I love to visit bookstores, so earlier this week while I was on Oahu I came across da Shop, a wonderful eclectic bookstore with so many fun books to browse (and buy). I was on the verge of buying this interesting picture book about the Japanese poet Basho called, A Pond, A Poet, and Three Pestsby Caroline Adderson. It’s a cute story imagining what Basho was experiencing when he created his famous Haiku:
Old pond–
Frog jumps in
Splash!
Or some version of that. There are many different translations. Today’s poetry prompt at Verselove suggests creating an un-found poem or an Antonymic (one using antonyms) version. While I’m not so sure I actually followed the directions, I did have fun playing around with my own Haiku-ish poem inspired by Basho’s The Old Pond.
When the day dawns cloudy and you have a sunset event planned, dreams of color fade to black and gray. Rain teased, moments of downpour mixed with fizzled drizzle. Nothing to keep you inside or suggest storm. Jacket nor umbrella made their way to into the day’s supplies. Time nears and the sun makes a path through the maze of clouds, an unexpected guest appearance.
On this 31st day of the Two Writing Teachers’ Slice of Life challenge I’ve been thinking about the lessons that daily writing for a public audience offers and why I continue to choose to write and publish on my blog every day in March.
1. There is something incredibly special about this particular community of writers. There is a kind of welcome that encourages participation even when I feel like an imposter as a writer. Those who comment manage to find a nugget of meaning and bring it to my attention, fueling that desire to continue and teaching me to comment thoughtfully as well.
2. Even when I write every day, writing doesn’t get easier. It feels hard to have something to say that others may want to read. It’s different than writing in a journal for your eyes only, public-facing adds a different kind of pressure.
3. But, when I do commit to everyday writing I wake each day with an expectation of writing. Every moment becomes potential fodder for my writing, from elephants and play to the fun of sending and receiving postcards to the lost art of knot tying. Living a writerly life means paying attention to the little things, breathing them in so I can exhale words on the page.
4. Writing everyday makes me a different kind of reader. I notice the way other writers use language, how they develop topics, what they say and don’t say… And I don’t confine myself to books. I’m reading song lyrics, advertising copy, overheard conversations, notes scrawled on the sides of buildings and bathroom stalls…
5. When I’m writing every day, there is no perfect place or setup for accomplishing my writing. I write on airplanes, in the few minutes before I need to set up for a Zoom meeting, when I should be writing report cards, and even on the beach. Luckily my blogging app makes it pretty easy to at least get a draft going no matter where I am.
6. And I’m convinced that daily writing makes me a better teacher of writing. I’m living writing as a process…and knowing that on the other side I am also producing a product. Just like my students know that at least some of their writing will be read by someone else, I, too, expect that someone will read what I write. Writing for myself is important, but writing for others is another aspect of writing to consider whether I am writing emails, reports, newsletters, poetry, or even social media posts. Understanding writing from the inside out helps me make writing instruction more playful and responsive and is an important reminder of the power of words across contexts.
With March done, it’s time for National Poetry Month. Will I continue to write and post throughout April? That’s the plan—with the help of Verselove. Thanks Two Writing Teachers community, I hope to see many of you as we continue into April.
It feels like tying things is becoming a lost art. The majority of the first graders in my class don’t know how to tie their shoes, most opting for Velcro or slip-ons as alternatives to the dreaded shoe tying.
Bows on packages are often premade. You can just peel off the paper and stick them directly on the wrapping paper. Maybe I’m showing my age, but tying used to feel like a rite of passage rather than an avoidable annoyance.
We recently sent our grandsons knot tying kits — kind of in the same genre of the Swiss Army knives we got them for their birthdays (and I wrote about here). And I’m wondering if they will take up the challenge of learning to tie a variety of knots. I think the kit includes directions for 23 essential knots. (What knots are essential? And for who?)
Sitting in a beach chair, reading a novel, I heard the horn of a catamaran alerting people to move so they could land on the beach. And probably about 10 yards from me the boat landed on the sand and two young women ran down the stairs, hopped off, each grabbing a long and thick rope that they then looped through a metal ring and tied with confidence. I have no idea what kind of knot it is, but I’m guessing if you work on that catamaran, that knot is essential.
What other professions and hobbies depend on knots? How do we get our children and students interested in these lost arts? How many knots do you know how to tie?
I remember reading a post by Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone earlier this month where she shared an expression from when her kids were little—“if they’re crabby, put them in water.”
So what does that have to with my post today, you might ask. I was thinking about the healing power of water as I spent my morning immersed in 78 degree salty ocean water, swimming with colorful fish (and seeing honu in the distance).
When I add water to my day, even in these challenging times, life feels just a tiny bit lighter. Dipping my toes in the quite a bit colder waters near home, improves my mood and helps to unknot my shoulders. Snowflakes falling on my cheeks on a trip to the mountains in February helped me breathe more deeply and sleep more soundly. The sound of rain on the roof can feel like music (but again, all things in moderation—a rainy day schedule with first graders is not my ideal teaching day).
A friend of mine, whenever I mention a headache or not feeling well, reminds me to drink more water.
So I’m going with the theory—a dip in some something wonderfully watery, whether it be the bath or the ocean might just improve the day! It certainly got mine off to a great start today!
Do you frequent farmers markets? We have plenty in and around the community where I live…and I never go. The parking’s hard, they’re mostly on weekend mornings, somehow I just never get there.
But this morning, far from home, I visited a Saturday morning farmers market. It was wonderful. Filled with flowers of all colors and every luscious, savory smell you can imagine. Local honey, empanadas filled with crab or lobster, every possible juice, fruit and vegetables—an entire table full of tomatoes—and more.
I ended up with an açaí bowl overflowing with a rainbow of fruit and the perfect crunch of homemade granola. Such a treat!
Will I start going to our local farmers market because of my experience today…seems unlikely that I will change my ways. Then again, maybe if I need an excuse to treat myself to something fresh and yummy I’ll choose the farmers market next time!
Thinking Through My Lens 