One Word at a Time

My heart was full four times over today. I spent the morning with my monthly treat - a manicure. I savored the hour dedicated to something that makes me feel good, feel professional, feel pretty. The woman who does my nails is not a talker, which I love, so it is a quiet, reflective hour. I listened and enjoyed the conversations between the other women in the salon. Then, I went to my mom's house. My grandfather's 90th birthday is coming up, and we spent an hour decorating "90" shaped cookies for his party. We spent the hour chatting, discussing decorations which I'm in charge of, and watching the UConn women's NCAA game.  As I decorated, I thought about my grandfather turning 90 and what this party is going to mean to him. After that, I traveled to the house of a fellow committee member, to prepare for this upcoming weekend's St. Baldrick's event. We put together raffle baskets, swag bags for our shavees, and thank you bags for our barbers....

The first St. Patrick's Day after I got married, I posted something on Facebook about being Irish by marriage (I married a Sean Patrick), so I could celebrate the holiday in style. My dad commented that there was a little Irish in our ancestry, so I could celebrate without guilt. Fast forward a few years, after my father discovered he had a blood disorder. In the process of determining what disorder he had and what had caused it, a doctor ordered a genealogy test of his blood. Turns out that, yes, I did have Irish in my blood. My great-grandmother was a Gypsy, and with that, there was a little bit of everything in our blood. Even Mongolian. That was a revelation. I wasn't surprised by the European, but the Asian surprised me. It gives me a whole other interesting aspect of my ancestry to explore!

I've been going to the same hairdresser for over ten years. I'm greeted by name when I walk in the door - by the receptionist, the mother of someone I went to K-12 school with. As I head to the bathroom, I'm greeted by a hairdresser that I've known since I was a child, who has seen me grow through all my hairstyles and colors. I leave the bathroom and am greeted by my hairdresser with a hug and a "how are you?" She gets me settled and says, "What are we doing today?" I tell her I loved what we did last time, but maybe a little darker. Somehow,  she remembers exactly what colors those were. I relax comfortably in the chair, recognizing a woman sitting next to me - who I also went to school with. While she adds the color, we chat about my husband, the weather, my job. She comments on how long my hair is getting (we've been working on that for a few years now!) and we decide to leave the length alone to encourage it to keep growing rather than...

Currently: I am feeling cooped up after the snowstorm yesterday and a 2nd consecutive snow day - really hoping to get out and at least go for a drive today! I am wondering  how our schedule will be rearranged  I am watching (or rather rewatching) all seasons of Glee on Netflix and loving every minute, in addition to watching The Royals on Amazon Prime and catching up to be ready for the new season. I am reading  a million SOL17 blog posts today to catch up. I am hoping  for these two days to have refreshed and recharged my teachers after a few weeks of conferences, report cards, and PD. I am planning a surprise 90th birthday party and helping to plan a St. Baldrick's event, both happening in the next couple of weeks! I am seeing  my cats so happy that both my husband and I are home to keep them company during the day. I am needing  an exercise routine to hold me over until summertime. I am giving  up on my healthy eating too easily - work...

Here's what I love about "This is Us" . . . You can connect with the character of Kate, Kevin, Randall, Rebecca, Jack, Miguel, Toby, William, Beth, or Sophie . . . You can connect with the story lines of guilt, weight, fear, love, abandonment, choices, pride, honesty . . . You can connect with the emotions of anger, fear, regret, sadness, happiness, joy, love . . . There is truly something for everyone. I am feeling a little raw after tonight's episode, in a different way than I have in past episodes.

A few weeks ago I was approached by a friend who had started playing in a men's soccer league last year, and this season was coming up fast. He asked me, knowing that I had played soccer my whole life, if I would be willing to work with him a few times and give him a few pointers on some things he was still learning as he approached this upcoming season. Here are some reflections and generalizations from our time together, that I think can be applied to coaching in any situation, whether in relation to a coach working with teachers or a teacher taking a coaching role with their students. Ask first what they want to work on and find out what they can already do/what they already know By having him set the goals he wanted to work on, and finding out what he already knew and what he could already do, I could go into my toolbox to make the decisions that were right for what he needed at that moment, not try to start from the beginning and waste either of our time. They aren...

So I've been rewatching Glee. This should be mandatory watching for every parent and child. I'm in the middle of the 2nd season and have, multiple times, been brought to tears by the storyline and handling of so many important issues that are at the forefront of life. More often than not, I'm wishing that this show was on when I was a teenager. I feel so strongly that it would have brought up some important conversations or ideas - important things to reflect on as your ideals about the world are forming. Bullying. LGBTQ+. (Kurt's relationship with his dad should be mandatory watching for everyone.) Being yourself when others want you to conform. Working on a team. Family. Friends. Role models. Body image. Mental illness. And who doesn't love everything set to song?!? Have you watched Glee? Has it brought up any emotions/thoughts for you? I suggest revisiting it!