Category: community

The Happiness Project Marches On

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Consistently posting about my happiness project 2025 continues to be a challenge. Just a week after my last post I got hit with one of the more intense seizures that I’ve had in the last few years which opened the door to getting sick. Add to that the simple reality that February in an elementary school is one of the most wearing months for kids and staff with cold weather, long days, and sniffling noses all around and I’ve been just worn out!

I am thankful though that I started this happiness project this year. I think it’s played an important role in getting me through the stress and darkness that is February and is helping me see the light ahead as we march in March.

Due to my seizure early in the month and the days of illness and recovery that followed I missed nearly a week of recording my progress toward my goals and, quite honestly, likely missed much of my daily efforts to in favor of just sleeping. Still, I came out strong. I only recorded three days that I went completely without watching any television though I think there were one or two more during my two weeks of illness and seizure recovery time. I also successfully met my stretching goal on 14 days, meditated on 18, and did my dedicated creative time on 16 days. Again, these are just the days that I recorded and I missed 5 days of recording because I was just too exhausted from my seizure, work, and illness.

I feel pretty good about what I’ve accomplished so far and it’s helped me just feel good. I’ve picked up my knitting again, finished a hat, and am nearly done with a gift for someone special to me. Stepping away from the tv has allowed me to quiet my mind and let myself heal from the challenges each day working in special education brings. I am reminded how the screen acts as a drug. It only numbs the brain for a moment, but the stress is still there and comes back stronger all the time. Turning off the screen lets me turn down my brain and let that stress out. It heals me.

So far March is starting strong. I missed meditation on the first two days, but I’ve also had a couple days already without any television and I’ve been spending more time outside taking longer walks. It all balances out. This project is reminding me daily to keep an eye on how I am treating myself and encouraging me to take the best care of me that I can. How are you treating yourself? How can you take the best care of you possible? Wishing you all the best in the spring to come!

My Happiness Project 2025: Update 1

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Wait a second, two weeks have passed already??? Wow! Even with so many kids at school sick, making our numbers low and slowing everything down, the world sure speeds up when you go back to work after winter break. When I started this project I was wrapping up a relaxing two week holiday break from my career as a special education teacher at a local elementary school and wondering how I might survive the upcoming semester. This project is a much needed tool to keep this teacher not only afloat, but thriving.

My goals for January are spending at least 15 minutes daily being creative with my arts and crafts supplies, 15 minutes in meditation, and 15 minutes doing qi gong or another similar stretching exercise. Here’s what’s been happening so far and what I’m learning.

Back in November, when I first came across the idea of the Happiness Project, my search for a wellness planner didn’t find much in local stores. Ultimately, I wound up going online and buying a flowered paper wellness planner from a company in Australia. It’s turning out to be a fascinating learning tool and great way to keep myself on task with my goals.

Each day, I turn to the front of the planner where there are four graphs each showing the months and the days of the month. I’ve labeled each graph with one of four title; health (in January that means qi gong or other stretching exercises), creativity (any sort of playing with art supplies), spirit (meditation), and connections (I’m still defining this, more on it in an upcoming post). So far I’ve succeeded in meeting my health goal 12 of 14 days, creativity 12, spirit 13, and connections 8 of 14 days.

From there I go to the two pages dedicated to the week. The first pages has small squares to write just a sentence or two about my day, a surprisingly insightful exercise to look at what’s made me happy or sad or whatever feeling for the day. The second page for each week has spaces to write and track my goals, note my gratitudes, list what I’ve positive and self things I’ve done each day, note my exercise for the day, and write my meal plan for each day. It’s maybe a five or ten minute exercise each day just acknowledging my day, who I am, and what I’m doing right. It feels good to acknowledge the little bits. I can feel myself grounding and getting stronger.

So, what have I noticed so far? Just a few simple, small things I suppose. First, fifteen minutes with art supplies can easily turn into an hour or two or more. It just takes getting started. Once started, creative time is a superb mind emptier. Nothing feels better than a cleared mind, that time when you realize you’ve spent and hour or two or more just focused on the colors and textures totally forgetting about all the worries of life. Second, it is hard on many evenings to get started with even just fifteen minutes of qi gong or whatever relaxing exercise. After a long day at work, even the idea of stretching can feel too much. But, if I can get myself to do that first stretch, I can do the second and in just a few minutes the chi is flowing more freely and everything just feels better.

Outside, the Wisconsin night is frigid and dark, but my happiness project is offering a bit of much needed emotional warmth in the Midwest winter. Play time, meditation, stretching, and relaxing, it is feeling good being intentional about caring for myself. I highly encourage healthy self-care, whatever that looks like, for you.

Starting 2025: Recognizing My Guides

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Early in her book “The Happiness Project”, Gretchen Rubin speaks to the overarching principles that seemed to emmerge for her. What she created were her own ‘ Twelve Commandments’ and a set of ‘Secrets of Adulthood’, tools that would guide and support her in reaching her goals in her happiness project. While I’m not quite connecting with either the ‘Twelve Commandments’ or the ‘Secrets of Adulthood’ structures as she framed them for myself, the idea of the overarching principles or guides makes sense to me so I’ve been asking myself what guides me in this journey of growing happier through my focus on creativity, health, spirit, and connection. Here’s what I’ve found. It is a list that will inevitably change with time and experiences, but these are my guides for life today. I hope these guides might provide something for you to meditate on as well. Please do share your thoughts in the comment section.

