Storytelling. Fact and fiction. One word at a time.
The Restorative Sauna Session I've found myself in the middle of a very lovely group of earthy women. I know a few of them from my belly dancing days. We had a super fun sauna experience on Sunday, which included a group photo of our bare bums in the cold prairie. Yes, I said bums.... Continue Reading →
I found the following quote cut up and taped together in one of my bins of collage materials that I’ve been curating for over three decades. A completed sentence ends with a small black dot, but that’s how epiphanies begin. A coffee bean. A tiny, good thing from the earth. But the best ones have... Continue Reading →
One of the staple rules of my class is that students are expected to leave their phones on the table near the door. I introduce this rule at the beginning of the year. In the fall, a lot of kids groan about it, buck against it. But rules are rules, and with a little nagging... Continue Reading →
When I first started blogging, I had no idea what my focus would be. I read all the advice — endless lists of what I should do: find a niche, choose a category, define a purpose. Travel blog, wellness blog, creative blog — the suggestions blurred together. I didn’t know how that focus would find... Continue Reading →
I have readers overseas. My cousin is one of them. She got a copy of My List, My Rules last year (tap the title to check it out), and this year while I was visiting, we chatted about it. She loved it—I’m glad. But she also asked a very interesting question that no one else... Continue Reading →
I was leaving school. It had been a long day. There was a lot of cleanup and correcting to do in the art studio at this old school. The burden of my backpack reminded me I still had work to finish. I pushed open the door, having spent the entire day inside. A warm breeze... Continue Reading →
I’ve lived a life full of pauses—gaps between experiences. Friends scattered across the world I wouldn’t see for years. Weeks away from home, then returning to my people. Long breaks from work—the nature of teaching means stepping away from the building, the students, the rhythm. And every time, I’d feel a bit nervous about the... Continue Reading →
I hate show and tell so much that I’ve even stalled making a post about it for fear of resolving it and then having to show and tell! How messed is that? I’ve realized I have a massive resistance to posting on social media—especially TikTok, but really, any reel. It’s got me wondering: why am... Continue Reading →
Near semester end a student told me she had an appointment and had to leave early. That was no problem. Later that afternoon she sent an email apologizing for mixing up the days. The next day in class she apologized again but was quite vague about where she had gone. Her lack of information made... Continue Reading →
**I wrote a letter to five-year-old me because I felt like I should. Here it is. Dearest little one, So, you made it to 56! I know. I know. That seems so old little one. But I promise you it's not! Keep up all the good habits. I have so much to tell you so... Continue Reading →
Angie Counios 