Road in Retirement

    Enough already. Last week marked the first significant snowfall of the season. And boy was it significant! Twenty inches of snow later led to the residents of my city feeling somewhat of a malaise when confronted with the prospect of added inches. Shoveling it, driving on it, or trying to navigate walking on treacherous walkways could all be source of this unrest.  Or the added burden of another 3-6" could factor into it.     All I know is it's only December and citizens are flying the surrender flag. They are willing to concede defeat. The resounding, "Enough!" heard at the six o'clock newscast when the cheery weather person announced the impending doom of more snow was deafening, even with the doors shut.      "Enough" is the often-said refrain when discussing that four-lettered word like the evil malediction it is. But that isn't the only time I hear that distinctive response. Harried shoppers in search of another gift  choke out their relinq

    The holidays are here.When I taught, it always perplexed me how the school year could travel light-speed fast to get to the holiday. It seemed like the year had just begun, and then it was already Christmas break. Since I no longer teach, time doesn't pass with the same rapidity.      This year at Christmas I'm able to enjoy the season. Because this year I have a new goal: to be a human being being instead of a human being doing. In the past, I worked so hard at making Christmas perfect, that I was spent by the time Christmas, with all it's imperfections that I tried so hard to avoid, actually arrived. My sister always amazed me at her calm presence which surrounded her like an aura and contrasted with my herky-jerky persona. She could have five of her six kids, their spouses and some ancillary guests arriving for a major meal. Yet, she would relax and read a book during what should have been major panic mode. At least it would have been like that at my house.     So th

   I spent Thanksgiving at my sister's house in Wisconsin. She had paper leaves cut from construction paper for revelers to list what they were thankful for this year, In lame fashion, I didn't put much thought into my scribbled answer of "Friends and Family." So now, after much thought, here is my expanded list of my thankful items of 2022.     I am thankful for friends and  family. More on that later in this post     When looking over this year, I started at the best school  in town--Community High School. I spent nineteen years being changed and transformed as a teacher. I am thankful for my time there and all I learned about myself. I worked with wonderful people during my stint as a teacher. The staff taught me what was important about my profession and education as a whole. I will always be indebted to Dave Godfread for hiring me and giving me a chance  to impact lives.     Along those same lines, I am grateful for amazing colleagues in the broader school distr

    It's that time of year. Not for sleigh bells and reindeer, but for holiday classic movies. Like It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone  and Christmas Vacation. As venerable as these films are, White Christmas is still my holiday favorite. The scene that caught my attention and continues to mesmerize me, is when Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby step in and perform the Haine's sister's song "Sisters." It wasn't their rendition of it so much as it was the topic of the song--sisters. I could relate--I have two.         My two sisters shared in my love for the movie--and for the same reason. We would utilize the phone lines to serenade each other. It only took the talk of Christmas for the middle sister to get that glint in her eye and my world was transformed to a sea of blue costumes. I was belting out the words with the best of them. rondi (her spelling) and I were more concerned about getting the words right than worrying about how we sounded. With my oldest sis