Part of me was incredibly hopeful and excited to hear the words, “we are almost to the end of the pandemic,” as the announcement about masks from the CDC came out recently. But, the largest part of me froze in a huge earthquake of anxiety. Make no mistake; I am thrilled to move toward the … More Expanding and Contracting
I have reached the all-too-familiar place of emotional overwhelm here at the close of this very strange school year. I know the signs well; I feel frozen, even small, normally mundane tasks seem monumental, leaving me feeling like a deflated beach ball. My mind is scattered and it is extremely difficult to concentrate, only making … More Bubbling Over
I woke up early to a text from one of my students sent long after we’d turned in for the night. They were asking to reschedule their lesson as they were struggling with personal issues related to anxiety. This is happening more this semester than in anytime during my almost 35 years of teaching- and … More On Living with Anxiety
It doesn’t seem possible, but we have finally reached Thanksgiving break after one of the strangest semesters in my thirty-four year teaching career. It’s strange to realize that I’m more exhausted that I typically am during a normal semester when I’m constantly on the go performing and teaching instead of teaching partially online in the … More On Refilling Empty Cups
I walked Marley down the leaf-strewn sidewalks of our neighborhood on this fall morning listening to the music of Bach. I have been in a reflective mood lately, so many thoughts churning around inside my head, and Bach’s music never fails to calm my spinning brain and help me to focus. I feel like I’m … More When Clouds Part
Wednesday was a rough day. Even though I rose at 5am to do kickboxing and walk Marley before I began my early teaching day, I felt weepy and overwhelmed. I know I am not alone. I have always loved teaching and performing, loved my career; but the current reality Covid has given us bears little … More To the Brim
We had our faculty retreat on Zoom this past Thursday, with my Chair jokingly welcoming us back from ‘spring break,’ an homage to the fact that the last time we were together we were heading into our spring break days before the world came to a screeching halt for the next five months. We began … More The Last Day
A friend from a creative group I belong to told me she has noticed that many typically positive people seem to be especially struggling these past weeks in particular. I can vouch for that; I feel like I’ve hit an emotional wall with all that has happened since March; being so ill for weeks with … More On Sinking and Swimming
I have lost count of what day of ‘shelter at home’ this is. Everything has blurred together in a maze of worry, masks, and social isolation. I have nothing to complain about; there are people fighting on the COVID-19 frontlines, risking their lives to care for the sick and to keep society going. All I … More On Missing What Was
Yesterday morning I realized that I had been a day off in calculating Dan’s bedroom quarantine- it was time to set him free! We’d decided when he came home from the hospital to go above and beyond the hospital’s recommendations and set a six day quarantine, wanting to make sure that the animals and I … More The COVID Chronicles: Delayed Reunions and Rays of Light
The View from Here 