Advent

Three years ago I didn't know what Advent was. I knew that you could get advent calendars with treats, but I didn't know what they meant. Growing up, my AME church instilled in us that "Jesus is the reason for the season." Advent serves as that reminder. Advent, ideally, should call upon us to dig a bit deeper in our reflections of "What would Jesus do," should push us to care genuinely about who Jesus was and is to Christians and as a model for humanity. It asks us to consider how we make space for faith in our lives. I welcome the invitation.

What I Am Thankful for in 2015

- Owning my strengths, challenges, and voice.
- Operating from a place love and hope.
- SO. MUCH. LOVE in my life.
- Working with passionate students and caring colleagues.
- Meaningful media. Meaningful travel.

Finding the Balance

There is a balance to vacation. The best vacations for me involve a mix of the things I want to do and the things that I otherwise don't feel I have time to do. So today I watched tv, went to a bookstore, got my oil changed and my break light fixed, connected with someone on OKCupid, saw Hunger Games, went to happy hour, got a pedicure, had a peace and social concerns meeting, and then cleaned my apartment. That is my perfect vacation balance. Full of purpose but also joy.

Best of Azar Nafisi, Author of Reading Lolita in Tehran and Republic of Imagination

I wish she were my life coach! She makes me want to double down on everything I believe in and speak up about.

• "Hope is always defiant" 
• "We are taught that reality is static, but reality is fragile."
• "You have to keep your dignity by becoming more yourself."
• "Oppression, violence to anyone decreases my dignity. We are all implicated."
• "Like Dorothy, we go to other worlds to come back with fresh eyes."
• "American literature is about underdogs who refuse to be underdogs."
• "We watch the republican debates so we can laugh. This is no laughing matter."
• On Activism - "You complain because you care so much about the place."
• "Governments come and go, only the trace of genius remains." 
• "The Mall is the jewel on the crown of this country."
• "We are withdrawing within ourselves because we feel helpless. Instead, we should come out!"
• "If people knew about Syria, how would they vote?"
• "The great writers write about 'us.' They tell human stories." 

Positivity

I believe in the power of positivity, even when it is hard to maintain. Over and over again we hear that things don't have to be the way they are. When will we listen and take action?!

Transferred Stress

I try to be mindful to not put any co-curricular stress on students. What occurred to me today is that stress can come in a variety of forms. Perhaps I don't nag or enforce, but what about the ways that my loving expectancy can be pressure? Their avoidance of disappointing me? There is an overt, a covert, and a subtle form form of inducing stress. I want to be intentional about actively avoiding all three.

I Believe in Student Voice

Students have an idealism that I believe in. I in fact believe that retaining that youthful idealism is one of my most impactful qualities. So I see a big part of my job as encouraging student voice and action. Last week demonstrated that fact loud and clear in a way that has not been quite so front-and-center in the news in my lifetime. Here is an excerpt from an email I sent to my students:
"Here is an article about the original successful protest at Mizzou: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tim-wolfe-university-missouri-president-says-hes-resigning-amid-racial-n459941

Here is an article on the solidarity being exhibited for Mizzou because of the aftermath of the successful protest: http://mic.com/articles/128316/pray-for-mizzou-starts-trending-as-school-increases-security-amid-campus-threats#.BjXsMF1cg

And here is an article on the protests happening at college campuses across the country: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/12/us/racial-discrimination-protests-ignite-at-colleges-across-the-us.html" 

These are important stories for students to hear: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/intersection-culture-and-race-in-education/2015/11/teach-your-students-about-mizzou-teach-them-to-speak-up.html. If we want a better future, we can't let the pain of our past get in the way. We need to lift up the positive examples and keep hope alive.

Arts Are for Everyone

I'm no poet, but sometimes trying our hand at the arts helps us to grow. I've recently discovered the glory of meditative coloring (great for easing me into bedtime!), and one of my students today showed me a number of her own poems and some slam poets she enjoys. It reminded me of a poem that I wrote as a way to process what was happening in America two years ago.

We are all Trayvon Martin

Vulnerable to the pain and prejudice engrained in our society

We are all the Zimmerman jurors

Forced to navigate a game we just want out of

We are all Barack Obama

Trying to make good on promises we have discovered are out of our control

But we are also all Pope Francis

With the power to shift the conversation to what matters

And we are all Mother Teresa

With the knowledge that our love can make a difference

And we are all Nelson Mandela

With the capacity to reshape everything by standing proudly in the strength of peace

We are made of joys and sorrows

We must honor both the victim and the hero within ourselves

In order to, as Gandhi asked,

Be the Change we wish to see in the world

A day in the life

Today was a typical day for the kind of loving and learning that I get to experience at work.

