Summer, the season, may still have more than a month before it is relinquished to fall–but for me, today is the last day. Tomorrow and the days that follow will be spent at a little country school with a new crop of second graders. Aside from the obvious lack of free time, one of the challenges of my job is the number of competing demands clamoring for my attention in any given moment. Students, emails, lesson plans, papers to check, materials to prepare, copying, clean up, technology malfunctions, committee work, and data are but a very few of the pulls on my focus. Additionally, when I am at school I find that my thoughts often stray to the things I need or want to be doing at home. The reverse is also true. This fragmentation finds me at the end of the day in a state of exhaustion and angst about all of the things done–and not done.

Summer, for me, is generally a time where I can focus on the present. As this new year starts I am hoping to carry this sense of mindfulness with me.  Just as the students benefit from visuals to facilitate their success–I too need reminders. With that in mind, I created this Zentangle® to sit on my desk. (See more about this wonderful art form on my website!) I am learning that when I do find myself in the present moment time tends to expand–and I am actually attending to what I am doing which allows for a more full experience. I want to ‘choose now’–now! I know that the next few weeks will be full of creating space and kicking off the school year with my new crew. And, I am hopeful that in the midst of it all I will truly be there for it.