Yoga

Last week I tried Yoga for the first time (not counting the one time ten years ago in college.) I have many close friends who enjoy the practice, and now that I am all-in on the mindfulness train, I figured I would enjoy this type of exercise/mindfulness.

What I wasn't expecting was how free I felt. The instructor kept saying things like "stretch your body out as long as it will go," and so I did. I stretched out my 5'8" long body, stretched out my long, lanky arms, and lifted my legs into the air. I felt free because I realized I had the permission I felt I needed to take up space, as much of it as I possibly could. I didn't feel constrained by things like social norms that dictate ladies shouldn't kick their legs up in the air, sexism that dictates men need/deserve more room on the BART train, at the table, really anywhere... I felt like I deserved the space I was taking up. It's not like I was consciously not trying to take up space in the world before, but this experience made me realize I was sometimes afraid to do so.

I am excited to continue taking up space in and out of Yoga mat land. #nastywoman4yoga

O love that will not let me go...

1. "O Love that will not let me go,
   I rest my weary soul in thee;
   I give thee back the life I owe,
   That in thine ocean depths its flow
   May richer, fuller be.
2. O Light that foll’west all my way,
   I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
   My heart restores its borrowed ray,
   That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
   May brighter, fairer be.
3. O Joy that seekest me through pain,
   I cannot close my heart to thee;
   I trace the rainbow through the rain,
   And feel the promise is not vain,
   That morn shall tearless be.
4. O Cross that liftest up my head,
   I dare not ask to fly from thee;
   I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
   And from the ground there blossoms red
   Life that shall endless be."
5. -George Matheson

Thinking of this hymn we used to sing in my many summers spent on Lookout Mountain (Mentone, Alabama) at Camp DeSoto. Grateful for the joy that seekest me through pain and pray that morn shall truly tearless be.

Bullet Journal

As someone who strongly identifies with this image, organization has been a struggle for as long as I can remember:

Last week, my growth mindset kicked in and I began to revolutionize my planning. It all started last Monday when my colleague & sweet friend, Kelley, offered to teach us her organizational magic ways via her bullet journal. Immediately drawn in, I ordered one of these (but in purple, duh) and made a date with her to begin the process on Friday.

Here we created a plan for an incredible week:

• On the right here, you can see my prayer for the week, "must wins" or top three priorities, big events/meetings that shape up the week, and other To Do's, personal, and backburner/great ideas I can't do now but don't want to forget about! 
• At the end I left space for reflection, which I completed yesterday after thinking through some wins and next levels for my week.On the left here, you can see what a day would look like (very similar structure)
• I have loved being able to plan strategically, capture tasks that come up during the day/week, and do so with some color & flair [pens]

Shout out to Kelley, Moleskine, Flair Pens, and everyone who listened to me while I rambled on about my fun new org system!

Purpose of Vision

I have found it challenging to write a post these past few weeks given the recent murders of black men happening both in my community and in the nation. How could my heart be happy during a time of such suffering?

On Monday, I was reminded again by the beauty of purpose and how it can create a happy heart even amidst pain. I was preparing for a coaching conversation with her, when I found out that one of the students shot on Friday was a student she taught last year. I followed my intuition and immediately texting her, offering to push back the conversation if her mind wasn't in the right headspace for it. She declined the offer and said she'd be there, ready to engage in our coaching conversation. About halfway through the conversation, she said something like, "This is why I wanted to have our conversation today. I need to be focused on my vision for ensuring my students feel they have choices - I'm not sure if C ever felt that he did..." She reminded me that actually living into our vision can be the most healing thing in times of trial. I feel so tempted at times to retreat, pull away, and put my vision on "pause" so I can mourn, while she saw so clearly that the true purpose of a vision was to pull you through during times like these.

Leaving that conversation my heart was happier than it's been all month. Grateful for all that I learn from my incredibly inspiring and wise corps members.

I less than three Bacon

Among my more unhealthy vices is bacon. While thankfully it's not the easiest of things to make (and so dangerous - bacon grease literally LEAPING out at you!) I still do enjoy it more than the average human, and it gives me a (albeit not very healthy but nevertheless) happy, heart. 

