It finally clicked. Michele had, subtly and not so subtly, been sharing this mantra with me for over a year. "Keisha, I'm telling you--less is more! Don't kill it." I'd smile and nod while my head swam with more things I had to do. Yeah right, less is more. Have you seen my desk? Have you seen my to do list? Have you checked my inbox? My life was MORE! There was no seeming escape from it. But I was wrong. I have found refuge in the peace and rest of these summer days. The 'more' that cluttered my head has diffused and in this clarity, the wisdom of my friend is salient. Less is more. I've had time to think about what these words truly mean to me, and I'm adopting Michele's mantra because I think it will save and better me. As a wife, less time nagging and more time together. More hand holding and seeing him as lover and not just provider. As a parent, less is more. Less time worrying about trivial things that don't mean a hill of beans in the long run. I want to raise happy, loving, kind citizens and my husband and I are on the right track. More time laughing and enjoying who they are. At home, less stuff! Less to clean--enough said. I have enjoyed watching shows about tiny house living and while I am not there, my land of excess needs to be pared down. More peace with less stuff. As a teacher, less of me and more of them. Learning is about ownership, and if I have taken full ownership, what is left for my students. Time to divest. Less instruction and more construction of their own ideas, questions and whatever else comes from kids taking the reins. As a friend, less talking and more listening. I could go on and on. I don't want or need a life of 'more' when it compromises my peace and rest. I am hoping even on my busiest day, I can smile and nod emptying all the clutter and recall my friends words "less is more." Thanks, Mich!
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I am an avid list maker. There is nothing more fulfilling than grabbing a post-it, you know the ones from the dollar bin at Target that scream WRITE A LIST ON ME, and emptying your mind of all preoccupations and must dos. It's a beautiful thing. My lists are often scrolls of epic proportion. They keep me sane--okay for those who know me sanity is relative, so I'll say slightly sane. It does not matter that it's humanly impossible to get through all of the things on them, btw my students say the same thing about my classroom agendas; yet, just having them brings me comfort. Yes, it's crazy, I know. If I am able to cross a few things off, I have succeeded. I guess it's the thrill of the chase: the elusive and unattainable. Here is today's list: *Reflect (check) *Write (check) *Walk *Prep for tutoring *Help Marcus with Marketing Materials *Get curriculum work done *Organize vacation itinerary *Check in with the kids on reading progress *Pick up the nephews *Meal planning *Take Katie shopping *Set lunch date with a friend *Find lost library book *Read Ahhhhh, done writing my list. Time to relax and do what isn't on the list like check Twitter or Facebook or Instagram to see what's up in the micro/macro world, drink some tea while staring out at nature marveling at the growth rate of flowers and weeds, spend 20 minutes waking up teenagers and sitting on the side of their beds talking and laughing, walk by my husbands office and smile. Life is hectic and while my lists let me know what I need to do, I am just as happy when I don't get it all done for those other little things that I also really need to do. |
AuthorDocumenting my evolution by filling in space and matter one word at a time. Archives
March 2023
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