Today’s prompt is a concrete poem, and I have been struggling with finding code that would work to fit this page. I may have to renovate my blog page this summer so that I can manage to do more create visual texts, but in the meantime, here is a link to the Document, because I couldn’t manage the formatting for this page.

Gratitude List:
1. (What wakes you up?) Birdsong, misty morning, small snuffly boy
2. (What disturbs you?) In yesterday’s class, the professor suggested that we interrupt our students after five or ten minutes of computer work, and have them ask each other questions or tell each other what they’re doing.  I asked if that wouldn’t be disruptive, and she said, “Precisely.” And it suddenly made sense to me, that we would intentionally disrupt a solitary process in the classroom to create interaction, to break the particular flow, in order to create space for new ideas.  I was worried about breaking their focus, but I really like the idea that when they’re doing certain writing tasks in class (perhaps not all), they need the intentional disruptions of their teacher and their peers.  This is different from the disruption of their neighbor showing them the latest youtube Fail video, of course.  I found the idea helpfully disruptive.
3. (What inspires you?) More ideas from yesterday’s class, to use WordPress blogs to create common collaborative spaces for students to share and peer review.  I am really excited by this possibility.
4. (What will draw you into the future?) The tasks of the summer.  Cleaning, sorting, preparing, playing with the boys
5. (What keeps you in the moment?) The feel of the air against my skin, someone I love whistling in the kitchen, the smell of coffee, the residual ache in my back (That puts a whole new twist on the grateful moment.  I would not be grateful for the ache in my back, but today when I feel it, I will remember it not as a symbol of aging but as a marker that keeps me focused on the moment at hand.)

May we walk in Beauty!