Take Time

It’s no secret that I keep a pretty busy day-to-day schedule.  I love the energy, the drive, the challenge of balancing more than one thing at a time.  This semester, I am segmenting my work a little more, in part to make it more manageable and in part to do my best to devote my whole self to one thing at a time.  Sunday mornings, Tuesday mornings, and Thursdays are for church; Mondays and Wednesdays are for school; Tuesday afternoons are for my studio; and Fridays and Saturdays are for lesson planning, running errands, and catching up.

And recharging.

I love the opportunities I have to teach but it requires so much energy and so much of myself.  It’s important to find the time to be refilled and inspired.  Taking time to escape even just for a little while makes such a difference in the quality of my work.  I feel like I need to keep reminding myself that excellence is a journey.

Like I mentioned earlier this week, Steve and I have a sense of adventure every now and again and I love taking time to travel with him.  Often, we are only able to get away for a day or two but that’s enough of a pause for me to feel refreshed and renewed when I get back.  This is so important for my do-it-all, go-getter self.  This weekend, Steve and I are taking a tiny road trip to upstate New York, paying a visit to our alma mater!  It’s always great to go back for a visit and you can bet that I’ll be making a beeline to the cafe with the best lemon cookies ever.  Feeling the need to refocus?  Lacking inspiration in your work?  Take time to be refilled and refreshed this weekend.

Image Credit: A well traveled woman via Pinterest

Tags: inspiration, recharge, refresh, take time off, teaching, time, travel

Authenticity

Authentic.  Formally defined as genuine, trustworthy, reliable, honest, and truthful. 

In teaching, in collaborating, in my professional interactions, and in my personal life, I want to be authentic.  This is part of my commitment to excellence and being the best I can be.

I want to be GENUINE, my true self.
I want to be TRUSTWORTHY and HONEST in the way I present myself and in the way I deal with people.
I want to be RELIABLE by following through with what I say, being true to my commitments, and being responsible with my time.
I want to stand behind my word and be TRUTHFUL in communication and action.

Maybe you’ve seen the quote circulating the blog/Pinterest world – “If you’re your authentic self, you have no competition.” – Scott Stratten/@Unmarketing.  Go out there and be your smart, successful, witty, personable, genuine, authentic self.

Tags: authenticity, business, excellence, personal, professional

Silly Faces

Sometimes, we need to take time to make silly faces.  It’s important.  In the midst of those days that overwhelm you, those not-so-fun grown-up to-do lists (how many more hyphens can I add to one sentence?!), and those times when life feels way too serious, remember what it feels like to be silly and laugh at yourself.

It started out innocently enough – just trying to take a nice picture together for the background on Steve’s phone.  Obviously, one of us was feeling a little silly that day.  This is now one of my favorite pictures because it makes me laugh every time I look at it.  It reminds me to not take life too seriously, to let go of the things that don’t matter, to laugh often, and to be thankful.  We took another silly picture for my phone background so I can remind myself of these things throughout each day.  The result:

Yes, take time to be silly.

Tags: grace, joy, laughter, silly faces, thankfulness

Adventure

As much as I love having everything organized and laid out in front of me, I also love a dash of adventure in life.

Friday is date night.  It’s the only night that we are both home and don’t have to work the next morning.  It sounds fancy, but usually “date night” consists of cooking spaghetti, drinking wine, and cuddling up for the latest episodes of our favorite shows (The Office and Parks and Recreation).  I know, we’re an old married couple.  But, we live in a small, country town where Main Street is rolled up for the night at 9 p.m.  What’s a couple to do?

Steve was gone most of the day Friday (a guest for a composition class at Keene State) so I assumed date night would be the usual.  When he came home late in the afternoon, he said, “How about dinner and a movie?”  Our historic theatre find from last fall was showing “J. Edgar” at 7 p.m.  I scrambled to change out of my lounge-around-the-house clothes and did a quick curl to my hair that had been wound on top of my head all day.

In the car, I searched for restaurants using my newest app (Urban Spoon).  “There’s a Thai place that looks like it’s right around the corner,” I said.  A quick walk and a peek in the window later, we were settled at a quiet table for two in the bright interior of Thai Time.  Curry dishes are my new favorite and in our typical fashion, we ordered two different dishes and shared.  The food was delicious!  I love discovering great, new places.

“J. Edgar” profiled the life and work of the legendary J. Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the FBI.  He instituted the card catalog filing system at the Library of Congress and was responsible for creating a centralized fingerprint file as well as the first forensic laboratories.  I thought the film was very well-done.  Leonardo diCaprio never disappoints!

So, there you have it.  Our latest adventure.

Image Credit: Mt. Horeb Area Historical Society

Tags: date night, J. Edgar Hoover, Strand Theatre, Thai Time

At Work

I love having the flexibility to be able to work from home.  It may not be my everyday routine and I may not keep set hours, but I love working on lesson plans, sending emails, and planning the 2012 WCMW from my cozy little corner desk in the top room of our Carriage House.  In anticipation of another productive work week, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite work spaces (taken from my inspiration file on Pinterest, of course).

Image Credit: A Cottage in the Woods, Coral Marshmallow, Karina El beso, Scout for the Home, 26.media, photo problem

Tags: inspiration, decorating, inspiration board, desk, Pinterest, home office, work, work space

Immortal Love, Forever Full

Well, it’s been quite a week.  From productive meetings and back-to-back private students, two great choir rehearsals and my first full day at Fitchburg State, “stomping out fires” and a massive amount of email, it’s been exciting and a little overwhelming at times.  I am amazed at all of the music and teaching opportunities that are in front of me this semester but there are times when I feel incapable.  “How can I keep up with all of this?”  I ask myself.  Perhaps I need to read this post again?

Yesterday, I took a few minutes to review a few pieces before choir rehearsal.  I turned to one of our new pieces (my favorite anthem in the folders right now) – “Immortal Love, Forever Full” (arr. Kreider – listen here).  I was the only one in the Sanctuary and the church was quiet. . . it was so peaceful.  I relished the moment of solitude.  It became a moment of worship for me, playing there in the middle of the afternoon.  I read the words and let the meaning sink in.  A sense of calmness washed over me – just what my soul needed.  “Forever shared, forever whole, a never ebbing sea!”

–

Immortal love, forever full,
Forever flowing free,
Forever shared, forever whole,
A never ebbing sea!

Our outward lips confess the name
All other names above;
Love only knoweth whence it came,
And comprehendeth love.

We may not climb the heavenly steeps
To bring the Lord Christ down;
In vain we search the lowest deeps,
For Him no depths can drown.

But warm, sweet, tender, even yet,
A present help is He;
And faith still has its Olivet,
And love its Calvary.

The healing of His seamless dress
Is by our beds of pain;
We touch Him in life’s throng and press,
And we are whole again.

The letter fails, the systems fall,
And every symbol wanes;
The Spirit over brooding all,
Eternal Love remains.

- John Greenleaf Whittier, 1856

Tags: choir, choral music, Immortal Love Forever Full, Kreider, worship