WHAT ENERGIZES ME

WHAT ENERGIZES ME

•  Starting off the morning with my Maker
• Enjoying, appreciating the work of my gifted artist/son, Nathan Edward Szerdy
• Creating an "altered" book
• Garage saling with hubby on steamy Saturday mornings
• Knitting magical warm fuzzy love with colorful fiber clouds of softness on pokey sticks
• Magical teaching moments marked by eyes alit with understanding, marked by the moment students stop asking "Is this good enough?"
• Hearing the phone message:  "Hello, this is Steve Jones, Superintendent of >>> City Schools.  There will be no school today..."
• Organizing stuff and dancing a 27 item fling boogie
• Reading beautiful words printed on soft delicious pages
• Unplugging
• Singing to my Maker at the top of my lungs in church so loudly that the people three rows up turn around and say, "You have a beautiful voice--you ought to be in the choir." ;-)
• Walking my beautiful neighborhood under the sun or the clouds
• Running into someone I know when out of state
• Craning my neck at a 90 degree angle watching the Blue Angels paint inspiration all over the Cleveland or Annapolis skyline
• Writing personal narrative
• Art journalling
• Yoga--even just one asana 
• Trying a new restaurant
• Making New Years resolutions

·      WHAT DEPLETES ME

• Close crowds
• Unmet expectations
• Poor food choices
• Monday mornings
• Sunday evenings
• January 1 taking down the tree
• Too many tech tethers
• Deployment

·      WHAT GIVES ME HOPE

• The angel glowing atop the tree
• Looking into the eyes of a baby
• A friend calling me at the moment when I feel most down
• God's tender touch in the dark
• Flipping open my Bible to just the right verse

·      MOMENTS OF RESONANCE

• Having the privilege of being present when Nathan asked Stephanie to marry him.
• Darren surprising me on my 50th birthday in full dress Marine uniform
• Singing to my son and his bride at their wedding on the beach at Wilbur-by-the-Sea
• Enjoying Christmas lights at Stan Hywet Hall with loved ones
• Christmas Eve Eve
• Listening to a handbell choir
• Christmas lights and mouse on clock in downtown Hudson
• Laying on my couch with my shit-zuh puppy angel Bailey snoring on my belly
• Watching a snow storm from inside my warm, cozy house
• Opening the bathroom window on the first day of Spring
• Sliding into flannel sheets on a cold winter's night
• Catching magical fluffy snowflakes with my tongue
• Staring at the Christmas tree for hours after returning home from Christmas eve services
• Daily moments of joy remembering that we are truly home
• Seeing my daughter so much in love--and where did you find this gem?

·      MY PET PIEVES

• Rude students
• People who sue good Samaritans
• Entitlement
• Administrators who don't take the time to check out all sides of a situation before taking action
• Ten negative news stories for every one positive one.
• Liberals