Rock Dreams

A rock is dreaming
deep below
waiting to emerge
erode, explode.

It dreams of touching
billowing skies
stoically wise
towering high.

But for now
it waits down deep
sleeping by
its grandad's feet.

It was getting later and later this evening. Kids were finally in bed, not sleeping, but finally I had time.
Thoughts:
"I haven't written my slice. I've done very little commenting today. Haven't barely checked my email to see if anyone needs anything in the slicing world, aaah! Okay, breathe. Look at your list. You made a list for days like this. Go to the list."
I went. Um, there were like three things on my list. Did I think I made a list, cause three things doesn't really offer a lot of slicing choices. However, one of my ideas for a slice was a peek in my notebook. So I went to my notebooks. I have two that are my faves right now among the four or five that I use. There it was. A poem I wrote in January. A cute poem. I knew I could fix up a bit. Hmmm, want to teach my kids about revision, maybe I will take this in tomorrow to share with them too. I crossed out, moved words around and smiled. Yep, it's done for now, but writing is never really done is it? I kinda like that.

Turn your head sideways to get the actual peek. :)

Someday...Today

I recently got the book Someday by Eileen Spinelli. As I read the book I thought I would like to write a poem inspired by the someday/today kind of pattern that occurs. My poem is very different from the story but I feel like it made me look at things I dream about doing and how they relate to things I am doing each and every day.








Someday I will climb a mountain
and look out at the world.
It will look back at me
and blow me a kiss of wind,
someday.

Today I will run into the wind
blowing clouds
from my burning lungs
and I will breathe life into
today.

Someday I will kayak with the whales.
They will say good morning
and I will sit quiet,
watching,
someday.

Today I will sketch a whale
for a child writing a someday story
of his dreams
and whale watching wishes
today.

The Blurring URLs

I have been assigning new slicers to people on the Welcome Wagon for the past few days now and I can say there are a lot of really cool URLs out there. I have read them so many times I have some of them memorized. As I look at lists of names and URLs my mind goes: "yes, no, copy, paste, check, recheck" and on and on. Here are few of them that come to mind as I write my slice today:

http://writingmomentum.blogspot.com/

http://echointhememory.wordpress.com/

http://smilingallthewhile.blogspot.com

http://pursuit-of-sanity.blogspot.com

http://runningfancy.wordpress.com

http://scribbleandjot.wordpress.com

http://thetruthasirememberit.wordpress.com/

These are all new to the slicing world, go give them some comment love! 

Pushing My Pace

My One Little Word (OLW) for 2013 is Pace. I found myself thinking about it yesterday as I was outside running.

When I first began running this winter my purpose was to help myself reflect, to push myself and to work through my inner dialogue. I set a goal, achieved it and now have set a new one. I have let others inspire me to get better and keep going.

Yesterday was particularly gloomy in Michigan. Almost no sun. Gray in every corner of my gaze. My son wanted to run with me yesterday. Hmmm, I had planned on doing five miles and knew that wouldn't work for him.

Me: "How far do you want to go?"
E: "How about 2 miles?"
Me: "Okay. Get ready."

We went out. It was cold, I think in the 20's, but if we kept moving we would warm up. We reached a half mile.
Me: "How you doin'?"
E: "How about 1 mile?"
Me: "Sure thing."
He was cold and in his boyish curiosity had dunked his foot into a huge pothole full of muddy water. That could not be comfortable.

So, we turned around. I dropped him off and I decided I would keep going. I was calculating in my head how far I would need to go to reach 5 miles for the day. I got my music going and I was ready. I felt good. I had warmed up. It was still gray everywhere I looked but I could start to see beauty in the grays that surrounded me. I felt alive.

I was at mile 3 or so.
I turned around. Again assessing my calculations.

My thoughts: "If I go just a little further past our neighborhood I would probably be a half mile from home and that would be about 6 miles. I shouldn't do that. Maybe I should. I feel good. I should do that. Today is a good day to push myself past my comfort zone and go."

I went.
I went 6.2 miles.
It was the day to push my pace.

I Am

I am a list maker
I am a sun seeker
I am a sand lover
I am a spring waiter
I am a snow runner
I am a bird watcher
I am a kid hugger
I am a star wisher
I am a heart chaser
I am a story maker
I am a only I am

Let the Day Begin

Turn the page

today you can
if you couldn't before
your chapter begins
today
each day begins this way
a gracious gift
to live again
today
breathe life into your day
accept,
let go
forgive
exist
today is yours
to choose to be
to be you
let your day be free
Let the day begin.


Oh, today. Today is March 1. I wait for this day every year. I breathe joy into this day every year. This day is always a symbol of beginnings for me and beginnings are important. Sometimes we need a tangible day or moment to move past, move on, be free. Today is that day for me.
Today is also a two-fold post, Poetry Friday, which I have missed for several weeks and the beginning of the SOLC. Enjoy today and breathe.
It is just beginning.

Little Bits of Sunshine

You know that feeling when the sun hits your face and it has been days or weeks since you felt it?

Isn't that the best feeling?

What other little parts of life give me this feeling:

My daughter's sparkly eyes
My husband's warm hugs
My son's silly giggle
My student's excited smiles
My colleagues' good morning greetings
My mother-in-law's daily positive Facebook status
My blog comments :)


Each one of these little moments, as they present themselves to me, give me that warm genuine good feeling. What little bits of sunshine did you feel today?

Write your own little slice of sunlight today and share it with the SOL community at Two Writing Teachers with Ruth and Stacey. Your words might be just what they need.