(Written Thursday, March 28, 2019)
To a large extent, today was a mixed bag of putting red ink to paper and getting my hands buried in dirt: the former, out of necessity, the latter for my sanity.
Let me tell you about…
Today’s #3GoodThings
- Red Ink: I think I’ve probably said it before, but I love giving students individual feedback. Going beyond simply giving them a mark, it helps them – I hope – to improve their English (am I being too optimistic?). That being said however, it means that marking takes me quite a while and leaves me in a bit of a fog after a while. Still… the ability to have contact with students, to help them achieve their goals and be a positive example is a privilege.
- Hands in Dirt: When I find myself in a bit of a fog from marking, that’s when I know it’s time for a break. When I’m not checking the news, my next choice for ‘head clearing’ is to go get my hands dirty. I’m forever taking cuttings of plants to root, picking up wild seedlings or seed pods, or making divisions of the few things I have – meaning that, along the east wall of the house there is a myriad of recycled nursery pots with different things growing until I find them their own spot. Consequently… when I need a few minutes of garden therapy there’s always somebody in need of attention. Call it my cheap thrill! 🙂
- Speaking of dirt & garden… down at the church I noticed today that this ornamental apple tree is budded out just perfectly. I have it tightly trimmed into a short standard so that it remains a small, manageable size so because it’s not expending a lot of energy maintaining branches, it can dedicate lots to producing fruit. By the looks of things… it’s going to be a bumper year.
(I’ve said it before, but let me say it again.
This series of posts isn’t about portraying a perfect life free from worry, care or frustration. No, there’s a definite purpose to it and if you’re new to the series, you can read more about it here.
I’m trying to work back from a character flaw)
AIM Long 