Slice of Life #6: Comfort List

Everyone around me at work has been sick for the last month. I've managed to escape it so far, but there are some early symptoms that tell me I may have been found by the bug.

Here are ten things that comfort me when I'm not feeling well.

1) Old television favorites like The Golden Girls and Who's The Boss.
2) New television favorites like The New Normal and Treme.
3) Cranberry juice - and lots of it.
4) Sleep - and lots of it.
5) Quiet.
6) Tylenol/Advil.
7) Old photo albums of vacations with my grandparents and times with my family.
8) A good book or a challenging puzzle.
9) Tangerines.
10) Lots of pillows.

And if you're a teacher, you probably understand that sometimes it's better just to go to work than to bother with writing sub plans.

Slice of Life #5: Take a Snapshot

My gym offers a class called BodyFlow that incorporates tai chi, yoga, and pilates. The class starts at 4:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I can never make it on time.

I decided I have to show up when I can. Often I walk in at 4:45, even 5:00 (I stay for the next class) and the teacher is so patient. I just jump right in wherever they are.

I literally show up for the relaxation portion. The last 10 minutes of the class we lay in "corpse pose" and listen to peaceful music. Sometimes, the relaxation just doesn't come. My mind is jumping around from place to place: "Oh, I forgot to do five things at work today - what will I do for dinner - when is vacation?"

Today, I actually relaxed. Something about the teacher's choice of words and the music lulled me into such a comfortable place that I could literally feel the stress and strain melt away. I placed myself back in time to days where I felt totally happy and free and brought those feelings into that space.

She invited us to take a snapshot in our mind of that feeling so that we can call back to it when we need it. I want to make a photo album of those kind of snapshots.

Slice of Life #4: Maybe I'm in the Wrong Challenge

Doing this writing challenge has got me to thinking about my relationship with writing. As a young person, I always preferred Science, Music or Math to anything that involved reading or writing. I liked puzzles and solving problems. Writing was always challenging (and boring) for me. My handwriting was always a frustration for my elementary teachers and so I loathed doing anything with it.

In high school, I had the formulas for writing down pat. My teachers taught me: grabber, introduction, thesis, body paragraph (topic sentence, proof, explanation, quote, concluding sentence), concluding paragraph, summary, clincher. It was a chore. And the red pen markings - ick. When I went to college and grad school, I would work hours on papers and often get Bs and Cs. Professors could never explain to me clearly what I needed to do to improve my writing. I liken my feeling toward writing to when my students say, "I've just never been able to do Math."

When I write my best, I have a clear mind, a quiet room, and hours to work everything to be just right. And most importantly, I write my best when the task is meaningful or it is something I enjoy.

Maybe somewhere out there there is a challenge where I can solve puzzles and share Math strategies with other nerds like me. I'm sure there's a collaborative Math teacher site where I can learn more about teaching to the Common Core.

But, in the mean time I will stay committed with the hopes that my feelings toward writing might change at least a little bit before March 31.

Slice of Life #3: What is Repentance?

This morning I slept until 8:30 which I never do. I forced myself to go to church even though the comfort of my own home was beckoning me to stay in bed. A few hours later I did not regret my decision.

I enjoy my church and one of the highlights for me is that our priest is a gifted preacher. He is known for using his iPod music to introduce a sermon and he weaves comedy with poignant truth to help us get closer to our real selves and humanity.

He talked about a definition for repentance that gave me a lot to think about. Traditionally, we think of repenting is admitting all of our many faults and asking God to cleanse them from our souls. In his sermon, he researched the original Greek for the word repentance. Repentance is like going through a metamorphosis. What I took from the sermon: instead of dwelling on the caterpillar-like ways of our past, we have to claw our way out of the cocoon to be the magnificent butterflies that God made us to be.

It seems that dwelling on the past and our "mistakes" can be what keeps us from God and humanity.

Even if you have a different faith system or no system at all, I believe we all can relate to how hard it is to move on from the lamentations of the past. We can't let it get in the way of our life in the present. Repentance is our opportunity create something new to live out our call in service to others and those we love.

Slice of Life #2: The Salami's in the Cupboard

Lately my mind has been so many places that I've been putting things where they don't belong. Here's a list of random places where I've found lost items.

1) After making my sandwich for work yesterday I placed the salami in the cupboard and put the sandwich bags in the refrigerator.

2) One day my car keys were in my bathroom drawer with the razors and toothpaste.

3)  My cell phone was in the middle of my stack of folded t-shirts or under the stack of mail that I should throw away, but don't.

4) I emptied the cat's food into her water dish and discovered it looking very mushy later.

5) The remote control was on the bathroom counter (I know, awkward).

6) One shoe was found under the bed while the other shoe was found under a pile of clothes in a different room.

7) In my classroom, I would frequently lose my water bottle, projector remote, or pen by leaving it at a student's desk. After a month, my students just bring the items to me when they see me scrambling around to find things.

8) The girl scout cookies were on my bed stand (oh wait, I want them there).


Have you ever found something in a strange place?

Slice of Life #1: What The Presentation Should Say

For this Slice of Life, I realized that what I typed should be selectively seen. But, I spent too much time on it to let it go unread. So if you're interested in reading it, you can e-mail me or Facebook message me and I'll reply with the writing. My e-mail is robertehilliker@gmail.com.

 

SOL #21: My Cool Sister

When you are the youngest child, you experience so many perks. Parents and grandparents spoil you. Your older siblings have tired out your parents, so you have less rules. In all, it is wonderful. The best part of being the youngest is having two great older siblings. Let me tell you about my cool sister.

I often wonder if my sister (during her teenage years) ever dreaded the fact that she had a little immature brother that followed her almost everywhere. If that was the case, she never let it show. She was born to be a first grade teacher before she ever had the dream of shaping young minds.When I was a child, my older sister found a way to make everything fun. 

When I would get bored on long hikes, she would take me on a lion hunt or race me and let me win. When my parents needed a sitter, she would have to bring me along for her weekend dates. Going to the drive in or to an ice cream shop was such a treat for an 8 year old. She would buy me things that I begged for even though she didn't make much money. She would keep me occupied in the car by playing memory games or engaging me in goofy conversation. She kept life interesting with her sarcastic and witty sense of humor.

On a particular occasion, in the fifth grade, I was able to spend the day with my sister at college. She helped me dress so that I would fit into the college crowd by rolling up my sleeves on my jean jacket and fixing the collar on my shirt. She took me to her Math class which was so exciting. The professor showed me how to evaluate square roots which was the first new thing I had learned mathematically in months. Later, she peer edited with a classmate in a writing class. Then, my favorite part was visiting the "Kentaco Hut" which was a Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC all in one. I thought it was hilarious that she called it that. Wow, college must be cool, I thought!

Even to this day my sister provides cheap entertainment generously. Whether we are on a beer run with Dad or bridging the miles apart with a phone conversation, she provides a burst of fun, wisdom and cheer to my life. I admire her for who she is: a terrific mother, a great friend to many, and an amazing teacher (you should read her book).  As a child I would follow her directions more frequently than my own parents and that has not changed as an adult. I value her advice. And one of the things I respect the most is that she rarely (if ever) says anything negative about a particular person.