I just went through my blog archive to do a few things: record all of the titles I have used, document the number of posts from each month, and analyze trends in my writing. I noticed that there are several reoccurring themes. I suppose it’s because I find inspiration (to write) about many of the same things, such as art, education, gratitude, and wellness. Speaking of gratitude…
So, I’m a big fan of Instagram. There are so many inspiring people whom I will likely never meet face-to-face… but they put some great content out there, and I am grateful for them. I was fortunate enough to find a gratitude challenge from the user @positivelypresent (Dani DiPirro) just in time for the beginning of November. This challenge was set up with the intention of participating anytime throughout the year, but I think it’s very timely with Thanksgiving coming up (how is it next week already?!), and the end of the year approaching. We should practice gratitude on a daily basis anyway, but it’s nice to have specific prompts to guide the focus. Here’s the list for 2018:
I have been posting my gratitude challenge photos on my personal Instagram page. My friend and her sister just started a podcast a few months ago (2 months ago to the day, as a matter of fact!) and their most recent episode focuses on Gratitude.
At school this year, I am continuing my focus on wellness-related topics with students on the rotation day. Each quarter, I will see certain classes for an extra day, in addition to their regular art class. I try to integrate the various topics with an art and/or writing prompt. Most recently, third grade students created lists and illustrations of what they are grateful/thankful for. Other wellness-related lessons can be found in previous posts here and here. I think that it is so important to teach children the importance of wellness in general, and how to access it from different venues (i.e. creating art, deep breathing, movement, etc.)
What are some reoccurring themes in your life?