I got the job!

I am so excited and also really nervous. I got the job I interviewed for last week. I will be teaching AP (Advanced Placement) Physics at Windham Highschool, starting this Monday!

It is what I really wanted, but the semester is already 4 weeks in, and I haven't even met the kids yet! They have to take the AP exam in May, so I need to get them ready for that, and I am starting everything from scratch. I was lucky enough to have a friend share all of her AP Physics materials with me - all her presentations, assessment, assignments, etc. That is a huge help. Still, I have to get familiar with everything by Monday, get organized, learn the school's platforms, and hit the ground running. Not to mention that this will be my first time ever teaching my own classroom.

The kids in my class will be high school juniors and seniors. I really look forward to meeting them. I like that age group a lot.

I'm going to work really hard to be ready and do well by them. Hopefully I won't burn myself out worrying about all the what if's and all the unknowns, of which there are so many...

A while ago, I wrote in my journal "Physics is the door to wonderland". So I try to remember that, and think of how exciting it is to have this opportunity to share it with others, and let that mitigate some of the stress I am feeling right now.

Peace

Before the tumult

 

Early morning

Silence of dawn -

I sit alone,

Though I share this moment with you,

Before I plunge into the tumult of the world

-rm

~~~

And some news: today I have an interview for an AP Physics teacher position in Windham. I'm excited and a bit nervous....

Peace

Things as they are

Things as they are: 

There's nothing holier than that

-rm

And I also wanted to share this article , just published in yes! magazine, which features Sena's work, among other activists. I love this quote from the article:

"Climate is not just an environmental issue, according to youth activists. It’s also a racial justice issue, an economic issue, and an access-to-health care issue."

The opening

 

I fell in love with you

And when it didn't work 

I fell in love with 

Everything 

-rm

Eventually, we find out that some people's role in our lives is simply to open something in us; to awaken us such that we fall in love with everything; with life itself, in all its beauty and messiness.

This is not a Hollywood kind of love; it is a much grittier and much more delicate kind of love; a down to earth and a sublime kind of love. A real and always available kind of love.

Peace

The intimate dance of seer and the seen

 

The intimate dance of seer and the seen:

Though it is right in front of you

What you see

Is not what you are seeing;

Seeing itself is the art

That changes everything;

Refine your art

Refine your state of being 

What you perceive will change

Though what you see will stay the same

Sena invited at an announcement by the Attorney General of CT

Yesterday, Sena and her co-director Mitch from Sunrise CT, were invited to be present at an announcement made by the Attorney General of Connecticut.

The announcement was an exciting one: Connecticut is suing ExxonMobil for knowingly engaging in practices that are proven to be detrimental to the environment and worsening climate change.

Accountability is important.

It is time. It is passed time.

As you can see from the pics above, Sena has an Instagram account where you can follow her if you are interested in her work and activism.

Peace

The banquet

Until we are ready to see The banquet will be laid before us And yet We will be starving -rm How do we become ready? Our lives take care of that, through all our good and bad experiences. All we need to do is pay attention and be present.

Some moments

 

Some moments I remember

Are so beautiful

Like sea glass 

And also dangerous

At any instant I could cut myself

Start bleeding

Once again

The language of light

But the most intimate conversations 

Have no need for words

No template

Story of my life:

I was given a template 

And told to fill in the details 

But I've always preferred 

A more non-linear story 

At the intersection

The question is not

What your identity is

But rather 

What lies at the intersection

Of all the identities your embody

At any given moment

-rm

We've been doing some workshops on identity and culture as part of our professional development this past week in school, which I really enjoyed, and which prompted me to write this poem.

Speaking of this past week: it's good to find out what doesn't work. I found that working both at school and on the farm (even though most of what I'm doing on the farm these days is interacting with customers online) is not sustainable for me. And so, I will pass on more of the farm responsibility to our worker Dan, and see how it balances out.

I hope you have a great weekend and enjoy this beautiful weather.

Self sown

Where the old structure used to stand

Wildflowers now grow wild Self sown Among the ruins

Be a reason

If you're looking for purpose, 

Know that the simplest and most achievable things 

Are also the most powerful: 

Be a reason why someone feels seen,

Understood,

Why they feel free to laugh,

Forgiven.

Be a reason why they feel 

A part and not apart 

Be a reason why someone believes

That good and loveliness survive

Peace

The name before the name

And if I say my name 

You wouldn't know me 

But if, somehow,

I could convey 

The name I had

Before the name 

You'd know we have been kindred 

All along 

Peace 

Background exuberance

And yet the exuberance

Backdrop to these tears -

Sun shining though the rain

-rm

Did you see the how the sun was shining through last evening's rain? Be still and know that behind your heartbreak, behind your fears and your tears, there is also a sun shining: the exuberance of life expressing itself through YOU. Can you feel it?

What's been going on

I thought I'd write a post today about what's been going on this summer and some changes that are coming.

