Happy New Year!
The last blog post of 2023 was all about running out of steam and being rather tired. Since then, I've been indulging in self-care while still attempting to get things done. I sleep in until 10:00 am, which means it's either so dark and gloomy outside that I'm not getting the cue to wake up, or I'm still exhausted.
One of the big things on my To Do list is to read all of the 2024 Forest of Reading nominees before I launch the program at my school in January. Later on in this post, I want to give a single-sentence-shoutout to many of the authors of books I've read so far during this holiday. It's related a bit to my new One Word focus.
These are the past One Word goals of mine:
2016 = continue
2017 = forgive
2018 = seek
2019 = enough
2020 = push
2021 = well
2022 = watch
2023 = lift
I was rather pleased with how my 2023 word played out over the past 365 days. On December 30, 2022, I deadlifted 205 lbs. Nearly a year later, on December 27, 2023, I broke that record of mine and deadlifted 220 lbs.
(Thank you to all the people on Facebook that liked and commented on the related post.) That fit my "looks like / sounds like / feels like" description from last January. I have continued to go to the gym and increase my weights. I have promoted the work of others (and will continue to do so, especially at the upcoming OLA Super Conference 2024). I fulfilled my 2023 travel dream and I used my written and spoken words to lift others up.
So, what's this year's word goal? How does it fit with the second half of this post?
I toyed with several words (like stabilize and believe) but the word that just seemed to fit for 2024 partly came from my daughter. She holds two jobs and her second position is as a food critic writer for BlogTO. Her visits to different local restaurants have expanded our culinary horizons and given us more meal options, to the dismay of my wallet! She works hard to craft her restaurant reviews and ensure that each one accurately describes and promotes the dishes available at these various eateries. My word for 2024 sounds like a word you'd use to talk about food.
savor
As is my custom, I look up the word I select to check out all the different meanings. This comes from the Cambridge dictionary:
I always seem to be in a hurry, working under self-imposed or external deadlines. There's always "so much to do, and so little time". It can be a struggle for me to slow down, to "stop and smell the roses". I often tell my friends with young children that they should enjoy these years with their offspring, despite being so tiring and tumultuous, because they don't last long. It's time for me to practice what I preach. A long time ago, at a previous Super Conference, I wept after meeting an author of a book that encouraged us to all slow down. (I can't recall the name of the book or the author and this is vexing to m; I have the book at school so I'll post the title after January 8.) It's not just about slowing down, but enjoyment as well. Merriam-Webster includes the words "to give flavor to" / "to have experience of" / "to delight in" with their definition of "savor". My school board is very focused on "joy" and I think savoring is a joyful experience. (Look at me, tying in my School Improvement Plan to my One Word goal!) 😉
I will make my #OneWord2024 a reality by:
- still making deadlines, but taking the time to recall, document, or appreciate the process of getting there and some of the fleeting moments that garner a smile (keep taking photos!)
- travelling with my sister - we are going to Portugal in July 2024 together - this trip is inspired by comments my mother made years ago, when she expressed interest in flying with her own older sister (who used to say we were "descended from Portuguese pirates") to explore the region her ancestors came from before emigrating to Guyana. My mother has dementia and her sister is quite old and physically incapacitated, so we will undertake this voyage that the previous generation can no longer complete themselves
- eating delicious food
- attempting a return to a more prayerful spiritual life - the pandemic did some damage to my regular religious practices, including my daily prayers. I stopped saying grace before meals or reciting a rosary in the car on the way to work. A while back, my daughter reminded me of our bedtime rituals, which including picking the best part of the day, recalling it, and saying "and thank you Jesus for that"; reflecting in a manner like this may help me revive my flagging relationship with God and the church and savor/recognize all my blessings
- appreciating nature more by pausing before I leave for work each morning to soak in the environment, making those land acknowledgements we do at school a bit more significant
Back to those Forest of Reading books. I'm a quick reader, so I race through the titles so that I can be ready to chat with students in the new year. I still need to avoid dilly-dallying, but I did want to savor the reading experiences a bit, and I thought I'd do so by listing the books I've read so far and a positive comment or appreciation. I was going to do more, but this post is growing and growing, so I may need to alter my initial expectations with this "salute to authors"! ETA After a point, I stuck to just thank-you notes. This isn't an indication of how much I liked or disliked a book; I just wanted to ensure I mentioned all the Forest of Reading books I've read so far!
The Fort
by Gordon Korman
Gordon, congratulations on your 100th book published!
I loved the references to the music and videos that the characters enjoyed while in their secret, special place, and how each of the main characters (Evan, Mitchell, C.J., Jason and newcomer Ricky) had issues but weren't defined by their issues. You use the shifting POV between chapters so effectively here!
Seekers of the Fox
by Kevin Sands
Kevin, all is forgiven for ending the first book of this series (Children of the Fox) on a cliff hanger!
The way that each chapter ends with a thrill that almost forces you to continue reading reminds me of the way Charles Dickens captivated his audience. I enjoy how "the Old Man" is still a influence in Callan's life and how the crew of thieves (Callan, Lachlan, Gareth, Foxtail and Meriel) care so much for each other and try hard to keep to their moral code. I plan on buying the final book in the series to read myself and then donate to my school library! (ETA - I bought the book already!)
