Recycled Critters and Creatures on Ocracoke - Second and Sixth Grades

On our first afternoon at Deepwater Theater, we were in the company of Second and Sixth Grade Students from Ocracoke School.  Their enthusiasm for creating, and their understanding of recycling were impressive to say the least!

Here's a glimpse of our time with them...

A girl after my own heart!

His wheels are turning!

Excited?  Maybe.   :-)

Laser Focus.

Another Light Bulb Moment.

Yay Polka Dots!

If I had a hammer...

Teamwork

What efficiency!

A Classic Car

Fun With Paint

So many choices!

Pandas and Rabbits, Oh My! 

Guitar Stylings.

Please check back next week when I'll continue to post photos from our week on Ocracoke.

Reacting and Responding - Part 2 - A Lighter Look

Theresa was clueless as to the
fun that awaited her!

In May of this year, my emotions were running on overdrive.  My Mom's health was declining at lightning speed; the needs for her care were changing daily; and I was exhausted!  As we prepared for our Flagship ReMe Retreat on Ocracoke Island, it seemed as if new challenges presented themselves on a daily basis.  Some, a flat tire or misplaced keys, were minor.  Others... like Mom's speedier than expected discharge from rehab, my swan dive down the stairs as I was packing for ReMe, and her caretaker's stroke on her first full day of work... were more significant.

Through it all, there were also bright spots.  Through it all, I somehow managed to trust that everything was happening for a reason.  Through it all, I maintained faith that the right solutions would present themselves at the exact time that I needed them most.  Thankfully this was consistently the case.

Midweek during our retreat, as I was enjoying a delightful shower under the Carolina Blue Sky, I discovered a 'skin tag' on my upper thigh.  Puzzled by this tag that I'd never felt previously, I perched Karate Kid style on my one good leg to glimpse it in the waist high mirror.  My balance not being at its best a few short days after my fall, I still couldn't be sure,.  So, I rinsed as quickly as possible, re-donned my soft stretchy pajamas, and proceeded directly to the house where I sought help.

(It should be noted that I strongly suspected that the 'skin tag' in question was actually a tick.  Ticks are one of those creatures that totally and completely freak me out!  When suspicion first dawned, I wanted to scream like a child and run like the wind; but I couldn't.  It's hard to run from one's own thigh, and I was playing Hostess at the time.  If I'd screamed and run naked away from The Inn, my ReMe Sisters would have been puzzled, and potentially scarred for life.)

Lynne has mad artistic skills, and luckily for me also

oodles of experience as a nurse and nursing instructor!

Thankfully, our cool-headed Den Mother, Theresa, and ReMe Guest Extraordinaire, Lynne Simon Suprock, came to my rescue.  The tick was painlessly removed amidst our raucous laughter; the doctor was called; and any possible ill effects of the experience were thwarted.

The moral of this story...

Reacting by running naked and screaming would have been bad for all involved.

Responding by quietly asking for help, and laughing about the experience for days, provided a positive outcome for the experience and, a story that will last a lifetime.

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Do you respond, react, or a bit of both?  

I'd love to hear all about it in the comment section of this post!  

My Love for Hyperbole and a Half

I've been savoring this gem of a book since I discovered it at Books To Be Red during our ReMe Retreat on Ocracoke Island in May.  I admit that it was an impulse buy.  The artwork on the cover grabbed my attention, and after browsing a few random pages, I had to have it! 

In Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh provides readers with a lighthearted look at serious issues like depression and mental health, while also drawing attention to the random absurdities of everyday life...and our pets...and our love of cake...and the heinous nature of geese...and so much more!  Virtually every drawing and chapter in this book brings a smile to my face, and I can't begin to count the number of times that these pages have made me laugh aloud.

Signs of love, or maybe jealously, left by
Clark the Cat.  He seems to be at his friskiest when I'm
laughing madly for no apparent reason. 