  • Imagine yourself looking down a long tunnel. At the end of that tunnel is a child, a baby. That baby is the seventh generation. When we do what is right for that child, we are doing what is right for the world around us: Miigwitch (thank you) to the Anishanaabe people especially my old friend Walt Bresette for sharing this.
  • Everyone a Learner, Everyone a Teacher, Everyone a Leader: Thank you to the Grassroots Leadership College which operated in Madison, Wisconsin from 2003-2012 for this piece. It means simply what it says. Some of my best teachers have been people who wouldn’t fit the conventional definition of teacher or leader which leads to–
  • What is logical depends on the person’s experience in the world: This wisdom comes from Luke, who was one of my favorite 2 year old’s in the childcare center that I worked in back in 2002. He just taught me that what he did wasn’t illogical. It made perfect sense, if I looked at the world from his angle.
  • How does this move the work forward?: I used to hate this question when my boss, Maureen O’Connell, aka Mo, would ask it at every check in session during my years as a community organizer with Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM), but nearly 30 years later it still echoes in my mind and heart keeping me from running in circles.
  • Gentle on self: No great source on this one, just something I find myself saying to myself sometimes.
  • If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution: Okay, so Emma Goldman probably never said those words exactly but maybe she said something like it and expressed the idea. It is a great idea and I totally agree.

That’s it. At least that’s it for the moment. These are things that are guiding me today. What guides you? What supports you in growing your happiness? Share your thoughts in the comments.

My Own Happiness Project for 2025

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I was struck by the idea of building on our happiness in such an intentional, step by step process and decided that with the new year coming it made sense to take it on myself. So, I got myself a wellness planner, started to think through my first areas of focus, and here I am getting started. I hope you’ll travel with me.

The Next Chapter

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It’s hard to believe that I’ve not written in eight months. I had no idea it had been that long. It’s one of those things that seems as if it was only yesterday and at the same time feels a lifetime ago.

I got home from my travels in Europe to a stint of being underemployed that changed my life once again. Some people stay with jobs they don’t believe in and that tear apart their souls so they can be assured of a steady paycheck. That might be the smart thing to do for a lot of people, but it’s never been something that I could face. I’ve left good paying jobs because the organizations I worked for did things that were, in my view, morally unjust. Some groups I found mistreated workers, discriminated against people, or were racist and homophopic. I couldn’t stay with them and stay with myself. Other jobs ended just because in the nonprofit world sometimes there’s no money left and without money organizations stop operating and jobs end. In the case of Solace Friends, the group I worked with before I left for Europe, it was just a situation where it became clear to me that the organization needed something that wasn’t me and the work was going to burn me out like a candle lit at both ends. It couldn’t continue without me risking more seizures and burnout. It wasn’t worth it. So, I leapt into the unknown. After the vacation to Europe that I’d booked months earler, I returned to Madison and to no idea what would happen next.

What happened was dozens more resumes sent to everyone and their uncle followed by many interviews. Meanwhile, I started to sub in the Madison Metropolitan School District, mostly at Lowell Elementary as a Special Education Aide. The thing about subbing as an SEA in 2023 in Wisconsin, and in many other places I’m sure, is that a person can sub every day if they want. Schools are desperate for people to fill so many roles. I was lucky enough to find a long term subbing position that allowed me to work in the same school and with the same kids for weeks. It was a challenge. I had my favorite runners, little ones who’d simply run out of the classroom when they didn’t want to take part in activities any more. I had the kids who just didn’t want to deal with some support staff person trying to get them to go take their medicine and who’d mastered the great skill of talking back about everything. Then there were the ones who didn’t talk at all, those who hadn’t learned to speak yet. The kids trying to exist in our public school system when they were still non-verbal and operating developmentally years behind their peers.

I’ve been an activist and an organizer for a long time, about three decades as a matter of fact. Working with these kids isn’t changing the world in the big ways that I used to aim for, but it is much the same. It is changing the world for each of them through being there, caring, and taking the time to sit with them and figure out things together, so that they might become the person who can advocate for themselves.

So, it was there, at Lowell Elementary, spending time hanging out with those kids defined as having “special needs” that I turned the page to start my next chapter. After putting quite a bit of thought, I decided on a midlife career switch. I left the nonprofit world and applied to work for the Madison Metropolitan School District as a Cross-Categorical Teacher (what many may know as a Special Education Teacher). I started teaching this Fall at Mendota Elementary with a provisional teaching license while going to school to get my permanent license. It’s hard. There’s no doubt about that, but I am happy to have made the change and look forward to the chapters ahead. More stories to come.

Thoughts On Being a Part of the Wisconsin Movement

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It’s been twelve years now since thousands of angry, scared, and broken hearted Wisconsinites spent weeks camping out on the cold marble floors of our state capitol in an attempt to protect workers rights. While we didn’t win an immediate victory, we did change what organizing looked like in Wisconsin and throughout the US.