Simon Sort of Saysby Erin Bow
How can a book about a serious subject also be so funny?
Erin, there are so many things I appreciate about this book. A minor one but a plus for me was the way that Martin, Simon's dad and his work as a Catholic deacon was portrayed in the story. The stuff about the saints and people's responses to tragedy ... that was so accurate and real. I loved that all the characters (and not just the youth trio of Simon, Agate and Kevin) were portrayed, with no cardboard characters in sight. And yes, I cried.
Becoming Bionic and Other Ways Science is Making Us Super by Heather Camlot and illustrated by Victor Wong
Non-fiction books don't always grab me, but Heather and Victor, your book was intriguing enough, with a perfect mix of "I know that" information with "I never knew that" facts. I even read part of it out loud to my husband, who then went down a rabbit hole reading about Robert E. Cornish. Thanks for making my eldest smile with a call-out to Word Girl from the planet Lexicon.
The Journal of Anxious Izzy Parker by Alma Fullerton, illustrated by Beena Mistry
I just want to wrap Alma and Izzy up in a protective blanket. Knowing that Alma uses part of her own life experiences to inform and shape her books (like in Flipping Forward, Twisting Backward, dealing with dyslexia) makes her books even more meaningful and poignant. I'm so glad emotional support dogs (like Alma's Gibson, Izzy's Gandalf, and even Simon's Hercules from Simon Sort of Says) exist.
Jude Saves the World
by Ronnie Riley
Ronnie, this is the first book I've read by you, but it won't be the last!
I love how joyful this book is. Just before reading it, I read a disturbing news article about current events in Gaza. This book was the perfect antidote to helping to diminish the horror that lodged in my head. Jude, Dallas, and Stevie are so gosh-darn likeable. I admired the absolutely brilliant way Ronnie deals with deadnaming in a way that protected and respected the character of Jude that I bet Alex Gino might envy. Clever solutions to problems too, Jude!
I've read these Forest of Reading nominees as well.
Thank you Hetxw'ms Gyetxw and Natasha Donovan for the Gitxsan perspective and beautiful artwork.
Thank you Elizabeth Macloeod and Mike Deas - a fascinating book to read right now (some of us talked about this book and this article by
Dr. Debbie Reese at the staff social).
Thank you George Paul and Loretta Gould for this three-language book about land, creativity, pain, and process.
Thank you Cathy Le Blanc, David Chapman, and Loretta Gould (such a prolific illustrator!) for providing such a clear example of Two-Eyed Seeing by teaching us about how the Mi'kmaw understand the seasons.
Thank you Nancy Vo for a funny and informative book (pigs have 12-14!) that a lot of people will want to read.
I met Lydia Lukidis at OLA Super Conference last year and have my own autographed copy of it. Lydia, thanks for the neat mix of poetry and science, and thank Juan Calle Velez for the gorgeous art.
Thank you Zain Bandali for showing that not all Muslims come from the Middle East (like my dear friend Parviz, who also comes from Tanzania), and to Jani Balakumar, for the expressive facial expressions, beautiful skin tones and fancy mehndi designs shown.
Thank you Linda Trinh for the multifaceted glimpse at a Vietnamese-Canadian household and illustrator Clayton Nguyen for the appealing pictures that connect the three siblings but also keep them unique.
Thank you Etta Kaner and Brittany Lane for the book that indeed kept me guessing (and some of my guesses were wrong) about what I was seeing and why they look the way they do.
Thank you Danny Ramadan and Anna Bron for a story with so many layers packed into such few pages. Don't give up, Salma! Don't destroy your drafts.
Thank you Peggy Janicki for sharing such a personally significant story (and for sewing those pockets into the UFV Indigenous grads). Thanks also to Carrielyn Victor for the evocative images.
Thank you Matt James for this tender tale that zig zags like the swimming path of those little creatures that live in puddles.
Thank you Michael Hutchinson for combining a mystery with some important teachings and learning about so many things, from dog sled races to trapping, from dealing with those with opposing viewpoints to the influence of land in our hearts and minds.
Thank you Nathan Fairbairn and Michele Assarasakorn for this graphic novel that has mass appeal. (We already had a copy in my school library and it's loved by comic fans, dog lovers, and readers who want stories about friendships.)
Thank you Jon Klassen for giving me more questions than answers and a fantastic addition to the "librarians have superpowers" story.
Thank you Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas for what can only be described as epic - one in which I enjoyed reading the end matter just as much as the main storyline.
Thank you A.T. Woodley and Mike Deas (another hard-working artist with more than one book on this list) for creating such a quirky fantasy, unlike any other I've read lately. I'll have to take photos of my eldest offspring's collection of stuffed octopi to celebrate getting to know Elliot's friend Octopus (and you can't forget Granny Yilba!).
Thank you Colleen Nelson for sharing your affection for a special place and making a great story about family, community, activism, and artistic expression.
Thank you Rachelle Delaney for a good mystery that also doubles as a useful reminder that grandparents have separate lives before becoming Grandma and Grandpa, and that grief expresses itself in different ways.
I still have 8 more books that I need to read before school starts up again. Appreciations in advance to all the creators. I'll get them done but I'll still try to savor my reading as much as I can.
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