Category: Reflections

Questions and Answers

Posted on December 31, 2011 by

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” 
– Zora Neale Hurston

Zora had a point.  We all may start off each new year with our to-do and to-don’t lists, our resolutions, our diet plans, our financial makeovers, travel itineraries and dreams for the upcoming year, but somewhere things always seem to go a little off course.
 

There’s a reason why gym memberships and weight loss centers see a spike in memberships in January and a decline just a few months later.  Humans just seem to operate that way.  What seems ‘good’ or ‘right’ or ‘popular’ in one moment can quickly fade to black in another.

Today’s world is creating a culture that allows and even encourages shallow thinking.  Instant messaging, texting, information at our fingertips and the ability to lose ourselves in games, videos and social media that we carry in our pockets fosters constant mind chatter.  Working parents and over scheduled kids find it easier to succumb to these temptations, seduced by the images and messages of what ‘we’ should be like, look like, and act like.  Sadly, many of these icons are just as lost as the people who are finding solace in their stories.

Perhaps what we need to do most is re-look at the way we see ourselves.  By focusing on the ‘issues’ we see in our lives we deny the deeper, richer, more powerful parts to surface.  Comparing ourselves to some media enhanced ideal of the perfect mother, father, parent, student, child, family or athlete surely places us in a state of lack.  Instead, finding solitude and time alone may allow us to relax and listen for what is really meaningful and valuable, and give us a chance to question what is missing in our lives.

What if we intentionally go into this new year to either ask for questions or search for answers in our lives?  What if we push aside all the lists and resolutions and instead resolve to look within?  What if we spent 10 minutes a day on ourselves, in solitude, asking and listening for answers and resolving to trust in the messages we receive?  What would happen?  Would that be scary?  What would shift in our lives?

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This year, let’s set ourselves up for success.  Throw out that resolution list and instead use that time to plan a daily session of solitude.  Ask questions.  Listen for the answers.  Choose this year to be the one that makes a difference.

You might just amaze yourself.

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

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Friday Photo: On The Flip Side

Posted on December 30, 2011 by


I’m spending my winter break in the snow.  Actually, that’s not entirely true.  Like a good ski racer mom should, I’m spending my winter break in the mountains, at the ski hill.

We’re just missing the snow.

At first it was kind of nice-the weather was clear and cold and the snow making machines were doing their thing day and night.  We could hardly tell the difference.  I enjoyed not having to slog through snowbanks from the car to the cabin.  Hauling luggage and groceries was much easier, and I haven’t even had to take the snow shovel out once.

Then it warmed up.

Suddenly I wasn’t spending my mornings and afternoons on the slopes.  Instead, the lodge became my home for seven hours a day.  Outside the windows I could watch the dirt streaks appear and the rocks uncovered.  Morale was going down on all fronts.

Aside from learning a snow dance, I needed to do something different.  As I set off on a walk in the afternoon, I began to make startling discoveries-there was more to this place than snow.  The simple, stark beauty of winter dormancy took hold of me, and I found myself snapping photo after photo.  This image was taken on the border of the Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, where I spend many days during the winter months.

As I looked at this little frozen creek I realized that the lack of snow wasn’t altogether bad.  I thought about how we often wish for the familiar, the known.  These are the places we feel comfortable and safe – and predictable.

I’m learning that if we look at the flip side, though, we can see some pretty amazing things, and that by turning our perspective around life looks beautiful, just in a different way.

What can you flip over and discover in your life today?

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

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Another Day

Posted on December 22, 2011 by

Her face is turned toward the window, nestled on a deep feather pillow.  Long dark lashes flutter as I kiss her cheek, brushing back soft strands of hair from her forehead.  It is dark out, yet she will rise and greet another day.

His face is face up, eyes closed, arms thrown back over his head in the same position as when he slept as an infant.  I reach down to kiss the sweet spot between his jaw and neck, and he groans and pulls the covers tighter.  It is dark out, yet he will rise and greet another day.