Given my love of instant gratification, by not reading this treat in one marathon session, I'm exercising great restraint.  Instead, it lives nearby, at the ready for those days that I need it most.  I'm hoping that I can make it last until April 2016, when Allie Brosh's new book, Solutions and Other Problems, will hit bookstores.

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For Leslie Lanier, the lovely and talented owner of 

Books to Be Red, if you're reading this, please reserve a copy of Solutions and Other Problems for me during my visit in May!  For my ReMe Sisters, and anyone else who loves this sweet bookstore on Ocracoke Island, please contact Leslie by email, phone, or Facebook to order or reserve your copies too.  While there's nothing like an in person experience at Books to Be Red, 

mail order from Ocracoke is the next best thing!  

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(For my grammar and punctuation-loving-friends, be sure to read this post from Allie Brosh.  I promise you'll love it 'alot'.)  

Clark looking deceptively sweet. 

On Slowing Down

2015 has been quite a year so far.  The highs have been extremely high; the lows have been extremely low; and the speed of life has accelerated at an alarming rate.  In the midst of addressing one challenge, the next one seems to be knocking at the door.

I am strong.

My bench block, with the wise and loving words
of my dear friend and our ReMe Guest...
"Don't hurry.  Be happy."

I am woman.

I am overwhelmed.

I am also hopeful.

As I've done my best to navigate these uncertain waters, a few truths have revealed themselves to me again and again.  (Yes, I can be a bit hard headed and it often takes a few times for me to really get it!)

The first of these truths is that I need to slow down.  I realized this in the physical sense when I did a less than graceful swan dive on my stairs on my way to our ReMe Retreat earlier this month.  Ken, my calm loving husband, and a trained first responder, gently suggested these very words to me as he drove me to the emergency care clinic for x-rays.

He was right, and not just in the physical sense.  As we talked that day, and as I reflected on our conversation, I realized that my mind is generally at least ten steps ahead of what I'm actually doing. As I gazed at my bruised and swelling ankle and ego, I realized that this behavior wasn't serving me well.

As I walked down the stairs that morning, my mind was on Ocracoke Island and all that the next week would hold, on my Mother, on her last month in an inpatient rehab facility, on her current condition, and on my concern for her during my time away.  All of this thoughtfulness was great in theory; but it didn't help one bit as what my feet were doing at the time never even crossed my mind.

Speeding through life and badly multitasking has become my normal, and the time for change is now.  I will slow down.  Mentally, I'll focus on the task at hand.  Physically, I'll live in the moment.  I'll softly remind myself to do this again and again until the behavior is as natural as breathing.

Speaking of breathing, I'll address that in my next post, and then I'll share my thoughts on responding instead of reacting, and then...

There I go again!  One step at a time.  For now I'll slow down in the quiet confidence that this step, my next step, is where I must focus.

Please bear with me as I do exactly that, and share your thoughts on under-focusing, over-thinking, and multitasking in the comments section below.

Art In The Schools on Ocracoke..... Captain's Landing

Thanks to the kindhearted folks at Captain's Landing, my Mother was able to join me while I was teaching on Ocracoke.  Her mobility has been limited, and as her disease progresses it's deteriorating even more rapidly.

At Captain's Landing, we were welcomed with open arms into a first floor handicapped accessible suite that overlooked Silver Lake Harbor.  We were treated to a front row seat for an ever-changing amazing view, and the most glorious sunsets that I've ever seen in my life!  Thanks to them, my Mother was able to enjoy all of this without ever leaving the comfort of our room, and I was able to enjoy my time with her.

This is the only photo that I have of Karen Lovejoy.
With her assistance, and a bit of food, I was almost
able to touch the beloved Ocracats
who live at Captains's Landing.  

Captain's Landing has rentals and a sweet gift shop too!

I feel certain that this will be the first of many visits to

Captain's Landing, and I'm already looking forward to a return trip!

If you're heading to Ocracoke, and seeking an inviting place 

in the heart of it all, Captain's Landing is for you!

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To read more about how I learned about this opportunity, the Ocracoke Community, and our Retreats on Ocracoke, please visit our ReMe Retreats Website by clicking here.