| Last week, I got to semicircle up with over a dozen of the most amazing people in our arts community -- my fellow UA teachers. We convene for a week each year for intensive training and brainstorming, and this week was particularly engaging and inspiring for me! DID YOU KNOW? -The brain has the most synapses at 6 years old. -By 14 years old, our brains have pruned out the vast majority of those synapses, retaining only those most-used (for better or worse.) -Though the brain is technically finished developing by 24, it has the capacity to continue creating new synapses throughout life. -People who dance regularly reduce their risk of dimentia onset and Alzheimer's Disease by 75%. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and the information comes at an opportune time, as I'm about to speak for a new seniors group, OWLS, at St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church. Between the local dance company Kairos who presented at our training, PBS' fascinating special "Arts & the Mind," ArtSage Minnesota, and many other available resources, I hope to continue learning more so that I can share some of this remarkable information with St. Philip's group, and others! In the meantime, I'm looking forward to beginning a new teaching season with Upstream Arts next week! Here's to a healthy, body-brain-building year. 
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jiggety jig? Well, maybe not so much a jig. More like a scramble. It's always a bit jarring to return home after a long absence, to realize there is MUCH to be done. I opened the front door after debarking from the Florida flight home and it was almost as if one of those Jack-in-the-Boxes sprang open, scattering piles and projects and repairs and chaos just... everywhere. My first impulse was to turn around and head back out.
Being on the road is simple. Oh, I know, there's the whole suitcase thing, and being away from your friends and family and nest. But, for me, that one little carry-on for a month just highlighted how little of what I HAVE I actually NEED. And to only have to keep one little suitcase-full organized was – well, it was easy. So, this month is about reorganizing, streamlining, assessing, purging, simplifying, and basically figuring out what is truly essential in my home (and life?) and what is just clutter, clouding my view and blocking my path. I have a little bit of free time to work on that now, and I'm hopeful that if I can get the clutter removed and the dust settled, the other side will present a clearer view of where I am and what comes next. Here's to wonderful, fulfilling jobs away from home, and here's to bringing the wonderful back home too! |
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