When it's a busy day onsite with a client (a principal I've known for 20 years, since she was a beginning teacher!), it's a perfect day for Slicing a list - a list of things I'm grateful for.
1. The awesome Moth Storytelling Cards and the power of listening to each other.
2. Sticky chart paper. I just wish it wasn't so expensive!
3. Olivia Rodrigo's songs. She captures the 18 year old me and though I have no desire to go back to 18, it's a joy to get caught up in that energy for 3 minutes.
4. Our family's WhatsApp group chat. Being able to touch base from Vienna to LA to Cleveland is amazing and my kids are really terrific about sending pics and it's such a gift to see their lives. (I'm also grateful for WhatsApp, in general!)
5. Canvas tote bags. My LL Bean and Lands End bags are help me lug materials to and from PD (stuffed to the brim but somehow making me seem like I have my act together).
6. Those who work for justice and call us in to know and do better, even if it's not their job. Especially grateful when I get to learn and work with these folks IRL and not just on social media. (I was reminded of this gratitude re-reading the interview with Loretta Ross I posted yesterday.)
7. Horchata whipped cream, which I had for the first time last Friday night. How have I been living so long without this delicacy? (On melty-warm chocolate cake, too!)
8. Bright yellow (see above).
9. Strangers who smile warmly at you with a "Hey, have a great day!" look.
10. Walking our dog at "golden hour" - those lush minutes when the world is glowing and I put my gosh darn phone away and relish the moment.
11. Folks running for office and calling out harmful policies and practices we've all gotten used to. (VOTE IN OHIO TOMORROW! http://vote411.org - we got this!)
12. Independent bookstores. Oh, thank you thank you thank you, book sellers! I am so grateful for your shelves, your recommendations on hand written cards, your smells and your commitment to readers & community.
13. Poets and poetry. I find such calm in poems, and other days, such energy & fuel. Poems are the best bites of inspiration, always there for us.
14. Diet Coke, in those small 7.5 oz cans. Just a perfect pick-me-up, especially when icy cold.
15. Professional texts that inspire knowledge building and change in practice. (Right now, I'm really loving Katie Novak's UDL Now and I'm anticipating Elena Aguilar's new book, Arise.)
16. My Google calendar.
17. Quiet. Especially when I can control myself and put my phone away and bask in the quiet, breathing in and out and using it to regulate my noise-filled world.
18. YOU - thank you for reading my Slice. I am super grateful for your comments, no matter how brief!
What are YOU grateful for today?
(I'm noting that 2 of my favorites explicitly involve putting my phone away.)
What a great list! My list would also include sticky chart paper, canvas tote bags, poets and poetry. Thanks for all the other ideas; you made me think of things I am grateful for but sometimes overlook.
ReplyDeleteYes to realizing how amazing the little things are.
DeleteI love this list. You've made me want to try horchata whipped cream (I've always loved chocolate cake, warm or cold.) I also can't thank you enough for the Moth Storyteller cards rec. I have just ordered them They'll be perfect for our summer OCTE Board Meeting when we get together IRL! (I'm with you, there's nothing like face-to-face.) Thanks for this terrific list!
ReplyDeleteI just love that you ordered the Moth cards - I used them TODAY in PD and they were a joy. Stories matter!!!
DeleteAh I love this list! I miss the sight of your stuffed canvas bags and training! All the post it notes! That sticky paper is so great but agreed....so expensive. The moth cards I put on my wish list. I could comment on every one of the 18...but I won't. I, too, am a diet coke girl. Poetry has always been important but has truly been medicine in my life lately. Thank you for this list! I am grateful for you! I love that I know you. Maybe one day soon our paths will cross again.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tammy - for all the fabulous connections (esp. poetry!) and the long time LOVE in this work, too. YES to our paths crossing.
DeleteWow, loved your list. Bright yellow, canvas bags, independent bookstores, calls to know and do better, poets and poetry, and commenters on our slicers. Love noting our connections. And now I'm off to read yesterday's post.
ReplyDeleteSo many ways we Slicers connect and are connected. Always so grateful for March...
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