Courage Doesn't Always Roar: A Teacher's Quest to Be Better Each Day

"Same you, new mood." -Rachel Hollis  While our thoughts and feelings are real, did you ever stop to wonder if they are true? When you tell yourself you can never x, y, or z, is that really the case? I've been thinking more about my thoughts and how shifting them can really change so much in my day to day happiness. Situation: Our elf on the shelf, Smiling Max, has returned. Old Thought: Oh no. I already don't have time for all I have to do and now I have to remember to move this freaking elf every night and think of creative things for him to do! And since Thanksgiving came early this year, there are so many extra days of this torture. New Thought: My kids are so excited and happy to see our elf again. While it's some extra work, it makes their mornings joyful and captures their imaginations. It's making this holiday season memorable. They won't always be 8 years old and 5 years old and soon enough they won't believe in/care about...

The click of the light switch. The tap tap tapping of my fingers on the keyboard. The tick, tick, tick of the car indicator.  The rip of a paper towel.  These are sounds I've just begun to hear again since donning hearing aids as of last week. Under 40 years old, I have made the decision to wear hearing aids as I have a fairly significant loss in my left ear and some hearing loss also in my right ear. Coming to the decision to get hearing aids wasn't easy. I first realized I had a hearing loss over 6 years ago. I would be on the phone and could barely understand at all when the receiver was held to my left ear. I started switching to the right but was troubled by this. My father's family all had hearing loss and most of his siblings started wearing hearing aids in midlife too. While I was pregnant with my daughter Megan, I went to an ear, nose and throat doctor and had my hearing evaluated. The doctor was stunned that I had as much loss as I did, especially on the ...