Tag: routine

  • Eight Days and Counting: The Monkeys Found the Wi-Fi Password

    Is there such a thing as over-writing? We’ve all heard the term overeating. Some of us have lived it. No point in lying about it. Just accept it and move on.  There’s over-drinking. Over-exercising. Overworking. Over-seasoning (no one asked for that much paprika, sir). Over-texting — because three question marks in a row is not…

  • Yeah, I Told You So

    There’s a side of being an educator we don’t talk about much. At least not in staff meetings. Maybe over coffee. Definitely in therapy. It’s not just about caring. It’s about pattern recognition.  It’s a very human thing. And God knows, the kiddos already think of me as anything but human. In my role as…

  • That Confident, Wet Bean

    I don’t “drink coffee.” I experience origin stories. You see, most people think coffee is just… a beverage. A tool. A caffeine delivery system. A brown emergency. I find that reductive. Coffee is an agricultural narrative. These are not “beans.” They are seeds—hand-harvested at altitude, kissed by volcanic soil, slow-dried under ethically ambiguous sunshine. When…

  • Arbitration in Bright, Unreasonable Colors

    When fistfuls of M&Ms are called upon to deal the world’s grievances,it is usually because the day has already tried us. Because the Wi-Fi faltered.Because the coffee betrayed us.Because someone replied all.Because the dog found the one square foot of carpet that mattered most. Because the password requires a symbol we cannot emotionally provide.Because the…

  • Using Words Like Paper Airplanes

    Some people write books to tell a story.Others write to document a journey.Still others create fantastical worlds — giving us somewhere to go when we’ve had enough of our own. Me? I think something in me kept whispering, Don’t forget this. The laughter.The small-town summers.The kitchen-table conversations.The quiet lessons nobody applauded — but that shaped…

  • Halfway Is Dangerous

    Every so often, I convince myself I am entering a new era. A healthier era.A more disciplined era.An era where I make wise choices and drink reasonable amounts of water. This was one of those eras. It began with walking. There’s something appealing about the idea of walking. Not the intense, power-walking-with-armbands kind. Just the…

  • Out of Office… Somehow Still Here

    This past weekend, a group of us got caught up in one of those group texts that starts light — a string of funny memes, a few inside jokes — the kind that makes you laugh out loud in the middle of Saturday morning.  But somehow, almost inevitably, work wormed its way into the conversation.…

  • The Never-Ending Battle (and Why It’s Worth It) – Coffee Not Included

    Having spent years watching kids learn, play, and test boundaries, I’ve learned that patterns repeat—and so do opportunities for growth. I hold the unique perspective of having once been one of those kids: pushing limits, testing rules, and discovering boundaries firsthand—a vantage point that now shapes how I approach my work in schools. Every day…

  • So What Now?

    I’ve always been a reflective one. Mostly introverted… which is, in my somewhat isolated opinion, weird for a hyperactive, over-caffeinated individual such as me. You’d think someone constantly vibrating at espresso-level frequency wouldn’t spend so much time quietly staring into space. But I do. A lot. At home, on quiet weekend mornings with coffee in…

  • Operational Necessity

    As a kid, I had a huge appetite. Historically speaking, most teenage boys eat more than their apparent capacity would suggest. Me? That has always been true—at pretty much every age. Even now. Though I will admit, these days it makes me less aerodynamic and decidedly more sluggish. I’ve been asked how I can eat…

  • The Coffee Made Me Do It

    I need to come clean. I didn’t mean to overindulge. Honest. No one ever wakes up and says,“Today feels like a ten–Reese’s kind of day.” And yet… here we are. It started with coffee. Because coffee is the gateway. Coffee whispers things like,“You deserve a little treat.”“It’s basically breakfast.”“Chocolate pairs beautifully with me.” And who…

  • A Conversation With Myself About Authenticity… Ain’t That the Realest Thing?

    Over the years, I’ve sat through more workshops than I can count where the message was simple and bold: Be authentic. Be real. Be yourself. It’s the kind of advice that sounds obvious until you actually sit with it. Recently — on a random Wednesday morning fueled by coffee and overactive brain monkeys — I…

  • To the Beat of the Hallways

    Working at a school—regardless of your position—comes with its own brand of daily adventure.  Teachers plan lessons. Counselors balance emotions. Secretaries manage the pulse of the front office. Custodians keep everything moving behind the scenes.  And no matter how carefully you prepare, there is a predictable unpredictability that comes with working in education. Schedules look…

  • Docket #021626: The Snack Accords v. The Traje De Charro

    Your Honor, members of the jury, and all snacks and foods present by association: I submit to this court that I am not at fault. That I have always acted in good faith. That my interactions with food — and snacks, in particular — have been reasonable, measured, and entirely in accordance with accepted snacking…

  • Just Like Hers

    Funny how when you have a hankering for something, it doesn’t matter what else you have.If it’s not that one thing, you’re not satisfied.You’re left with just a little emptiness. You can have a fridge full of options, a pantry stocked like you’re prepping for winter, and still… none of it counts if it’s not…