The Power of Pause
It's October, although here in mid-Missouri it's having trouble acting like fall. Yesterday's high was 85. Lately, I've found myself drifting off into daydreams where I live in a small cottage tucked into the towering orange and red maple trees of Vermont. It has a huge gray stone fireplace and big windows overlooking the mountains. A velvety couch has cozy throws and pillows. And it's always raining and blustery outside so I have to stay in this warm, dry room with its soft candle glow. I have on a sweater. I'm reading a book. I'm holding my favorite butter yellow mug and drinking steaming French vanilla coffee. It's not just the weather that's calling me into this fantasy retreat. It's the general busy-ness of life. School is full of endless learning targets, lessons planning, strategizing about how to re-engage this student or that one, feedback to write, papers to grade. Home is more of the same. Three kids in middle school means