“Do not confuse movement with action” Ernest Hemingway Thursday The start of last year was exhausting. A new school brings challenges. This year should have been smooth sailing. Yet here we are in our second week and every teacher looks done for the year. Late nights and a Principal that runs on high-frequency energy drain…
Category: Dubai
Sharjah Lights
“Night falls. Or has fallen. Why is it that night falls, instead of rising, like the dawn? Yet if you look east, at sunset, you can see night rising, not falling; darkness lifting into the sky, up from the horizon, like a black sun behind cloud cover. Like smoke from an unseen fire, a line…
Off the Wagon
“A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is visible labor and there is invisible labor.” Victor Hugo Thursday Back to work. I fluctuate between enthusiasm and blasé. Tonight I made the most tasteless pasta in history and ate three serves. Justifying binge eating good food is one thing. Gorging on…
Al Qusais
Drifting on the torrid breeze, morning foul stench from the mountain ascends unyielding with trash Heat in blue skies, now brown Red sand lost Ocean desert, now concrete bitumen, plastic, steel, glass, refuse Heat, dust, stench. Nothing more. Thursday “If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the…
Back in the Grind
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” Plato Thursday I have been back at the gym for three days. I feel so much better. I have not gained weight—a deceptive conclusion. The muscle mass I have lost…
Departures – Dubai
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust Friday There is nothing like the day of departure. Gym and then drop Shell off for one more day of leadership business. I have all day to get ready. We travel light, one carry on bag, so…
Conclusions
“Remember, remember, this is now, and now, and now. Live it, feel it, cling to it. I want to become acutely aware of all I’ve taken for granted.” Sylvia Plath Thursday The school year is done. Shell has another day. Leadership stuff. Wednesday was the last day for students. We had a party at lunch…
Peter Pan Syndrome
“On no account brood over your wrong-doing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.” Aldous Huxley Thursday It is awards day. Inevitably, more students do not receive an award than those who do. We have spent the last few weeks discussing this. Working towards building resilience, accepting this is how…
Back to the Binge
“Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.” Susan Sontag Thursday Is it possible the two day week is more exhausting than the four day week?…