Seriously, this is a dream come true! This summer I had the pleasure of introducing over 75 school administrators to Cedarmere for the first time. They could not believe their eyes! (And ears and nose too.). It is truly a magical place and something that nearly everyone can not understand until...
By some good fortune, I found myself working in a library. I didn't know librarians needed a degree in Library Science. I just thought anyone who liked to read could be a librarian and they can, but it is a bit more involved!
A compassionate reference librarian told me the deal. She...
Even if you don't have "teacher" in your job title, you are learning something new and teaching others all the time. Think about when you get a new phone, appliance, or computer upgrade. Think about being on the phone with customer service as they try to explain why the smart lamp you just...
Do you ever feel like there aren't enough hours in the day? Or do you ALWAYS feel there aren't enough hours in the day. If time is a human construct, can we find better ways to shape our days?
Over the years I have tried a lot of different planning systems. As a librarian, organization is...
What happens when you hold a rock in your hand? Go ahead, look around your house and pluck a rock out of a flower pot or decorative jar. No rock? Take a walk in the park and choose your pick!
Hold it. I’m not talking a fancy crystal, just a plain rock, so don't go nuts.
Whenever...
This year, I am taking something away. Let's call them subtraction goals.
Rather than adding new tasks, a weight loss regimen or a grand wealth building plan, what if you took something away this year?
Try out these questions with me as you start 2024:
Can I subtract an old story that...
Holidays are fun, but can be seriously stressful. There is so much that we can't control, but we can control our mindset, our minutes, and our energy. By focusing on the people and things that matter most, and by honoring what we are good at doing, we can live a life that is calm, creative and...
Finally, the weather cooperated and New Yorkers were able to get outdoors and not get soaked. We've had many weeks of rain on the weekends so whenever the sun appears, we go to mountains, beaches and parks and welcome the warmth.
We go to the trees.
Weekends indoors were...
Last week we wore winter boots. Today, I jumped in my 10 foot wide pool. Good thing I didn't close it early.
Over the weekend, there was a street fair that had not been held in years due to weather and well, the pandemic. You saw everything from ski jackets to tank tops and no one really got it...
For much of history, it has been tradition to burn journals of loved ones when they pass over to the other side. I would like that to happen with mine please. But what if you didn't have a choice?
I recently saw Eileen Miles speak about having her journals housed in the archives of Yale...
It's never too late to go back to school! I took two graduate courses this summer, even though I have been an educator for over 20 years. Learning and teaching are inseparable practices. Plus, we all must stay current to thrive.
I became a librarian for the love of books and reading but there is...
What does it mean to live a luminous life? This question has been tossing around my mind for many years. Being luminous is a state of being, a way of life, philosophy, health care routine, presentation powerhouse, parenting energizer, and teacher motivator. It also can put us on the fast track to...
Wait, you want me to hang upside down? Hear me out, there are many ways we can change our orientation on the planet without going to the monkey bars. Yesterday, I did a simple forward fold, my feet were wide apart, my hands supported my weight on the ground and I noticed...
Think of something you love to do. Do you consider it "creative." Cooking is creative. Travel is creative. Planning a party is creative. Pretty much everything you do in life requires you to problem solve and yes, that is creative! If you have a headache thinking about problems to solve, it's not...
When was the last time you thought about someone and they called you out of the blue or showed up on line next to you at the grocery store? Or maybe you noticed something in nature that required multiple factors to make it happen such as the sun fitting perfectly between two buildings in a...
In yoga and meditation we often speak of "monkey mind." It's as if a monkey is swinging in your gray matter while your focus tries to follow. Good luck following that monkey. All you can do is slow it down because there will always be distractions.
My students created a pollinator garden at...
Jump in a jalopy, splash at the shore, or kick up the grass and go on foot because it's time to get outside and do something different. Whenever you feel as if you're standing still or moving backwards, try changing directions. Move forward differently.
What is one area of your life...
Studies show having FOMO, aka Fear of Missing Out, can increase anxiety and depression. The US surgeon general just released a report on how especially bad it is for kids. Social media, of course, is largely to blame.
No wonder; it seems like everyone on social media has the most fabulous...
If you have ever visited or lived near a river, lake or marsh on North America, you have seen herons. With snaking necks that snap up prey, you never know when they will strike. All the while they manage to look so graceful and calm.
Most of their time is spent waiting. They...
Before Covid, I taught several yoga classes a week and was either presenting Writing Yoga® workshops or planning them during every second of my spare time. I miss my yoga students! But I had no time to focus on doing the work I was meant to do. Now, I can serve even more people, take...
Who was the best writing teacher you ever had? What did they do to inspire you and get your thoughts onto the page?
A classroom community can elevate your thoughts, synchronize ideas, and produce profound writing. As educators, we have to work hard to NOT interject what we think....
Greetings Readers, Teachers, Yogis and Librarians!
Library Week and Poetry Month both fall in April and with all of the yoga classes popping up at libraries over the past few years, you will have plenty of opportunities to sit, write and move! This is the special formula from the...
The cranky man on the supermarket line has a lot to say about you and the terrible state of the world. Everything is going to "hell in a handbasket." The lines on his face detail decades of serious frowning. When someone he knows says, "Hi, how are you today?" The man replies, "Could be better"...
If you know me well, you know I am a tropical climate kind of human. You don't see turtles and egrets walking in snow. My family has been coming down to Florida for decades, not in a fancy kind of way, but in a swim in the gulf, grill some veggies and walk on the Pinellas Trail kind of way. ...
Much of the year, most of us live and work in climate controlled environments. Bugs are not welcome. Spring invites us to get outside and create.
In the school where I work as a librarian, the kids are developing a native pollinator garden. I didn't even know it was a thing! The idea is to...
