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! Thank you for visiting the ridge! Be sure to stop by Kat's space HERE for more poetry delights this week. 

I don't generally make resolutions at the beginning of a new year, but I do make a point to reflect on my personal and professional life. My writing life has always helped me balance them both, so I'm happily reclaiming my writing life this year. It's time to prioritize my time and energy to those things that matter most. My family and the work that I do as an educator to serve children and others will always be top priority. My writing must be a high priority as well. Writing completes me. I am better for myself and others when I write often. 

So after reflecting on how I spend my time, I have decided to be more intentional about creating a space in my day to write.

1. Instead of plopping down on the couch to watch tv, I can read from one of the many books in my stack and jot down my favorite line. I can come back to it later as an invitation to write. 
2. Instead of checking Facebook during moments of wait time or boredom, I can step outside and check out all that nature has in store for me to write about! Wait time is write time.

I know it will be difficult at times, but I am determined to return to my writing life this year. I know that what I focus on, I'll get more of. Whatever your goals or priorities may be this year, I hope you also find your creative space to reach them.  

I have been thinking a lot about the reflection process lately, along with many of my teacher colleagues. It's a great topic to explore as a writer. One of my friends, Aaron Hogan, author of Shattering the Perfect Teacher Myth, has initiated a blog challenge over the next few weeks to write a reflection in response to a given prompt. I think it's a wonderful invitation to write, so I have decided to accept his challenge. If you would like to join in, I will be including his weekly prompt in this section of my blog or you can find the prompts on Twitter at #TeacherMyth. 

​This week, notice how you're using your time. Is there a space in your day to build in some time for reflection? 

Happy Poetry Friday! Thanks for joining me for a visit this week. Matt is hosting this week at his space Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme. Join him for the rest of the round-up offerings!

Everyday a new set of current events and topics to ponder present themselves as focal points in our daily lives. While I believe it is very important for us to stay up to date with the happenings and possibilities that we may face in the future, I think it is equally important to stay centered in the now. 

However, staying grounded in the now, does not always come so easy. In my own experience, I have noticed too often that the thoughts and sometimes worries about the future distract me. And somehow, before I've even realized it, I have given my full attention to something in the future that might not ever happen. As a result, I end up feeling as though I may have missed something extremely valuable and meaningful in my current reality. This tends to be a struggle for me both as a writer and as a person who cares deeply about the natural world as well as the small intricacies of ordinary life.
Whenever I sense this tension, this struggle, I do what I always do. I write. This kind of fast and furious writing in my notebook, allows me to document my thinking about the future, so that I can continue living in the now. By both acknowledging my questions and fears, I can create a space in time that gives me the freedom to plant myself in the moment to write the immediate thoughts of my mind. Writing provides an invitation and the the room to welcome balance in our lives.   

Writers have different ways to balance their past, present, and future thoughts.  For example, many writers choose to blog about ideas and issues that they are immediately responsive to. Other writers may choose to log their daily thoughts in a journal or notebook. Some writers do both! How do you choose to document your current and future thoughts for safe keeping? Where do you find balance in your writing life?

Howdy, Poetry Friday friends! Thanks for stopping by and visiting me at the ridge where I am writing up a storm about birds while I wait for my favorite spring birds, the Purple Martins, to arrive. While I'm rounding up poems about birds, our friend Karen Edmisten is rounding up words for our round up today. Thanks for hosting, Karen!

Waiting sure is hard sometimes, especially when you want something really bad. For the past couple of weeks, I have been patiently waiting for my Purple Martin bird friends to return. With each passing day, my mind becomes and more consumed with worry that they might not return. Lucky for me, I know what to do while I'm waiting. I write! I write about other bird friends and animal friends that I love. I write about hopes, fears, and things I hold dear. I write about lots of things. Words can be great friends that help to pass the time away through all that waiting.

I have hope that the Martins will arrive, but until they do, I keep writing! After all, I have so many words that want to sprout wings and fly out into the world each day.   

There are times and even places where we tend to spend a lot of time waiting. You might wait in line at a grocery store or at a drive through restaurant. You might even spend time waiting at an airport, subway station, or a doctor's office. So what do you do while you are waiting? Perhaps you read a book or spend time on your phone. Do you write? Writers, my hope for you today and everyday is that you find those spaces in the seams of your life to write. Think of all the words that are waiting to be written!