I was the person that the Teaching Assistants Association (TAA) called on when they realized that what began as a small protest was going to become a massive event and had the possibility of becoming dangerous. They asked me to coordinate non-violence trainings. During the weeks in the capitol I worked with a great team to bring together dozens of skilled trainers to provide non-violence training to thousands of people and the people of Wisconsin stood strong and peaceful. Here are few thoughts that I shared back then. I think that they may still ring true in many of the struggles that we face today.

Thoughts on Being Part of the Wisconsin Movement

  1. Why are you here?
    If you are here to defend the capitol building, you are in the wrong place. If you are here to prove your belief that police are fascists, you are in the wrong place. If you are here to prove your righteous acts, you are in the wrong place. If you are here to prove Republicans bad Democrats good, you are in the wrong place. Movements depend on a shared sense of deeper purpose. The Wisconsin movement is complex because it brings together such a wide variety of groups with many reasons for acting. In order for us to succeed in the long haul we must have a shared sense of purpose. I would suggest that the purpose we share is to create a Wisconsin in which all people have their basic human rights met and in which the people of the state drive the government, not the other way around.
  2. What is Civil Disobedience and Why Do It?
    Civil disobedience is intentional illegal action used to address injustices in the system. It is not simply actions used to make police officers work harder or to add excitement or interest. It is well thought out and used to attain a goal that moves us toward that bigger purpose of meeting the human rights of everyone in our state and gaining control of the governmental process. Civil disobedience is a tactic to be used when the legal means don’t work. It should be well thought out in advance and taken on only with people you trust implicitly. Plans should be made in advance to deal with any repercussions of your actions. Remember that the police, the courts, and our government have been dealing with protestors a long, long time. They are prepared. You need to be too. Doing the action and getting arrested is the easy part. Dealing with the repercussions can be more time consuming and difficult. Ask yourself “how will my action help the movement?” before taking any action.
  3. What about me?
    Me is an interesting character in the movement, whoever that me is. Every action that each of us takes, positive or negative, affects every other person in the movement community. Movements are in some sense temporary minority groups. This is not to suggest in any way that movements or members of movements face the same levels of discrimination or oppression. What we share is that majority culture is quick to define minority groups by the actions of single individuals “all Black men are x,” “all women, all youth, all insert your favorite minority here are y.” The same thing happens in movements. You are a representative of the movement whether you want to be or not. So, it’s up to you to measure each action you take, even the mundane ones like the words you use or when and where you opt to play the drum or whatever else, to ask yourself is this
    going to move us toward our goal or away from it. Everyone in Wisconsin is going to be affected by the decisions of our courts, the legislature, and the governor. We need a movement that is made of all ages, all races, and all backgrounds. This
    isn’t some liberal, progressive, or even radical group. This is Wisconsin. We all drink the same water. Every person that you see could be a part of the movement. Each one could bring something that we need. It’s up to each of us to build the bridges, to win people to our side, to encourage that understanding that we all drink the same water.
  4. But I just need to be me!
    If you are in a spot in which you feel a need to do something that isn’t going to help the movement take a break, step away for a moment to come back stronger. This fight doesn’t end with this budget session or even with the recalls. We’ve got a lot of work to do and it’s going to take a long time. Governor Walker, the legislature, the cops, the media, and sometimes even your fellow protestors are going to do stuff that in your mind is just idiotic and really ticks you off. If you can deal with it in ways that are both logical, empathetic, and feel right in your heart go ahead and deal with it. If you feel worn down, angry to the point of not being able to control your actions, deeply depressed or otherwise just don’t feel yourself, step back. We are a large group. We’ll cover for each other, so everyone can have a break.
  5. Going for the long haul
    Bad stuff is happening in Wisconsin’s government, stuff that will take years to fix. We’ll need to fix it and we can. It will take a lot of work, a lot of creative thinking, and a lot of coalition building and strengthening. Right now a lot of people are burned out, more than I’ve ever seen in my 20+ years as an activist and organizer.
    Go ahead and mourn. There has been a death in the family, many deaths. We’ve lost much that we love and depend on in this last legislative session and it deserves to be mourned. Crying is welcomed here. So, is talking, writing, song, lifting weights, prayer, running, hitting the punching bag, any and all of the healthy means of processing loss and regaining strength.
    Angrier than you can explain? That’s good too if you use it. Organizers often call it ‘cold anger.’ If you can keep your anger controlled and directed toward supporting our forward movement in healthy ways, it is one of the best tools we have. Remember we are all family here. Take care of your brothers and sisters and let them take care of you. Caring for each other makes us each stronger.
  6. What’s my role here?
    In my work we say “everyone a learner, everyone a teacher, everyone a leader.” It works here too. Each and every one of us is more than a body at a rally. We need you. Ask questions. Share what you know. Support others in doing the same. Share your talents, whether it’s facilitating meetings or baking cookies. Not everyone gets the spotlight, but everyone keeps the movement alive and strong. Thank you everyone for what you’ve been doing to keep us moving!