I have been in education since 1980. I absolutely love what I do and wish to help and support other School Counsellors across the world. All my resources are free for you to use and change as you wish. If you do alter anything I have created , I would appreciate you acknowledging where you got the original idea. Collaboration and sharing make us better at what we do … helping students. I look forward to connecting with you. Keep making a difference. Our students need School Counsellors like you who want to help and make a difference in the world. Join me as I co- moderate #scchat The chat is held the first Wed. of every month Sept. to June at 6:30 MT 8:30 ET
2021 has been one of the more difficult times in my adult life. I lost a lot of my vision due to a virus. It is slowly returning, but, It will never be the same again. There is just too much damage. I am not at the point of corneal transplants yet so, I have a lot to be grateful for. I have also dealt with the loss of a beloved family member as well as having two close family members get Covid. Let’s just say it hasn’t been easy.
Fortunately for me I started with a full cup and while it is draining,my cup is not empty (far from it). So how do I remain positive? I walk everyday and moved it up to an hour a day from a half hour. I keep myself active by painting and working part time. I also belong to an amazing organization called Secont Chants, plus I volunteer. All have been a true blessing for me. They keep my mind off of myself and more on others and other things.
Although it is tiring and not easy to connect virtually after a day of work and other pressures , many of my closest friends have made it a point to connect with me. I have not reached out like I usually do. My husband has also made life so much easier for me, he always has I am fortunate.
I am tired and grieving ,but I also know how much good I have in my life and I remind myself that others have fared off much worse than I. Not to diminish my pain,but to recognize that no one gets through this life without struggles some so much more severe than others and yet people remain pillars of strength.
Each chapter in life brings us new challenges, some we can never anticipate or expect. So having a full cup with connections, caring people and coping skills makes it all that much easier, definitely not easy ,but it gives us strength to cope with what comes our way. At least it has for me.
So I remain positive that this too shall come to pass and I will fill my cup back up and maybe it will even run over. I hope that happens for you too.
There are so many creative people in the world and oh how lucky am I to be connected to such creative and fabulous people on twitter.
“Where The World Finds Gratitude in the Rhythm of Shared Writing” Kevin Hodgson
Thank you for the inspiration #DS106. Creating is so good for our mental health. I am always inspired by @grammasheri . i love that she nudges me to join in on her creative endeavours. I am also grateful to @wendtale who has also given me a nudge or two along the way. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with her on Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning before so connecting again has been great. So today I was inspired to create a remix of 106 lines of thought.
Here is my remix:
Collaborating on the 106 Lines of Thought poem with such fabulous people was so much fun. Here is the original.
A bird, flying though the sky
2 Cuts through dark clouds
3 Circling on wind drifts
4 Your mind shifts to stars
5 Whose silver wings shimmer and shiver. And fade.
6 Cutting into thin air, exhilarating, hard to breath,
7 as you swim through the sun flooded blue
8 ignoring the green duckweed trying to get into your nostrils.
9 focusing on turquoise skies: the other side
10 until, until, there. You break through and for a moment,
11 you forget. (Go to line 106 option)
12 The dark clouds that touched your wings yesterday. Now replaced by light.
13 Invisibly lifted, you soar higher.
14 Higher and higher until you fear Icarus’ fate.
15 Looking down, you notice gratitude growing within you,
16 warming your bones just like the Sun’s rays.
17 wrapping wings of hope around the earth
18 observing the moment pass.
19 You glide, introspective,
20 Into a brighter light,
21 illuminating from deep within,
22 sparking something deep inside of you,
23 that reaches out to others
24 even animal friends, companions
25 share your brilliance
26 alive, living in the moment.
27 noticing the small things
28 celebrating the small things, because these give us all hope.
29 a child’s smile, a cat’s paw, a snowdrop peeking through the snow
30 a carousel of animated memories that light up receptors of gratitude
31 and trigger fond memories
32 captured, like snapshots, to browse through
33 a force keeping the dark clouds at bay
34 and allowing our inner strength to shine through
Here is a link to one of the remixes of the the poem . There are so many ways to remix. You can try some here in the poetry remix matrix.
