Friday Photo: In The Moment
Posted on January 7, 2012 by Jennifer Wolfe
loving fiercely | teaching audaciously | thinking deeply
Posted on January 7, 2012 by Jennifer Wolfe
Posted on December 31, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe
Posted on December 30, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe
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?
Posted on December 18, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe
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.
Posted on December 2, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe
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