ME Time - Mindful Educator

Courage!!! I originally started this blogging and playing with podcasting in March of 2023. I began my 200hour yoga instructor training, as well as meditation coaching certification online then too. I was so excited to start something new for myself, separate from education, from being a mom, something truly for myself. Then two days later, on April 1st 2023, my husband went into cardiac arrest.   We were sitting on the couch after dinner, doing what we do everyday. Watching TV, scrolling through our phones, zoning out. I went into the kitchen to warm myself some tea and I noticed that my husband (BJ) was making a strange noises. I hurried back into the living room and to what appeared to me, my husband having a seizure. He was shaking, eyes rolled back into his head, not responding to me yelling at him. I immediately went into panic mode!!! My husband had dip in his mouth (chew tobacco), I scooped it out and threw it on the floor. I knew that people having a seizure coul...

  A tedious job, that some educators prefer not to do, is to create bulletin boards for their classrooms, hallways and around their buildings. Me, on the other hand, LOVE creating and putting up bulletin boards. I've been ask several times about why I take the time as a principal to make sure bulletin boards are up, reflective of our school theme or change them out for holidays or fun reminders. I tell my staff that it is a calming activity for me and that I truly enjoy it. But that is only part of the story... In high school, I wasn't make the best choices. I was hanging out with kids that did drugs, drank, and were causing trouble around school and in the community. During my off campus lunch, I went to an area that we called Barker Lake. It was really just a pond across the street from the school, that us burn out would smoke and socialize.  On this particular day a senior, I was a freshman at the time, gave me something to smoke. Not wanting to seem "uncool" I smo...

  When I am in my garden or working in my yard, I feel so at peace and I get to reflect. I can directly see the results of my efforts and the difference I can make on the planet.  This weekend I was doing a lot of weeding. I had mixed feelings of success and disappointment. There was an area of my yard by my garage that was getting overgrown, full of weeds and making our yard look extra messy and unkept. I got a great amount of satisfaction pulling the weeds out of the ground, especially after a rain they come out way easier. After I was done, I could see the beauty in that area and the potential for added beauty.  However, I was not as enthused with my vegetable garden. There were weeds everywhere!!!! This year I didn't put down the black garden fabric that I usually do before planting. I didn't think it would be necessary or that I could deal without it. Well, was I wrong. I got in there and pulled weeds from around all my growing vegetables. I could almost hear them th...

I get asked often, "When do you find the time to do that?" "Do you ever sleep?"  I think I've always been this way. I like being busy, I like doing new things, I like meeting new people, I like projects. What I'm not so good at is slowing down, being still and recognizing when I need to rest.  My husband tells me that I don't know how to relax, but I think what it means for him to relax is totally different that what it means for me. For my husband, its sitting on the couch, watching moves, watching wrestling or taking a nap. That is the farthest from what I enjoy. For me, I love to read (non-fiction more than fiction), gardening, yoga, and doing anything in nature.  When I can take a new class, learn something new from what I've read, meet a new and inspiring person or have a new experience that is what energizes me. The problem is that my body never really settles. I have a hard time staying asleep (I fall right to sleep, because I'm usually ex...