, splatter…the anger subsides. A gentle rain softens the earth…time for a new day.

I Am No Rachel Ray

For years my husband has been the chef of the house and I have been the baker, salad maker, and the dishwasher. I never found cooking nightly meals relaxing and he seemed to be able to lose all the troubles of the day while whipping up one scrumptious meal after another.Whenever we go out to dinner, he samples his food…looks up at the ceiling…and proceeds to recite the ingredients he is tasting. I have no idea what is in my food. Not too long after a night out, the delectable meal finds its way to our dinner table with Gary’s improvements.

Now I love to bake. I don’t bake during the week but on weekends and vacations when I have plenty of time to shop, make a mess of my kitchen, and clean up. My baking is never better than our local bakery and I have to follow a recipe. Everyone in the family eats my pies, bars, and cookies just the same.

During the summer, in an attempt to give my husband a break, I prepare a few meals. There is the standard chicken salad, potato salad, macaroni salad and occasionally Rachel Ray inspires me to try something new. Last night it was Milanese linguini with an orange and asparagus salad. I labored over it for a couple hours (she cooks it up in fifteen minutes) trying my best to follow the directions. I actually enjoyed the process because there was no time crunch. My husband ate it all even though I am pretty sure a citrus flavored salad is not something he would order if he were dining out. I know he appreciated my attempt to get creative. Tomorrow night he will cook again and I will be very happy to give the kitchen back to him as I take my rightly place as  salad maker, baker, and cleaner-upper.

A Trip to Popham

A few days ago we took a boat trip down river to the Atlantic. Our son and his partner joined us for the beautiful day of boating.

The water was calm. The sky was blue. The wind blew just enough to keep us fanned from the warm sun.

The trip to Popham took about an hour depending on how fast or slow we motored. We started on our dock at Merrymeeting Bay and made our way down the Kennebec until the river delivered us to the sea.

My camera clicked wildly as I shot photos of lighthouses, seals, crashing waves, the boys, and my husband. My nose filled with moist salt air. The sun warmed my skin while the breeze cooled it.

We idled and drank in the sights, the sounds, the smells…and then motored home. It was a perfect summer day in Maine.

Cleaning for Family

 

I am not a big fan of cleaning. My husband and I do what we must to keep the house respectable. I would much rather ride my bike, read, do projects to get ready for the coming school year or hang out on the water. Today I will clean and love every minute of it. Our son and his partner are coming home for a week. I can’t wait.

Now the cleaning has a purpose. I will ready their room and make it as clutter and dust free as possible. Their bathroom will get an extra scrub and hopefully a bit more sparkle.

Since the weather has cooled down, the kitchen will be next while I make granola and cookies knowing they both will love the homemade touches. I will cut flowers, fill the refrigerator, and declutter the mudroom.

When the children come home…there is a little domesticity that finds its way back into my world. I reminisce about when they were young while I prepare for their return. It feels good…right…very familiar.

Summer Reads

Summer means many things to me but what has remained consistent throughout my life is summer reading. I love to lose myself in a book on hot, lazy days. When the last page is turned, I am moving on to find another title.Now that I have a Nook, the books are already downloaded and waiting for me. I share what I have read with my friends and they with me. I peruse the Internet in search of something different…special. Sometimes the title speaks to me, other times it is a familiar author, and still other times a review peaks my interest. Here is my list so far…

The Tiger’s Wife (highly recommend)

Something Borrowed

Sing You Home (not as good as House Rules)

A Great Deliverance (Elizabeth George is one of my favorite crime writers)

The Paris Wife (highly recommend)

Water for Elephants (highly recommend)