Got up early to get in a quick grocery run…as I’ve been doing for the last 3 weeks, on Tuesday’s. Wanted to come home and prepare for a walk before starting the eleventh day of “teaching” from home. I caught myself rushing to do this and said to myself…why? I have a treadmill. I don’t have to walk right now…I can walk whenever I want. So, I slowed down and decided to enjoy the rest of the cup of coffee I bought while out getting the groceries and ease into the day.

Yesterday saw me composing notes and announcements, answering emails, replying to student work, starting and partially competing a mini-project, and addressing an urgent request I got from our principal after lunch. How was I able to balance all of that and not feel like I was going crazy?! Being an overachiever affords you...above all…time. I have all of the assignments I want my students to work on during this week of supplemental learning finished and ready to post into Google Classroom throughout the week. I only post, in advance, one day ahead. My reason…we are living through such a fluid moment in time and things are changing literally by the hour. I don’t want to have to get back into Google Classroom and delete assignments that are not going to be needed. I have most of the content I want to share with my student’s families, via the Remind app and or Parent Square already written for this week, ready to post. Again, I don’t want to get too ahead of myself…that’s not productive!

Being so far ahead of the curve affords me time to…

Support students (in Google Classroom) as they finish assignments

Support student families via the Remind app, Face Time, and Zoom

Deal with urgent requests from my administrators

Take meditation breaks

Chip away at laundry

Make quick grocery runs

Start mini-projects like cleaning out the closet in my humble little office

Listen to podcasts when I’m not supporting students and families

Write blog posts

Being so far ahead of the curve can also be a bit problematic. When I’m not doing the things listed above…I feel..idle…I also feel…guilty…and a little anxious. These are not good feelings for the mind, body, and spirit...especially during a time like this.

In these moments of feeling idle and/or guilty and/or anxious I need to be more mindful. The thought just occurred to me…as I wrote that last sentence that the time in between my work and any one of the things I have listed above are (is) equivalent to the pause in between an in breath and and out breath…a moment to be mindful...an opportunity to cultivate mental silence. I don’t have to be doing something all day long…work or otherwise. It’s ok to just sit for a while and “be.”

Easier said than done though.