I walked in and a former student of mine had brought in my favorite breakfast treat for me. She had stopped by the bakery on her way to work and remembered my favorite.

My students presented thoughtful and engaging videos about non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust. They then had a meaningful discussion about why the study of those victims is important.

In advisory we had an impromptu discussion about how we can ensure that all of our religious/spiritual beliefs are honored at school. We shared our personal faith traditions.

I co-taught ninth graders a "What would you do?" diversity/social action lesson. Students were moved; there were lots of tears and little doubt that we were a part of something important.

I worked with the Pax Christi leaders on an upcoming after-school field trip and when we might have someone from my Meeting come talk about the interfaith non-profit Action in Montgomery. They picked a time for her to come in and arranged a meeting for before that to rally the troops.

I went to a solidarity session in support of schools being protested for having gay-straight alliances.

A student told me that the motto for my role could be "for students, by students, with students." She continued to make jokes about how student-centered my work is. I loved it.

I copied the readings for our next Beloved Community faculty reading and discussion group meeting.

I went to the play rehearsal because I won't be able to see any of the official shows. The girls were brilliant and hilarious, and their show made me positively joyful. I was also particularly struck because so many cast members are also important leaders in other ways at school, including several leaders within the Social Action program. I did not have those balance skills in high school.

I was copied on an email sent from one of the leaders of the student Social Action board to student leaders of various Upper School programs, inviting them to partner on a week-long programming focus in January on the justice system and its challenges. Her email was so thoughtful and polished that it easily could have been one of the many emails I get a day about social justice initiatives by non-profits. Again, I did not have those skills in high school.

I love my job.

Metaphor for Meeting for Worship

Just was we need to regularly get our teeth cleaned to keep them their best selves, Meeting does something similar for my heart. It's like a heart cleaning - getting the plaque out. Cleaning my heart of all but love to be stronger, more focused, more open. It forces me to be in a meditative state for long enough that I can go through all the thoughts in my head, put them aside, and have some quality time just focusing on my Light. The same can be true with morning meditation. There is always so much to do and think about, so it is good when I clear all of that out to focus on love and my calling (being the change I wish to see in the world). It can't happen without clear intentionality.

I am a woman phenomenally

Some days we pull together what seems impossible. Today I am channeling Maya Angelou. In the words of Beyonce: Who run the world? Girls!

Phenomenal Woman

BY MAYA ANGELOU

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size   

But when I start to tell them,

They think I’m telling lies.

I say,

It’s in the reach of my arms,

The span of my hips,   

The stride of my step,   

The curl of my lips.   

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,   

That’s me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,   

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.   

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.   

I say,

It’s the fire in my eyes,   

And the flash of my teeth,   

The swing in my waist,   

And the joy in my feet.   

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered   

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them,   

They say they still can’t see.   

I say,

It’s in the arch of my back,   

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.   

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.   

When you see me passing,

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It’s in the click of my heels,   

The bend of my hair,   

the palm of my hand,   

The need for my care.   

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Leaning in to Discomfort

Tonight I brushed my teeth with my left hand. I was directed to do so on the Health and Wellness website for my work. Apparently it strengthens some sort of neural connections. It was very hard, but a worthy challenge. I enjoy doing things that I know I'm not talented at, as it removes the pressure to be polished. No one can do everything well, so sometimes a reminder of that in a safe space is healthy. This is also why I appreciate running - I can accept that it is something that is good for me without my needing to be good at it. I've spent the past week going over "community norms" with the students. Leaning into discomfort and being "raggedy" are among them for good reason!

Update 11/8/15: Another challenge has been flossing. My dentist friend told me that if I floss and I bleed it is a sign that I need to do more flossing. It's counterintuitive, but it has proved helpful. Each day for the last week I have flossed, and each day it hurt less. The same is always true when I have a knot in my muscles. Engaging it hurts, but it is the only way to push through. Each of these is another reminder of how important it can be to lean into discomfort!

"Take Five Stay Alive"

While driving through NJ today, I saw the following sign: "'Take Five Stay Alive': 1. LEAVE EARLY, 2. BUCKLE UP, 3. DRIVE FRIENDLY, 4. AVOID DISTRACTIONS, 5. ARRIVE ALIVE." It made me reflect on what my five sustaining principles are that I need to remind myself on a daily basis (as opposed to things that I do without thinking like eating or expressing gratitude). There are many routines and values that I try to maintain, but when it comes down to it, I have had a day I am proud of when I 1. SLEEP AT LEAST SEVEN HOURS, 2. USE SILENCE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE LIGHT WITHIN ME, 3. READ SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME THINK, 4. WRITE SOMETHING THAT SHARES MY LIGHT WITH THE WORLD, 5. HONOR MY BODY THROUGH MOVEMENT.