The Faucet

Tag: learning

• Quotables

  Posted at 3:14 am by kirstenlanae, on November 25, 2019

  I’ve been a fervent and devoted collector of quotes and inspirational words since my junior high days. Back then I wore three silver rings on a necklace – strength, courage, and leadership – and once printed out a special quote for every member of my Bantam hockey team to kick off our weekend trip to provincials. 
  

  And I love them, just as shamelessly, even now. A good quote can capture a goal, provide focus, epitomize a feeling, create a connection, and even kick my butt into gear when I’m procrastinating or wallowing in self-doubt. 

  Stumbling across the right words at just the right time is a magical and reaffirming experience. On innumerable occasions, quotes have provided me with guidance, enlightenment, or been a subtle sign that I’m on the right path; a gentle nudge to keep going.
  

  

  Speaking of paths, if you’re looking for some meaningful words of inspiration, a copy of Oprah’s The Path Made Clear is a darn good place to start, or read on right here for a few of my recent favourites from the past few months: 

  . . . start pursuing what 2019 has left for you.

  -Hannah Brencher

  You are here to understand yourself. Not to be understood.

  -Tammy Fodrey

  While I’ve always had a clear picture of what career success looks like, it wasn’t until I had my son that I started to consider what a successful life would look like.

  Caitlin Weaver

  How liberating it is to pursue wholeness instead of perfection

  Morgan Harper Nichols

  Writing is always a mix of what I know and what I don’t know, of exploration and explanation.

  -Celeste Ng

  What is art? Art grows out of grief and joy, but mainly grief. It is born of people’s lives.

  -Edvard Munch

  It actually doesn’t take much to be considered a difficult women That’s what there are so many of us.

  -Jane Goodall

  The doors will be opened to those who are bold enough to knock.

  -Tony Gaskins

  Inside us there is a universe. Outside there is just a world.

  
  -Prashant Iyengar

  Postpartum starts on day 1 and does not stop at week 12. Postpartum is forever.

  -Sara Reardon

  Posted in Reflections | 0 Comments | Tagged focus, goals, inspiration, learning, quote, quotes, writer, writers group, writing

• 8 Lessons I Learned While Living Away from Home

  Posted at 2:08 am by kirstenlanae, on September 30, 2019

  1. At first, you’ll feel pretty unsettled, like you’re drifting, and have the urge to go home where you belong, but eventually you’ll find your places. For me, something as simple as a Chinese restaurant that makes wicked Cantonese Chow Mein and Honey Goo Loo Shrimp, and being a regular there, made me feel rooted. (Also, Tim’s for coffee, ’cause #teacherlife).

  2. You really will meet people. It’ll take a while to get to know them, but soon, without having realized it, you’ll have this whole other community and family that are familiar and wonderful and you are so blessed to have met them. For me, this came in the form of the staff and students at my school.

  

  3.You need to find the courage to say “yes” to new invitations and opportunities. During the first week at my new teaching job I ended up sitting next to two other young teachers at Mission and Ministry Day. We laughed, we chatted, and then one of them invited me to her Mom’s house for a party that evening. I said sure, and we exchanged numbers. I was SO nervous, and I really did not want to go. (Thanks anxiety!) I told myself that I had to make friends in this new place, and forced myself to attend. It turns out the other girl had just moved to Vermilion from Ontario, we all hit it off, and Rachel and Kaitlyn are now my lifelong friends.  As Brene Brown once said, “Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.”

  

  4.You will find parallels between characters in each community. Doug Jingles wandering the streets of Beaverlodge with his shovel and his old red work coat with the silver zipper is the equivalent of Jimmy Cryderman biking around Vermilion with rainbow suspenders over a plaid shirt and his brown cocker spaniel on a leash. You will also find this strangely comforting.

  5.You will find new interests.  In Beaverlodge, I always played hockey, and had just won a provincial silver medal before moving to Vermilion, which unfortunately had no competitive ladies team. Several months after my move, I really embraced running, and made the goal to run #16racesin2016. It gave me a place to go consistently (the gym) and was a great activity I could do solo when Brian was busy at work. Since then, running has become a HUGE positive, energizing and empowering part of my life, which probably wouldn’t have happened without the move.

  

  6.Having space away from your friends and family will allow you to grow, in a big way. You’ll have room to move away from the constraints of your identity, from the person everyone thinks you are, or should be, and into a place with room for self-discovery. I also became way more comfortable going out and doing the things I wanted to do, even if it meant doing them alone, like hiking at Elk Island National Park, signing up for a wheel class at the pottery guild, and taking my SCUBA certification.

  7. You will gain so much confidence from having the strength to create a life, home, and community in a new place. You are strong. You can do hard things.

  

  8. One day, you will have an epiphany: Both places are now home.

  Posted in Reflections | 2 Comments | Tagged epiphany, homesickness, learning, lessons, moving, moving away, new roots, reflection, running, teacher, teaching

• Goodbyes as well as hellos

  Posted at 4:53 am by kirstenlanae, on June 24, 2019

  I’m on my second listen of the audible version of Oprah’s new book The Path Made Clear. It’s full of the good stuff, constantly sending me scrambling to the notes app on my phone to jot down a little nugget of wisdom.

  

  Of all those nuggets, one seems entirely fitting for this, my last week at STJ. Barbara Brown Taylor said, so perfectly, that:

  “There are goodbyes as well as hellos in our callings.”

  Like Oprah, my calling is to teach. It’s the root of everything I love, whether formally inside the classroom or not, which is why I feel the need to share the things I’m passionate about (aha! moment for why I feel the need to blog and post regularly about reading, writing, running, stroller miles, podcasts, the outdoors, lifelong learning, family . . .) It’s all encompassing, and joins together the two biggest parts of my life: being in the classroom, and being a mom.

  A central theme in The Path Made Clear is that, “Your life is always speaking to you,” and the collection stresses the importance of paying attention to the “whispers” that are quiet nudges to pay attention: that something isn’t quite right, that a change needs to occur, that it’s time to move on.

  I’ve listened to the whispers for a while now, and it’s time for a goodbye in my calling. It’s a bittersweet experience that’s prompted me to reflect on my time at STJ.

  The good times have been filled with genuine laughter, learning, and love. I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished over the last four years. Conversely, the bad times have been filled with a combination of isolation, frustration, and stress. I’m so proud I survived them. Reality also hits hard and makes my heart ache when I think about the current grade 11s; I won’t have the privilege of guiding them through English 30, or of preparing them for post-secondary. I love those kids. Packing up my desk and binders makes it all seem so final, but it’s time.

  I’m not sure where the next hello in my calling will be just yet, so for now, I’ll keep listening to the whispers about my next right direction.

  Posted in Reflections | 0 Comments | Tagged audible, audiobook, classroom, goodbyes, hellos, learning, oprah, purpose, teacher, teaching, the path made clear

• writing every Monday, no matter what

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