Sunday, February 25, 2018

Unplugging-Reading and traveling are my jam

Unplugging can be a daunting task...in fact I’ve had a very difficult time doing so over the past 10 days. I missed our past 2 prompts as I simply could not focus on writing anything meaningful after watching the news of the Parkland tragedy. In fact, it’s the unplugging that most concerns me right now. Our collective attention to the issues that contributed to this situation must remain in laser focus. It’s not just one thing, but we can do better...and we must.

And now to the kind of unplugging that we all have to do to renew our creativity, capacity for learning and more. My favorite way to unplug is traveling. Taking in the sights and experiencing new communities, cultures and people give me energy. It’s so much fun to explore and discover customs, special places, churches, museums or just a sidewalk cafe. My love of travel began when I was young. My dad would pile us into our giant station wagon and off we would go...primarily within California at first, Yosemite, The Redwoods. Then we ventured out to the western US, and finally to Mexico. By the time we branched out to Mexico we had a Chevy truck with a camper. Our family of 6 would travel all the way down to Guadalajara from San Jose, CA. Along the way we learned about the rich cultural history, people, food, special celebrations and practices in many towns. From Nogales to Guaymas to Hermosillo to Mazatlan, San Blas, Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque we escaped into new adventures. As an adult I’ve been privileged to travel to many places, and my plan is to find many more places to explore.

Reading is my go-to easy to access unplugging activity. For me, there is nothing like losing myself in a storyline, imagining the characters in their world, navigating their lives. I’m a fan of the political thriller, simple low country beach read, and historical novels. I love reading actual books and also my kindle. One of my great fears is being stuck somewhere without anything to read...especially on a plane. 

Given the hectic nature of our work as educators it is critical to find ways to unplug...from tech, stress, and the daily demands of of creating meaningful learning environments. It’s easy to conflate multiple tasks into overwhelming to do lists. I’m a believer in the unplugging whenever and wherever you can. In fact, my office mates can tell you that I occasionally lock my door and do inversions against the wall. I can’t do headstands, but a good stretch with legs on a wall remind me of the boundaries I need to feel from time to time. Sometimes upside down can be right side up.

1 comment:

  1. Very cool post. I like the one of locking your self in your office and do inversions against the wall. If you venture into Seville, make sure to contact me :)

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