Our farming season has been one of the best in years. We went from 2 restaurant/food coop accounts to 5, and the sales here at the farm have also increased significantly. Luckily, we have our amazing worker, Dan, who's been doing all the field work, while I have been doing deliveries twice a week (up from once a week in past years), and taking care of the sales side of the business.

I've also been milking once or twice a week, and making cheese sometimes, but not as much as I used to because I'm trying to get some rest.

As of next week, my farm contribution will decrease dramatically. I am starting my school job on Monday, continuing as instructional assistant in the Science department at EO Smith High School. In September, I also start my teacher certification course, so I can become fully certified by the Dept. of Education to teach Physics. This will be once a week, every Saturday, from Sept to Feb, and then more intensive after that.

My routine will be very different starting next week, and I am trying to enjoy this last week at home as much as possible. I've been spending most of my days outside with my plants and animals, some of which you can see in the pictures below. I'm very grateful that I was able to be here with Sena and Aiyana every day since March. Honestly, I am not sick of being home, but that is because we are so lucky to be able to have access to the outdoors any time we want and in a safe way.

I was able to review almost all of AP Physics this summer, so I'm feeling in good shape for teaching next year, at least content wise. I'm really loving the fact that somehow (certainly this was not a long term plan) I came back to Physics. I feel that it's really my thing. I've always felt this way, but after University, I barely got the chance to use what I learned. I mean, Engineering, of course is grounded in Physics, but in my job at Pratt, I mostly did the same thing over and over, and I never really got to explore the fundamental concepts and ideas that excite me so much right now. Anyway, I'm glad to be back in it now, and hopefully I'll be able to channel my excitement into becoming a good teacher and helping kids understand and develop a passion for it too.

One of my favorite things I did this summer was to listen to Richard Feynman's lectures and interviews on YouTube. I really like him and think he is a phenomenal teacher. All his lectures from Caltech are available in print, and I plan to get them soon.

One day, my sister came over, and I told her that I felt kind of guilty for watching Physics videos when I should be doing farm work. She laughed and said that I'm the only person she knows that feels guilty for binging on Physics videos, so after that I stopped feeling guilty about it.

As for the rest of the family, Ed has been back at work for a while now, and the girls are starting school soon. Sena is taking 5 classes at UConn, 2 of which are in person and the rest online. Aiyana will be starting 10th grade remote. She had the choice to go fully remote, or two days per week in person, and she decided to go with fully remote, which worked great for her last spring.

Our animals are all doing well. We had 2 new calves this summer, a bull and a heifer, and they are super cute playing with each other.

That's about it for now. I hope that you are all staying healthy, and I wish you well.

Peace

Sena and Aiyana

 Looks like they had some fun taking pictures in the field...

Happy 50th anniversary to my parents

Today is my parents' 50th anniversary. I'm not going to write something syrupy about how much they love each other and how they have this perfect relationship, because they don't. And because it makes me feel slightly sick when I see things like that on social media, and then, often find out that the reality of the couple in question is far from what's being portrayed. It doesn't help anyone to portray things that aren't true. 

My parents have been through a lot together and separately. They stood together on some things, and stood far apart on others. They helped each other through some things and were not able to on others. Their story is complex, with many layers and happy and sad moments sprinkled through like salt and pepper.

This date is important to me. It marks the beginning of a life shared between my parents, without which my sister and I and our families would not be here. I am grateful to both of them for doing their best for us always, throughout our lives, and through our moves from Romania to Canada and the US.

I hope my parents have a nice day today, and I hope they find some peace and contentment in reflecting on this date and what it means to all of us.

Peace

Bumblebee

This little friend loves my garden, and in particular Aiyana's Dhalias!

https://youtu.be/XmSHTc-aG98

"I am" practice

Tough always dying,

I’m always being born - I am the laws of nature This ground of being Continuous with all that is ~~~ I wanted to share a simple meditation I’ve been doing lately. I call it “I am practice”: When I see a bumble bee, a bird, a flower, another person, the wind, the sun, whatever wonders through my field of observation, I just notice it, and say “I am”. That’s it. That’s the practice.

“I am” is such a basic statement, and we use it so much, that we forget about it and hardly ever question it. Yet, for most of us, this “I am” is based on what we’ve been taught by convention, and the labels we’ve received or have made up for ourselves.

This “I am” has a societal value, of course, and in that sense it is a useful construct. But to me, it also makes sense to identify the “I am” with the more fundamental laws of nature, that I know are critical to my existence, and everything else they give rise to. It is this other "I am" that I practice.

I don't think of this as something esoteric, but rather, quite pragmatic. Considering the fundamental laws of nature, what we understand from physics and the other sciences, or simply what we know from our own observations, (for example how energy moves through the universe connecting everything), it makes sense that these things are somehow integral to the “I am”.

But in the end, let’s not get all tangled up in our minds. All I can say is, if this speaks to you, try practicing this “I am”, and see what happens.

Peace