I was reminded of this love when visiting one of my new teacher's classrooms. Students finished writing their 6 word memoirs and they hung outside of the teacher's door. I scanned the door to find my favorite and immediately set eyes on my spirit-8th-grader:

#missingmiddleschoolers #thirteen

Nail Painting Parties

Last night I made time to sit and paint my nails (dark purple with one magenta "party nail" on each hand in case you were wondering.)  As I sat while the last coat of polish dried, I thought back to when my love for nail-painting began.

I always loved having my nails painted, but it wasn't until I began teaching in 2010 that I actually began to appreciate the process of painting my nails. I used to see it as a time-waster and mildly frustrating since I couldn't do much while my nails were still wet (or I'd try to reject that truth and fold laundry which would result in messing up my nails, and then inevitably taking more time re-doing them...)

Amelia & Jessica, two of my incredible students, were painting their nails one day in my room during lunch and in a (somewhat extremely desperate) attempt to build a relationship with them, I joined the nail painting party. We laughed (well mostly they laughed at me and my sub-par nail painting skills) and to this day they are two students I hold close to my heart.

Since then I've used the process of nail painting as:

• a key babysitting tactic
• way of bonding with female friends of all ages
• a method to increase my self-control & patience
• a therapeutic way to unwind on a Friday or Saturday evening.

Of course I still love the result of having my nails painted (especially with a fun party nail to look down at during the day), but have found an additional layer of gratitude for the actual process of painting nails.

Curious what my favorite nail polish color of all time is? Carry on.

Good Morning :)

Hopeful. Optimistic. Alive with possibilities. Mornings make me feel all of these things. 

When I wake up (to none other than this is my Fight Song) my alarm label reads, "His mercies are new every morning." -Lamentations 22:23

Mornings are a time where we all get a fresh start. I think about all of the hard days I had teaching and how after each one of those days I went to bed, and woke up to a new morning. A new cup of coffee. A new lesson to teach. A new relationship to be formed. A new opportunity to reach out to the seemingly-grumpy teacher two doors down. 

Mornings bring light to what is dark
They are an extension of grace
A fresh start
No matter what.

Fitbit Challenge

Despite my tendency and desire to crash on my couch after arriving at home in the evenings, I have a newfound motivation to run exercise ok, sometimes walk. I love being able to see the steps drastically increase in number after a matter of 30 minutes, or see that "active minutes" number turn GREEN with some virtual celebration confetti, recognizing my hard work. 

Fitbit may seem like a fun toy for solely high-achiever-oriented types, but I find that it has many other incredible benefits as well (see below for a non-comprehensive list.)

1. Deepening relationships with my family. Currently there is a standing Guenard family workweek hustle consisting of my mom, dad, and little sister. It's a good way to keep tabs on one another, especially when time zones & schedules prevent actual phone contact on the busy weeks.
2. Developing a growth mindset. Walking more steps is a relatively simple thing to do, and so doing so requires discipline and motivation. Once you achieve more steps, you build a growth mindset 
3. Increasing use of public transit & saving the environment. Example: I want to BART to my SF office because I'll get more steps than if I drove and parked right next to the office.

For these reasons and many more, I am so grateful for my fitbit (especially with my fancy new teal flowery band!)

#firstpost

#bloginspiration

The title of this blog is inspired by my perfume of choice, "Happy Heart." Creating a happy heart in myself is something I aspire to do each day. The description on the box reads, "A wealth of flowers.  A hint of warmth. A deepening of emotions." 

In addition to flowers, warmth, and all-the-feels, I think about 1 Thessalonians 5:16 which says, "Rejoice always." I sometimes often wonder how this is possible to do "always" given the state of our world and the amount of pain currently felt by so many humans. How does one experience both a deepening of emotions and a happy heart? 

My Other folks' (including David Steindl-Rast's) current theory is simple:

"The root of joy is gratefulness...It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful." -- David Steindl-Rast

The purpose of this blog is to test out this theory by sharing gratitude in all circumstances (yes, even when experiencing those "deepening of emotions" or when there are many other reasons not to feel grateful.) My hope is that by making this more public than in a journal or my own head, that readers feel likewise encouraged and even inspired to create their own version of a happy heart.

ps: Guest bloggers are welcome anytime :)