I’m flying to Madrid tonight to see my boyfriend, which would be a very happy occasion if I were currently on my airplane. However, the airplane had some sad, vague problem that prevented it from leaving (or possibly from landing? The stewardess was a little unclear.) So I am currently stuck in an airport delay, wishing for the thirty-seventh time that I hadn’t packed my book in the checked luggage. But stay positive, they say! So here is a fun little list of activities you can participate in the next time you find yourself stranded delayed at the airport for an additional five hours. Airport Delay Activities 1) Buy the latest…

With my students gone into their IB exams, spring is a time for exploring the big questions. The first one: Why do I spend so much time on minutia? I go through whole days focused on small moments: “Where are my keys?”“Did I turn off the stove?”“How many rides do I have left on my train pass?”“What is my password for the Iberia Miles program?”“Do I have enough money for coffee?”“Do I have a lesson plan for class tomorrow?”“Where are my keys?” (This comes up a lot) The answers to these questions are relatively simple. -My keys are in my bag. (They always are.) -Yes, I turned off the stove….

In the light of International Women’s Day, I have a confession to make.  I’m kind of old-fashioned.  Even in my Boulder, Colorado heyday of hippie-inspired activism, I could never really get behind the feminist movement. Environmentalism?  Great!Parity in education?  Totally reasonable!Universal access to health care?  What a lovely idea! I could corner strangers and harass them about the importance of those topics with the best of them. (Seriously.  I used to canvas for Greenpeace.)  But when people would try to get me talking about feminism, I would muster up and lackluster smile and say, “Mmmhmmm!” as enthusiastically as possible before making up an excuse about needing to hit the 5-day-old…

The mindfulness topic has stayed on my mind through the day, leading to an important subcategory: Mindfulness at Work.  Here are some continued thoughts. Mindfulness At Work 1) I feel like am more mindful in my private life than in my professional life.2) That’s probably because it’s difficult to be mindful (ie aware and present for what is happening in the moment) when someone is dictating the parameters of what is important and setting the deadlines for work to be completed3) Maybe I should stop caring so much what the administrators that set deadlines think of my professional performance. To bring mindfulness into my professional life… I think I need…