Sleepily she pads downstairs, honey colored hair still in a messy braid.  Too early to eat, she sips cold orange juice as she pulls on long underwear and ski socks.  It is dark out, yet she will go and meet another day.

Groggily he pulls on his fuzzy black and white skull patterned bathrobe and gulps down fresh water.  He trods down the stairs, too full of chatter for such an early start.  It is dark out, yet he will go and meet another day.

She dresses quickly yet deliberately.  No worries about appearances, she thinks only of the snow that awaits her.  It is cold out, yet she will be brave and face another day.

He pulls on his layers, sweet grapefruit juice dribbling down his chin.  Thinking only of the countdown to Christmas, he hugs me in anticipation.  It is cold out, yet he will be brave and face another day.

Methodically she unscrews her ski helmet face bar in the dark lodge, preparing for the morning workout ahead of her.  Layer upon layer upon layer she bundles up and heads towards the lift, tousled braid whipping in the wind.  It is dawn out, and she gets to have another day.

Slowly he prepares for the snow, insisting on doing it alone.  His fuzzy brown head disappears beneath a royal blue helmet and goggles, contrasting the lime green and black of his jacket.  We kiss goodbye, my assurance I will be waiting for him when he returns.  It is dawn out, and he gets to have another day.

Yet as I sit by the window watching the sun crest the snow-covered hills, I cry for the mother and child who are apart, who will never feel their arms around each other again, and who cannot brush away each other’s tears.

It is bright out, and I get to have another day.

 

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

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When You Wish Upon A Star

Posted on December 20, 2011 by

I saw a shooting star this morning.  I was driving on a two lane highway along the Truckee River, my whole family snug in the car.  At the same instant in the front seat my husband and I caught the star as it propelled against the midnight blue pre-dawn sky.  In the backseat all the kids got was a scientific explanation of how it happened. They missed it.

As I have each time I’ve seen this phenomenon, I made a wish.  I won’t say what it was – that would jinx it, right?  What I will say is that any chance I have gotten over the last 15 years I have been wishing the same wish without fail.

What would happen if you got what you wished for?

I saw a quote on someones Facebook wall that said, “Karma is a bitch.  So make sure that bitch is beautiful.”  I think about karma all the time.  Sometimes it’s the only way I can make sense of the senseless in the world.  But rarely do I think of karma in a negative way.  To me, karma happens in the ‘pay it forward’ sense.   What we do in our lives, how we treat others, the work we commit to, the love we share, the thoughts we think-all are how we place our spirits in positive alignment.

To think of karma in the negative sense may be comforting on some level, but productive?  Positive?  Peaceful?  I think not.  Karma isn’t fate – we all enter each day with unlimited choices.  Why some choose the negative and some the positive is unclear to me – to choose hate or harm over love and peace doesn’t make any sense.

As the sun rises over the mountain tops and the moon and stars fade for another day, once again I am challenged.  It is up to me to make my wish come true – no genie with a magic lantern or fairy godmother is in sight.  My wish remains inside my heart, but my actions I wear on my sleeve for everyone to see.

So next time you see a shooting star, blow out birthday candles, or find a dandelion in bloom, be careful what you wish for – you might just get it.

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

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Friday Photo: Shifting Gears

Posted on December 18, 2011 by

The week before winter break is never easy for a middle school teacher. The combination of high energy and anticipation levels of the students juxtaposed with the need to finish units, projects and assessments makes for an exhausting experience. Add to that the needs of my own children at home, the cards, gifts and holiday cheer and I am not sure if I am coming or going.

Late last night as Leno wrapped up his monologue, I catch myself in an unsettling space between gearing up and winding down. A kaleidoscope of ‘to-dos’ spins through my mind. Fortunately, sleep kicks in, and eight short hours later, I have a flash of clarity.

After driving through the mountains in the predawn hours, my son and I pass Donner Lake, and in that moment, as the water and sky met and steam hissed from its surface, I quickly stop the car. My brain pauses and we drink in the tranquility of the water before us. Silently I breathe deeply, wait, and shift back into gear with a new sense of calm.

Try it. Breathe. Pause. Wait. Shift.

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

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