October was an extra-long, very action-packed, fun, and also anxious for various reasons. I managed to vote in the US Primary Election and was worried about the outcome, as well as various other concerns personal and professional.
A short visit with family members I haven’t seen in ages was lovely. Our weekend escape to Mendig with friends was a refreshing adventure. My new fountain pen hobby provided creative diversion.
This is for my true Pen Friends, people who are nerdy about their writing tools and creative gear, and for my future self as I reflect on my journey, from the grand themes to the minute moments of beauty like those when pen meets paper.
September I really got in the swing of “Back-to-School” and my Fall schedule, celebrating the Autumn Equinox and Oktoberfest, looking back at Quarter 3 and forward to Quarter 4 and a new year on it’s way before we know it.
Judith Peters, aka “Sympatexter” inspired me to not just write a yearly summary article, but to publish monthly reflections this year. Peters hosts a “Blogtober” blogging challenge in October, so I decided to jump in, with the theme this month being to write about what we’d like to accomplish and experience in the last quarter of 2024. On my list, some items are bigger or longer-term goals, some small, some Fall and holiday Bucket-List type items and small experiences to savor.
Self-Care September is about practices that promote well-being to empower service, learning, and creativity.
As a lifelong learner, educator and academic at heart, Back-to-School will always be an exciting concept for me. Living based in a temperate climate like I do in Cologne, Germany, as soon as I feel the first chill in the air and sight a colored leaf or Back-to-School sale, I feel a surge of energy, […]
Summer Pause was in full effect in Cologne, we celebrated a family wedding, I got sick, then recovered just in time for Back-to-School.
July was joyous as well as jammed for me this year, with lots of teaching, creating, family news both “good” and “bad,” queerness (Cologne Pride, the Trocks), political theatre, and summer outdoorsiness between storms.
In the first week of July, I completed my Alphabet Superset! Campbell Walker, aka Struthless, launched the creative challenge in 2023, with one artistic creation for each of the 26 letters of the English Alphabet. Overall a valuable and interesting project, there are a number inspiring experiences and lessons learned in the process which I will share in this reflection.
Summertime is time to reflect on the month of June, quarter two, and the first half of the year.