A recent challenge with a coworker left me reeling. I often hear from clients and colleagues about serious challenges, inequities and outright mean-spirited behavior that they must deal with on a daily basis. Maybe that is you? I rarely experience conflicts and live...
You can't blame the people of Long Island. Until recently, most cultural, literary, and historic landmarks were hard to find. As a reader of blog posts with Whitman in the title you might not believe me, but it seems that more Long Islanders have heard of the Walt Whitman Mall...
I've been obsessed with this collection of poetry called Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World by Pádraig Ó Tuama. I bought the audiobook for a trip knowing nothing more than the title.
From my journal: On the plane/close my eyes/relax my hands/ press play. It's familiar...
What does your Valentine's Day look like? Maybe you are having an overpriced meal with someone special or perhaps you are staying home with the cats and reading a page turner. This holiday can be rough or wonderful depending upon where you are in life.
What I love about mindfulness...
Does the word "creativity" make you think of paint, clay, and kids playing dress up? We all start out creative, but school and adult life might make us think that creativity is something to be left to artists and geeks. Then we get to the workplace and are expected to be innovative and...
Our principal asked us to pick a word at the start of the school year. The word would be our North Star to guide our goals, inform our lessons, and inspire us to do great work. School initiatives sometimes fall away as the year progresses, but a good administrator won't let that...
It’s the official start of the most chaotic time of the year. Take the pressure off and read a poem, quote or chapter of a book. Bibliotherapy is one of the best ways to escape the stressful buzz of cyber Monday and nurture your spirit.
What books most inspire you? Take one off the...
When have you been a beginner? It can be a little bit scary, but also exciting and invigorating to be brand new at something. Yoga teaches us how to approach arriving on the mat each day with a new attitude. Holding a beginner's mind can help us perform better as writers and teachers too....
Even if you are not a teacher or a parent, you still can feel a back-to-school kind of energy in the air. Everyone seems to be running around trying to settle back into the routine of learning and more structured days.
If you are looking for quick ways to stay calm, focused,...
After working with thousands of students over the years, I know for certain that most people believe they do not have enough time, talent, or energy to live the life of their dreams. I also know it's just not true!
Keeping a journal helps us to consider our deepest desires, dreams,...
Give me a beach. Find me a corner in the reading room. I know, I know, not everyone likes a beach. Some people can't stand the stillness of a library. That's okay, we all have destinations we love and ones we avoid but if you ever spent time watching sea birds wade, you know...
What would happen if you decided today would be amazing? Ditch the long lists, struggles, “I should….” or “someday I will…”
Just do an activity you love and do it today.
Maybe it’s dinner with friends or family. Maybe it is writing one paragraph...
Can you hear those sleigh bells starting to ring? Does the thought of the approaching holidays bring on some stress? Break out your journal and write for some instant stress-relief!
Yoga philosophy teaches us to listen to our instincts, stay focused, be a warrior for what matters, and show...
Mrs. Diller made me feel like I could do anything. It was first grade and we had class pets, peanut butter cookies, and lots of granola because nobody seemed to have allergies or be afraid of carbs back then. We had tables set up in each corner of the room. There was a red table with...
One night, my mother and sister had the same dream as I did. It was a realistic dream, just a normal day at a busy city park. I sat at a long picnic table loaded with snacks and canned seltzer. The park was crowded, but my family sat quietly around the long table. Okay,...
Happy Earth day, Writing Yogis and mindful ones!
We are having so much fun trying out this form of poetry that I just invented with my students in library classes. It’s the “Anamatopoem.”
Click on the video to see how it works. It’s a great way to celebrate Earth Day...
Humans, just like all of nature, move in spirals. We may even feel crushed by backward momentum, but once we see the other side, our rewards can be tremendous. That's the gift of a spiral path.
Writing Yoga® Mindfulness Prompt:
Lumi Sit: Take 5 minutes in silence. Close your eyes....
Do you remember thinking as a kid that the year 2000 was some mythical place in the future where robots ran the world? The robots aren't quite there yet and 2000 was 20 years ago!
There is a good chance that this is a milestone year for you. Where were you in 1900, 2000, 2010? Maybe...
“There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.” - Rosalyn Carter
I’ve witnessed so many teachers and nurses dedicate all their time and...
The baby boomers paved the way for us to think differently about getting old. They just aren't having it! Studies show that it's possible to feel and look years younger than you are by developing healthy habits including practicing yoga, journal writing and meditating. Writing Yoga®...
I was driving home from work when I suddenly and completely understood the mother of one of my characters. “Siri, take a note.” Bing.
I told my phone what she wore, the color of her bedspread, the pots and pans piling up in her kitchen sink. A fictional character was speaking to me....
When was the last time you felt really relaxed, calm, and centered? If you have a regular yoga and meditation practice, it might happen once a day. When you’re in the writing zone, cooking zone, or off on a run, you may forget yourself and feel as if you’re floating in a fluffy...
It used to be a big joke in my house. Mom’s got a vision board. Let them roll their eyes at me and my ‘little arts and crafts project.’ I don’t care. They work.
In 2015, I dreamed up beauty, wishes for my family, success and travel on a cheery pink piece of construction...
Venus stands in the middle of Dallas. She’s golden, glowing and powerful, but her bedroom is a mess. Could it be she has too much to wear? This artwork, Venere deglistracci dorata (Golden Venus of Rags), by Michelangelo Pistoletto was created between 1967-1971, long before Forever 21...
Some of the best mothers I have ever known never gave birth. One is an artist who plays with legos and crayons on the floor at dinner parties with the host’s children. Another is a teacher who has raised thousands of children over her long career and now goes to her former student’s...