You may be inspired to remix one day soon and if you do you might connect with some inspiring people and create a state of flow for yourself which is definitely good for your mental health. Have fun!
Well 2020 was quite the year, but now it is gone and I will let go of it. I intend to embrace each day in 2021. A great quote from Zach Sobiech that I like to live by is ” You don’t need to find out you are dying to start living” No greater lesson to learn in life , but especially in a pandemic. LIVE!
If you have been reading my blog I want to thank you and yes, especially you Paul. I’ve decided to take a break. I committed to writing every day for a year and I have been writing most every day since July 1st , but I have decided I will alter my goal.
I have lots of goals not just this one and I took on two jobs in this pandemic, which I am very happy to do. It gives me purpose in this pandemic. However, I don’t feel I need to write every day. Exercise is one of my top priorities. Self care is also important so I have given myself permission to NOT write every day. This is not easy for me . Pat of it feels like I have not committed to my goals, but I also know it is OK to alter goals when it is in your best interest to do so.
I need some downtime , not feeling like I have to write when I have little to say. Again thanks to those of you who come back often. I will continue to blog just not as often.
As I take some downtime in the holiday season, I will have time to reflect and maybe the next time I write it will be more meaningful.
Take care of yourself. I know I plan to, sometimes goals need to be altered to make room for things you need. Virtual hugs.
Affirmations help teens to reframe their thoughts into more positive ones. They are uplifting, affirming and with repetition can stick in teens minds. What we say to our mind matters. Having teens repeat affirmations long enough can help start to believe the words.
I like to have students write them on their mirrors and or write an affirmation and put it in their phone or in their wallet. Whichever place they know they will look at often makes the most sense.
If we want teens to be kind to their mind using affirmations is one way that could help.
20 Positive Affirmations for Teens
I am enough
I matter
I believe I can
I can cope with difficult times
I will live each day fully to the best of my ability
Some days life just passes by and before you know it , I’m too tired to write . It’s much easier to fit in exercise than to write daily. There have been days when I missed writing because I fell asleep. I am going to forgive myself because I am living through a pandemic. Life is different and so am I. It’s so hard to let go of not fulfilling my promise to myself to write each day for one year. I have fallen short , but I will let go of my inability to be 100%.
if I am able to write most every day then that is good enough. If I miss a few days this year of living differently in a pandemic then so be it !
My friend Kent reminded me of all the traditions that we have at Christmas time that will have to wait until next year to celebrate.
We usually start the season with a gift exchange and dinner at Leena and Roger’s with a lovely tourtiere dinner. I usually bring my art as a gift and we play the stealing game of presents. There is no lack of laughter in the room.
Kent has taken our children along with Darlene and Leonard’s children to see Christmas Carol for over the past 20 years and they have never tired of going or this lovely tradition.
Kent usually holds a pre Christmas roast beef dinner with enough food to last the next 10 meals.
I have hosted Christmas eve at my home for over 30 years and I must say it saddens me as I write this to say we won’t be doing that this year. I love that all of our friends have continued to come and bring their now grown children and significant others. The grown kids have always played games and often we join in or tell stories around the table while eating our now tradition spiral ham Christmas eve dinner.
Christmas morning was a time I had my neighbours over for breakfast. I love my neighbours.
Christmas day we rotate who holds the dinner. At Paul and Shelley’s or somewhere we are that year we take family pics. We all have been friends for 35 plus years and none of us have had our family here (parents, siblings etc.) so we consider each other family. Christmas time we eat too much , laugh too much , play games and tell stories around beautifully decorated tables. More importantly we love being together, we love each others company we are family. there have been some years where family and friends have come out to visit and join us at our tables of joy.
New years eve we also spend together. Often ordering in from Leena’s Italian , playing games and celebrating life. There is never a time we have run out of laughter or conversation.
New years day we all come together again, rotating whose turn it is , but celebrating again with another turkey dinner. Each bringing our special dish and loving every moment we have together.
Christmas season will be different this year , but I’m thinking we have to come up with a new tradition, maybe all chipping in to help a family have a better holiday season as we have had the blessings of so many..
Counsellor Talk : Creative Collaborative Connections 