#167: Greetings from Noel

When I walked in the door from work today Noel was sitting on my family room couch. I went to sit and pet her for just a minute, and she crawled into my lap, purring really loudly. It was so sweet, and clear that she was happy to have me home, that I just couldn't get up. When my day is go-go-go, like today was, it's great to come home and have a nice, quiet moment with Noel. She regularly greets me at the door, and it's one of the aspects I appreciate most about having pets.

Oh. Hi.

#166: Willie Geist

I woke up earlier than usual this morning, so I aptly watched "Way Too Early", hosted by Willie Geist before I was motivated to actually get out of bed. Willie Geist is simultaneously so intelligent and so entertaining, and I really enjoy regularly catching the end of "Way Too Early" and then the first hour of "Morning Joe" because of him . I'm not proud to say that I have a tendency to be irritable in the early morning hours, and there are definitely a number of personalities that I "can't take" until I am fully awake (now, at 8:30 p.m. being fully awake, that feels like an awful thing to say. But in 10 hours I will stand behind that statement with full conviction). Much of the morning circuit television presence is made up of those personalities, but thankfully there's Willie Geist. He's sarcastic and observant, quick witted and ironic, and helps ease me out of my morning irritability into my rest-of-the-day pleasantness.

#165: Solsbury Hill

Last week was pretty rainy, so it was lovely to have a nice weekend with lots of sunshine. While Kegan drove today I had the window down, my feet up on the dashboard, and it felt like the perfect summer day, only made more so when "Solsbury Hill" came on the radio.

"Today I don't need a replacement, I'll tell them what the smile on my face meant..."

"Solsbury Hill"

#164: Silence

"Life is so loud."

I said this to Kegan earlier today. I really wanted to go for a "hike", and since this was my "Cat Mother's Day" I was able to call the shots this afternoon.

Any serious hiker would likely call my my version of a "hike" a "walk in the woods", which is why I put it in quotations. Kegan and I spent some time walking down the towpath of the D & R canal, and our turn around point was a spillway, right before which there was a bench. Before we headed back we sat for a short time on the bench, not speaking, just taking in the peace of the silence around us. We both made moves to head back, but persisted on sitting for just a bit longer. It was when Kegan made the definitive decision that it was time to head back that I turned to him and said, "Life is so loud." He, in his ever understanding ways, knew exactly what I meant, simply nodded, and we turned to head back down to the canal to the car to continue on with our day.

Whether it's because of the environmental noise that always surrounds us, the constant hum of always being connected, or the resounding of one's own thoughts, true quiet is rare. I'm thankful for moments like today when I am able, even briefly, to be lost in silence. It's profoundly loud.

#163: A Working Shower

Kegan and I have long been ignoring the signs that our shower has slowly been becoming inoperable. Yesterday we came to a crossroads: it broke. For a while it was stuck on, and we feared we wouldn't be able to turn it off. Then we were able to turn it off, and we feared we wouldn't be able to turn it on. We placed a phone call to have a plumber come over as soon as possible, but we were faced with the realization that we potentially would not have a working shower until then.

I can't say I enjoy my morning routine. I think I would love it if it didn't occur so early, as I feel like I go through the motions half asleep, and spend most of my pre-commute hour wishing I was back in bed. That being said, the thought of a disruption to my usual routine was concerning. It reminded me how much what I should appreciate on a daily basis-- the little things that become background noise to our days-- are often only appreciated until we are threatened with living without them. Suddenly it became apparent to me how disrupted my day would be without a working shower, and how thankful I should have been the 10,000+ days of my life in which I had one!

Spurred by that thought, I convinced Kegan we needed to give it one more try. Armed with a screwdriver and a wrench, we found a way to make the shower work. Granted "cold" is now "hot", "hot" is now "cold", and there is approximately a one degree angle at which you need to have the level turned in order to have the shower turned off. But it works! And for that I will shout my thankfulness off rooftops.

Tomorrow I imagine I will be thankful for plumbers.

#162: Homer's Odyssey

Homer's Odyssey is basically a feline version of Marley & Me. I read it a few years ago, and my sister-in-law, having borrowed it, recently returned it. It's been sitting on the table by my front door for the past few days, and as I come and go I can't help but look at him on the cover and smile.

Homer was a kitten who went blind, and ultimately had his eyes removed. This, coupled with his black coat, made him nearly unadoptable. Then journalist Gwen Cooper was called by a veternarian friend to meet him, and she knew she had to give him a home. She thought she was saving his life, but as her memoir revealed, he saved hers.

I'm thankful for the book itself, for people like Gwen Cooper, and for cats like Homer. Even if you're "not a cat person", Homer's story of resiliency is inspirational, and anyone who has ever loved a pet will be moved by his story.

Homer, The Blind Wonder Cat

#161: Dr. Meixner

A decade and a half after my first grade teacher taught me school was nothing to be scared of, I decided to become a teacher myself. Dr. Emily Meixner is the director of the English/Secondary Education program at TCNJ, and has been a major influence in who I am as an educator.

I was blessed to take multiple classes taught by Dr. Meixner, as well as work with her on an independent study that was close to my heart. She also mentored me through what was a challenging student teaching experience, and I often credit her with being the first person who made me see my potential as an educator. My whole life I had heard that I would make a good teacher, but it wasn't until Dr. Meixner uttered those words that I took it to heart. When you're a teacher you meet so many people to admire in your profession, but there are few people whom I admire professionally as much as I admire her; when someone whom you respect to the degree I respect her extends their faith in you, you take it to heart.

Much of my pedagogy stems from the essential beliefs I formed in Dr. Meixner's classes. She is engaging and dynamic, progressive and wickedly smart. As a preservice teaching student I gained invaluable knowledge from her, and thousands of adolescents, the students of her students, mine included, benefit from her masterful teaching. I often miss my college classes, and if I could take courses again, many of the ones I would want to repeat are Dr. Meixner's.

Luckily in the age of Facebook and email, I am still in touch with Dr. Meixner. She continues to support me professionally, and I am so thankful for all she's ever done for me. Years into my teaching career I strive to make Meixner proud...even if she has no idea what I am doing. In my opinion, when a teacher has that kind of lasting impact on you, when she continues to sculpt you years after she taught you, that's the definition of teacher appreciation.