Trying Fox Doodles in My Bullet Journal for November
Thanks, November
November calls for gratitude. It includes the first big holiday since maybe Labor Day or the Fourth of July when people get together. I am often struck by these holidays that sometimes the people closest to us are family, but not connected by blood. While I am not an advocate for celebrating the known reasons behind Thanksgiving, I am a person who loves holidays. This post outlines my November bullet journal inspiration, my November pages, and some key points of reflection. If you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving, you might feel the same as I do. The push and pull of recognizing the “Hallmark” holiday absurdity of it all or really loving the atmosphere of the day. To me, there is something comforting about the food (my husband makes the best turkey), the people, and the purpose that everyone has for taking time out of a busy schedule. It makes me want to plan more holidays throughout the year for no reason at all. I always focus on the opportunity to be grateful for this moment in my life and then also trying to be more mindful of this feeling throughout the rest of the year. In case you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving or feel like I do about those turkey hands or Pilgrim hats, here are some articles I enjoyed:
“Should We Celebrate Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims?”//ThoughtCo
“What to Do When You Don’t Want to Celebrate Thanksgiving”//ShondaLand
My Inspiration This Month
This month was inspired by these notions about November, but also an interaction with a student. The first time I read Pax by Sara Pennypacker, I was immediately pulled in due to my love of animals, the rotating perspectives, and the rooting on I did for the main characters. It was a book that I hugged afterward and then wouldn’t necessarily loan out because some of the words in the book hit me so hard. I love books like this. A student was reading Pax in class for his choice reading book, and I came upon him looking a little lost. Let me describe what I saw: A student haphazardly holding a book open, looking around the room, eyes a little teary, with his mouth open as if he wanted to ask a question. My immediate response was to ask the student if he was okay.
The response given to me was, “…this book.”
I immediately said, “Oh, I know. Can we talk about it?”
THIS is why I am a teacher. These moments of connection over books and learning that matter. Books create shared meaning about what we value in life. I love that I got a chance to tell this student about the moments in the book that made me shake the book because I felt so recognized or seen, and then I got to hear why he loved the book as well.
I have been including more than one book as inspiration for the past few months. I felt like after this interaction I didn’t need any more books to help pull me through the days of November. I am grateful for this interaction, the words on these pages, and the messages that remain in my heart. I also have been starting to collect everything with a fox on it. Cue my makeup pouch, my journal sticker, and my enamel pin.
Thank you, Sara Pennypacker. I am now the “fox lady,” but also the lady who is doodling pictures of foxes in her bullet journal because they remind me of the first time reading your book.
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
Amazon Summary: “From bestselling and award-winning author Sara Pennypacker comes a beautifully wrought, utterly compelling novel about the powerful relationship between a boy and his fox. Pax is destined to become a classic, beloved for generations to come.
Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild.
At his grandfather's house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be—with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox.
Meanwhile, Pax, steadfastly waiting for his boy, embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own. . . .”
I also wanted to include my book talk slide for Pax! I use this text to teach compound sentences in my sixth-grade classroom. Check out my mentor text work here.
November Pages
The quotations below are marked in my own copy of the text. I am holding onto the first one: “Because I am exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing. That is peace.” This quotation seems to sum up any restlessness I am feeling right now in teaching and in life. I am always in constant motion, but for the month of November, I am going to focus on slowing down to enjoy more… moment-by-moment.
Filling out the reflection pages each month seems time-consuming, but it is so necessary. I am not a person that writes daily gratitude statements (although I probably should) and I love being able to see all of the positives from each month. October was hard. It was a busy month with many deadlines and trainings. I taught two different professional development sessions, and I had a constant eye-twitch at one point from stress. But, I also got to celebrate my birthday with my husband and accept an amazing award from the Michigan Council of Teachers of English. Life is a rollercoaster.
I am trying to limit my goals to two personal and two professional on my monthly layout. I am finding that if I set too many goals, I am feeling defeated because I am not focusing enough on one smaller aspect at a time. Rachel Hollis said, “When everything is important, nothing is important.” I need to keep this quotation in mind as I am beating myself up for not reaching goals I am setting for myself. Perhaps, I am the definition of “doing too much” at times.