90 Days To Freedom


90 Days No Negativity Challenge -

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Tripping Over Stones

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I wasn't entirely surprised when my fourth graders nutted up on me.  It was that time of year. Spring Break was a memory and summer vacation was a dream. My students forgot how to do everything, line up, put their name on their papers, what a verb was, and don't even get me started on fractions. My dearest, sweetest students became surly and defiant. And talking back was apparently a new indoor sport. I didn't help. I did everything wrong. I was a perfect example of what not to do. I chastised, reprimanded, called parents and passed out stickers and candy like a demented Mr. Candy Man.  Then I nutted up with them. Room 17 was not a fun place to be. I broke my hard and fast rule about what to do when things go south. Don't do the same thing harder, do something new. In the middle of a what-the-hell-am-I-going-to-do moment I remembered a story about the king and queen of heaven. It teased the edges of my consciousness and although I didn't think it had anything ...
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Eddy Out

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  The last time I paddled the Tellico River in Tennessee it was cold and rainy. The river level kept rising until it was right at my ceiling. The last drop is an easy one, but just to make sure I had the right line I pulled into an eddy to regroup. That's a novel idea these day, taking time to regroup. For as long as I can remember I've always known when it was time to eddy out. I've known when to stop and stand still, to listen for the silence where my inner wisdom is found.  Before I started paddling I called it going to ground.  I've learned the hard way that pushing forward just for the sake of it can result in chaos. It leads to labeling people as right and wrong, quickly followed by defending your position at all costs.  Taking time out gives you space to take another look at your intentions and refocus your efforts.  Do I know where I want to go?  Will what I'm doing get me there?  Is this the line I w...
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They say that gratitude is the highest form of prayer. I think enjoying your life is a form of gratitude. I want to enjoy my life and treasure its moments even when it’s hard.  The easiest way for me to be able to do that is to keep my life free of negativity.  Negativity is  a complete soul suck. Nothing good ever comes of it. A few years ago I went on a 90Day No Negativity Challenge.   I simply needed a break from all the negativity that seemed to be swirling around me.  Eventually I was nudged into what Thomas Merton calls the wilderness of my own interior journey.  If we are lucky we take that journey several times in our life time.  The challenge was a defining time in my life and I’m still experiencing its impact. On the surface not very much has changed. I still teach school, drive an old truck with music cranked up too loud and sing better than I fiddle.   I paddle when there’s water and time and try to keep the house from falli...
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