Happy Poetry Friday! Thank you for visiting the ridge. This week, Tricia is hosting the round-up at her space, The Miss Rumphius Effect. You can find more poetry offerings there!

As a writer, I try to live a wide-awake life. When I do, I notice how much it improves my life and my interactions with everything around me. There is something extraordinary that happens when the lens of attention begins to focus and sharpen. There is an immediate connection between myself and whatever I have stopped to acknowledge has come into my frame. And whatever it may be, it is worthy of my attention. It becomes the center of everything. Through this simple act of noticing, I learn something more about this life.

"The dream of my life
Is to lie down by a slow river
And stare at the light in the trees-
To learn something by being nothing
A little while but the rich
Lens of attention."

-Mary Oliver from her poem, Entering the Kingdom

Mary Oliver was a true master of the art of noticing. Her wise words will continually inspire me to live with a lens of attention. There is so much in this world to delight in. ​

Noticing often leads to learning. We can learn so much about ourselves and others through the simple act of noticing. Try practicing the art of noticing to see what comes of it. Pay close attention to details and ask yourself questions to lead to reflection. 

Where are spaces in your day that you are building a habit of writing and reflecting? What are you noticing and learning about yourself as a result? If you try out the art of noticing, I invite you to share your learning reflections with the #TeacherMyth followers on Twitter. This group is also thinking deeply about reflective practices and the power of noticing. There is so much to learn about ourselves and the world around us through a careful lens of attention ! 

Happy Poetry Friday! Thanks for visiting the ridge this week. For more of the poetry party, head over to Carol's space Beyond LiteracyLink.

Over Labor Day weekend, I took some time to walk about the ridge. I enjoy observing all the gifts that the natural world has to offer! Our observations can surprise us and wonder us. Having a notebook brimming full of observations can inspire so much writing!

Writers are observers of the world around them. Take some time this weekend to take a walk and record your observations. Open your senses and capture all the life around you! Let your observations lead you to many new writing possibilities. A simple walk can do a writer good!

Happy Poetry Friday, friends! Michelle is hosting the roundup on her site Today's Little Ditty. Be sure to swing on over and join in the poetry fun!

What an exciting week it has been! First, I was honored to be invited to share a little bit of my note-booking process with others on Amy VanDerwater's Sharing Our Notebooks page. Then, I had the opportunity to be in a few classrooms this week where I was simply awed by all the writing flowing inside of notebooks. It was incredible to hear how inspired students are to write when they are given a host of invitations and notebook strategies by teachers who value them as writers for life. I am so grateful to have the privilege to work alongside these teachers and writers. You can take a peek HERE at some of the brilliant writing work happening at our school Spring Creek Elementary. 

The poem I am sharing today is one that came to life after rereading an observation in my notebook. The entry was about the day I watched a crow chase a hawk along a high line wire in a nearby field. The crow kept cawing and cawing at the hawk. I could tell he did not want him in his territory. It really surprised me that a crow would chase a hawk and not the other way around. I had always thought of the hawk as a master of other field birds. This observation certainly made me wonder more and more about the crow. My questions led me straight to research. I learned so much about this intelligent bird that I might never have considered. Simple observations can be explored in many different ways when we take the time to consider them truly and deeply. 

Click HERE to learn more about the crow.

Observations can create wonder. And wondering can lead us to consider all sorts of possibilities! There are so many things to wonder about in the world around us. Sometimes all we have to do is stop in our tracks, and take a look. Write down some observations you are making right this moment. What do your observations make you wonder about? Is there more you want to learn? Choose a few of these ideas or topics and consider the possibilities of each one. Push your thinking by asking, "What if...?" or "Have I considered...?" Let your observations be your guide. There is much to consider!