"The Garden We Share"

30 November 2019: “… a joyless world is one in which we do not acknowledge or engage each other’s pain, you know?” –Ross Gay

I listened to this episode of the Poetry Off the Shelf podcast today while doing some late fall/early winter yard work. Honestly, this is one of my least favorite chores every year—cold and depressing. But listening to this episode which is about, among other things, gardening, joy, and human connection, made the work go faster.

Home again...

29 November 2019: Made it home by 3:30 today, which felt pretty good. Unpacked, got a good walk in, decorated inside the house (mostly) for Christmas (need to have it done this weekend since it's the only time I'll have to do it before the Sigma Tau holiday party on Friday), and got some other work done. A long, if kind of quiet day, with lots of time to do all kinds of thinking...

Thanksgiving...

28 November 2019: Three-year old niece just told me to "stop being a drama queen." Happy Thanksgiving, I guess?

Gratitude...

27 November 2019: Perspective always helps, so this was a welcome sight on Facebook today.

Reflection season...

26 November 2019: Walk along the C&O today. Water was so still that the reflections were near perfect. Good space for working through Big Thoughts.

"Corrie"

25 November 2019: “She gets up and quickly dresses and walks through every room in the house, introducing the walls and the furniture to this new idea. A cavity everywhere, most notably in her chest.” –Alice Munro, “Corrie”

Listened to this story today, read by Margaret Atwood, on the New Yorker Fiction Podcast. It kind of blew me away. The quiet revelation at the end. The sense of a profound shift in what you thought to be true (reflected in the passage above). The little details that pay off again and again. What a treat. And what a treat to listen to Atwood and Deborah Treisman talk about the piece. Atwood isn’t afraid to resist readings or interpretations she doesn’t like. There’s something refreshing about that.

"November"

24 November 2019:

"More welcome than voluptous gales
This keen, crisp air, as conscience clear:
November breathes no flattering tales;—
The plain truth-teller of the year,
Who wins her heart, and he alone,
Knows she has sweetness all her own." --Lucy Larcom, "November"

Very pleased to see Lucy Larcom, my old buddy (so to speak), featured in today's Poem-a-Day email. On my walk today, I found myself thinking similar thoughts about the beauty of this month.

Kelly and Charlie's Wedding...

[Catch-up post...]

23 November 2019: Had a great time celebrating Kelly and Charlie's wedding. To see them both so happy...it was quite moving.

Made it!

22 November 2019: Well, we did it: made it to Thanksgiving Break during this, one of the hardest semesters of my career at Shepherd. Whew!

And Friday was actually kind of awesome. Taught three terrific classes: The Awakening in one, "Sexy" in another, and "Song of Myself" in the third. I was feeling it all. (My fourth class, Bible as Literature, didn't meet--we've been doing paper conferences instead.) And right now I feel--temporarily--caught up. I can breathe a bit.

So the break starts on a good note...

"Season of Doubt"

21 November 2019: "Faith, like wintering-over carrots, still lives even in our winters. God still acts and nurtures even when we cannot. Doubt and questioning draw us into a deeper relationship with God. God can take it, and God will carry us through the winter."

Finding such comfort in the words above, from a column by the fantastic Bishop Eaton.

"Friendly reminder..."

20 November 2019: Though I am very grateful that Shepherd is taking such initiatives, an email with “a friendly reminder about the active shooter training” taking place today sure is a depressing reminder of our dark reality. The “friendly” is so quietly devastating. Again: no slight/shade toward the organizers. They are doing their very best in our broken world and I am so appreciative. (And let's not debate this--there's nothing to debate about what I saying here.)

Boundaries...

19 November 2019: Had just a bit of time today and was able to attend a portion of the "Mental Health Summit" held on campus. One of my favorite people on campus (on the planet?), Rhonda from Counseling Services, talked about relationship challenges our students might be facing and how to cultivate healthy relationships. So much, she explained, is about boundaries. Here's what I want to remember, for myself and others, in moments where we need to be honest: "We need to value ourselves enough to ride out those few seconds of discomfort to take care of ourselves."

"Places I've Never Been"

18 November 2018: Monday got rough with a long and tough Senate meeting. After I got home and took a long walk, I started grading papers and just felt uneasy. Then for some reason, this song came to mind, so I gave it a listen.

"Neon Moon"

17 November 2019: Moody and kind of blue Sunday night, so new this version of a classic seems appropriate.

What happened here?

16 November 2019: Spotted on my walk to the post office. What happened here? Peak-Shepherdstown crime scene?