Gratitude: More Than A Feeling

Today I'm excited because the Astros are on TV as I reflect,

vying for the title of World Series Champs 2019.

Mostly, I love the size of their hearts and

the strength of their character!

Check out the gorgeous  artwork we saw at Saturday's

Chalk The Walk Event; this quote perfectly fits ball players

like Altuve, Springer, and Verlander.

You know what I love the most, even more than

their come-back stories of true grit?

The fact that they all seem to love one another.

So much so that they each have their own handshakes.

Win or lose, their camaraderie is a delight to experience.

I'm also pumped because I've been collaborating

with my new friend Gloria, the librarian at our school.

She's from Wisconsin, too, and we share a love of books.

Check out this gratitude resource we're creating for November;

click the image or {here} to download one for yourself.

In the version we're sharing digitally with our teachers, there will be an asterisk by the titles that are available for check out in our library along with links to read-aloud video clips. We are hopeful that this will be a valuable enrichment tool for our Class Family Meetings and/or curricular integration as we work on 

intentionally making gratitude more than a feeling.

This afternoon I was honored to be a featured speaker

to talk about self-compassion and self-care at a

School Behavior Collaborative luncheon in Houston.

Here are a few of the things I shared:

How do you make sure that you're modeling wellness?

This question gives me pause and makes me chuckle a bit; 

who's a pretty kitty?

What if we gave ourselves the same gentleness and grace,

compassion and kindness that we lavish on other people?

I am always so grateful for invitations to share what I know

about mindfulness, compassion, and self-care 

with caregivers who are in the field 

doing the noble, holy work of holding the hearts

of our most precious natural resource, the children.

Finally today, a Mindfulness treasure penned by a teacher.

This comprehensive handbook on the practice of mindfulness offers theory and application to help us destress and relax from the pressures of our daily lives. It is chunk full of ideas, strategies, and actionable practices, tips for people of all ages, really, supported by short stories from the author's own journey through anxiety and stress to unwrapping the present using mindfulness.

Mindful eating? Check. 

Mindful breathing? Yep.

Mindful compassion? No doubt. 

Mindful screen-free time?

You get the idea. 

Now get this book if you want or need help 

mastering mindfulness.