Free Write

 There are some days when you just have to let your mind wander, play with sound and imagery through words, and just have fun writing. Every Monday I start each class with a 7 minute free write. These always amount to something. Something humorous or something profound, it matters not. Sometimes we are compelled to share and other times we tuck the scribblings into a private place. Regardless, we become a community of writers during those 7 minutes. Only the sound of pen hitting paper. Heads down and hands moving. Those 7 minutes fill the classroom with a thick pulsing creativity that you can feel as vividly as sunlight.
Last week, across the state, schools just about everywhere participated in Vermont Writes Day. Students and adults alike chose from several prompts and just wrote. You can be sure something profound happened in classrooms all over.

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good eating

Truth be told I have no love of complicated cooking, but luckily for me, I live with someone who does. When we shop she reaches for new delights while I go for the basics. She questions, how might I cook that differently, while I stick with what I know. I lack imagination when it comes to the culinary arts but she can even make scrambled eggs taste like a gourmet delight. From what I’ve noticed, fresh herbs are often in her mix.

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dream in pink and green

Sometimes life is perfect. Right when you need it most. And this week, as my sister put it, “You hit the lottery.” Now, IMG_4123considering all the curve balls we have been running to catch, the near misses we have handled, and the hits we have taken, good fortune is indeed due. But does need predict success? Does desperation grant achievement? I will tell you, no, a flat out no. Just ask anyone experiencing troubles. No one feels their challenges were warranted, nor is there a quota; yet despite misfortune, miraculously, most learn to endure all that comes their way. Thankfully this week, we kick up our heels. Smile brightly. Look up. For fortune favored us.

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