The sun finally came out yesterday! I took a break from work for a walk in the woods and decided to make it a MINDFULNESS walk. I tried to set aside all my thoughts about everything else and just focus on what I noticedwith every step that I took. Good thing I was really paying attention; suddenly I saw something tiny almost under my foot! The baby mouse must have come out of his nearby nest and wandered into the path. I slowly held out my hand and he climbed right onto my fingers. Before I looked for a safer spot to put him, I took a moment to notice every detail I could. His tiny feet, his perfect ears and whiskers, his eyes blinking closed as if he wanted a nap... I knew I needed to let him go and get back to busy "real life." But before I did that, I stopped to notice how happy and grateful I felt! It brightened my day and gave me a memory I will never forget!Click here to get a Mindfulness Calendar full of activities for May!
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On our daily walk this afternoon, I said to my husband, "Hey, it's officially spring now, right?" We were walking along the Charles River in Waltham, making sure we stayed out of the way of speeding bike riders and other social-distancing folks as we walked. It took us a while to agree on the date. My guess (March 27) was the accurate one, due to the internalized calendar all of us school people possess. Our conversation, for most of the hour we walked, kept drifting back to the topic of life with Coronavirus precautions. Our daughter's senior year in high school has been hijacked, at least for most of her last semester. Everyone I know, in every age-group, is impacted by these current events. As a parent and educator, my head is spinning. How can we support our school and home families? I so miss seeing Dale Street kiddos and colleagues each day. This is an ongoing question, with many solutions. In Medfield, we are "all in this together," for sure. I am sad but also excited to think about the weeks we have in front of us. They will of course hold frustrations and disappointments. However, I also feel real excitement about the opportunity to "think outside the box," come up with new ways of connecting with students and providing support in as many ways as we can. This week I was lucky enough to be invited to "join" Dale Street classroom communities online. I look forward to being able to see what's going on (creativity to the max!) and to the increased sense of connection I will feel. I hope I can be of some help to families also. In addition to connecting personally through email, I would like to offer relevant resources as we all try to navigate the "uncharted waters" ahead. If you have time, please check out the following Resources for Parents from the ChildMind Institute.
I am currently in the process of updating my blog. Thank you for your patience!!! Credit for the posting below goes to one of my favorite resources, Renee Jain. She is the creator of a web-based program called Go Zen. Ms. Zain designed this program as an engaging tool for children and teens (and their parents) to alleviate what she saw as a nationwide epidemic of anxiety. For some of her thoughts and ideas based on an anxious child's perspective, click: 5 things I wish people knew about my anxiety
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