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Many years ago, I was in the habit of working from about 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM every day, plus 9:00 to 3:00 on Saturdays.
Each morning, I began by answering emails and phone calls for the music school, and then I taught music lessons until the evening.
This was doable — I was young.
Read MoreThere are a few factors complicating my sleep recently. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Some combination of the switch to Daylight Saving Time, a new medication, aging, and pandemic anxiety has left me with erratic energy levels and an unpredictable schedule of slumber.
Despite a full night’s sleep, I might be totally exhausted in the middle of the day. In that moment, I’ve got a dilemma: coffee, or a nap?
Read MoreIt’s winter and there isn’t very good news.
The pandemic rages on — why is that such a normal sentence to write? Why does it feel like I’ve heard it or written it a hundred times? — and here in the United States, the vaccine distribution is slow. There is political unrest to boot.
I miss my family and the bustle of restaurants and coffee shops. I fret over the well-being of my students, my friends, my finances. I long to get on an airplane.
Read MoreThe weather forecast for my zip code looks bleak.
Or it could. But I — either instinctively or as part of a long habit, or both — spin it as something to look forward to. “It’s going to be above freezing all next week!” I’ve adjusted my expectations, down and down, as the fall has deepened into winter.
This is how it has always been for me. I’ve always tended to orient myself to anticipate the future and toward better times, using the lens and the lamp that shows that future in the best light.
Read MoreThe Bahá’í period of fasting takes place in early March and ends with the Vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.
Adults abstain from food and drink during daylight hours. It is a time of reflection, renewal, and hungry afternoons. Some days are euphoric, and some are really tough — sometimes at the same time.
On those harder days, I find myself reflecting on how I took lunch for granted. I always think that when the Fast is over, life will be so easy. I’ll just be able to have a snack whenever I need one! I’ll be able to concentrate easily all day, and I won’t have to plan my mornings around eating before dawn.
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