Five things I see: an orange (lopsided, bold, ready to be peeled), a broken stapler (it works, but it jams if you're impatient), my coffee mug (a gift of appreciation, I hope the caffeine can improve my mood), paper (so much paper! notes and late passes and scripts and poems!), umbrellas (it's going to rain this afternoon. a cold, miserable spring rain)
Four things I hear: the bell (my planning period is almost over), student chatter (they're so glad to see each other between classes), water sloshing (how did we survive our schooling when we didn't carry 32 ounces of water everywhere?), laughter (writing groups are really getting comfortable with each other)
Three things I feel: I mean, I feel tired and cranky, but I'm going to go with the sensory input for this. Keyboard keys (cheap, lightweight plastic), desk chair (soft, supportive, trying not to slouch), comfy running shoes (retired from training, laces untied because I haven't gotten around to it yet)
Two things I smell: Maple-flavored coffee (cheap Aldi brand but still sweet), the wool of my sweater (smells like fresh air from line drying, how long ago did I line dry this?)
One thing I taste: Again with the maple-flavored coffee
Back when we were teaching remotely, I gave this exercise to my creative writing students as an assignment. I asked them to go for a walk around their neighborhood and docuemnt these sensory details. Many of them wrote to me that this was the most powerful lesson of the semester, that it helped their mental health so much. I always mean to do it more often because it forces me to slow down and notice the world around me.
Four things I hear: the bell (my planning period is almost over), student chatter (they're so glad to see each other between classes), water sloshing (how did we survive our schooling when we didn't carry 32 ounces of water everywhere?), laughter (writing groups are really getting comfortable with each other)
Three things I feel: I mean, I feel tired and cranky, but I'm going to go with the sensory input for this. Keyboard keys (cheap, lightweight plastic), desk chair (soft, supportive, trying not to slouch), comfy running shoes (retired from training, laces untied because I haven't gotten around to it yet)
Two things I smell: Maple-flavored coffee (cheap Aldi brand but still sweet), the wool of my sweater (smells like fresh air from line drying, how long ago did I line dry this?)
One thing I taste: Again with the maple-flavored coffee
Back when we were teaching remotely, I gave this exercise to my creative writing students as an assignment. I asked them to go for a walk around their neighborhood and docuemnt these sensory details. Many of them wrote to me that this was the most powerful lesson of the semester, that it helped their mental health so much. I always mean to do it more often because it forces me to slow down and notice the world around me.