The Danger of Fear Goggles
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
For the past week and a half, I’ve been on a scheduled break from school.  I’ve had a lot of time on my hands to do what people do on vacation. In a pandemic. During an election year.     I’ve cruised the news and social media.  And it’s been relatively horrifying.   The ads that have littered my mailbox, news feed, and live television alternately tell me that we are in danger of becoming a fascist/socialist/hedonist society.  We hate the police.  We hate different communities.  We hate one another.  Our individual rights are in dange ..read more
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You’ve Been Approved
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
I’m not sure where it started.  Maybe when I was a kid.  Wanting to fit in.  Wanting to belong. Maybe it’s because I’m the eldest of four.  Setting the example.  Making good choices for others to follow. I have always hung on other people’s approval. Parents.  Teachers.  Employers.  Friends.  I’ve always looked outside for what should be solidly inside after 53 completed trips around the sun. But I don’t. The C-word (as I will refer to the virus which shall not be named for the duration of this piece) has accentuated this for me. To mask or not to m ..read more
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Finding the Treasure
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
For the past few weeks, I’ve been back to work. In an elementary school library. With no children. It’s like working in a store with no customers.  You know they are out there.  You look forward to serving them.  But you can’t see them in person. It’s a strange way to start the year.  But honestly, the only thing consistent about this year has been the strangeness. It’s really easy to get caught up in the suck.  Embrace it they say.  Because maybe if you embrace it, it doesn’t seem so awful. So that’s what my colleagues and I have done.  Embraced the suck and ..read more
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I’ve Been Thinking…
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
Every once in awhile, I need a reminder of why I do what I do.  With information coming to us from multiple sources and with so much uncertainty, it’s easy to lose yourself along the way. I’d be lying if I said I was feeling super confident in all aspects of my life.  My life at home is great but I worry about my family and friends who I don’t see every day. Connection is harder lately; some due to physical and some due to emotional distancing.  And, as an educator, my worry jar is full to overflowing.  From what the school year will look like to the safety of my students t ..read more
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Decisions, Decisions
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
In my previous post, I noted that Governor Roy Cooper (NC) would decide today how schools will open in the age of Covid.  I spoke too soon. Last night, the governor’s office sent a notice stating that there would be no announcement about schools today, as planned. Like others, I find myself disappointed.  Our teachers are scheduled to go back on July 27th.  Our students will (hopefully) join us on August 7th.  That’s not a lot of time to prepare to meet the needs of 450ish littles who have been out of school since March 13th. I understand that decisions cannot be made in a ..read more
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Do You Hear What I Hear?
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
Tomorrow is July 1.  Normally I don’t wait on pins and needles for the coming of a new month.  This month, like this time in our history, is different.  Tomorrow the governor of my state is supposed to announce the plan for reopening schools later this month. I do not envy his job.  He has a lot of constituents who all have different ideas about how this should play out.  People like me and my colleagues want to go back to school.  My kids need the structure, safety, and comfort that our school provides.  Their parents need to work to keep a roof over their h ..read more
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The Little Girl and the Whirling Rainbow
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
“Once upon a time in Schwenksville, PA (I promise you it’s a real place) a 10-year old girl was on a walk with her mom and saw something extraordinary. A halo. Surrounding the sun. It came at a time when the world was hurting. Pandemic. Civil unrest. Anger and sadness. It was hard to find bright spots but on this day, it appeared out of nowhere. On a walk. With someone she loved. The little girl, being a curious and loving girl went home and, using skills she must have learned from her favorite librarian, discovered that the halo was called a Whirling Rainbow. In Native American lore, the Whir ..read more
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Taking Inventory
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
Not gonna lie. I totally thought I was going to get out of doing something that is not my favorite annual activity. Inventory. Inventory is the tedious process of accounting for every book, DVD, cd (yes we still have these), and a variety of other materials that live in my library. I straighten and scan for three straight days trying to find all that is lost and account for as close to 100% of the belongings as possible. The first 90% is easy. It’s that last 10% that is the stuff of nightmares. While the process leaves a little to be desired, there is a bright spot. Inventory allows me to exam ..read more
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How to Wait it Out
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
Life is a lot lately. A lot of worries. A lot of stress. A lot of uncertainty. A lot of dissension. A lot of disagreements. A lot of anxiety. A lot. None of us have been immune to it. We worry about going out. We worry about staying in. We are stressed about our physical and mental states. We are stressed about our finances. We are uncertain about the information being given by just about anyone with a mouth or a keyboard. We dissent on the best path forward. We disagree on just about everything. We are anxious. Boy are we anxious. Me? Over the past week, I’ve been anxious about the economy ..read more
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The Key to Happiness
Happy Fix
by Stacy Menzies
3y ago
For the past week or so I’ve struggled to find something to write about. My reticence came from not wanting to cause undue stress, anxiety, or any other negative emotion to people who read what I write. Maybe I’ve read too many headlines (breaking my own social distancing from the news rule) but I had the distinct feeling that we are back to an us vs. them society. But then I remembered. I was giving my self way too much credit. A while back I took a course from UC Berkley entitled the Science of Happiness. Great course and free. I highly recommend it if you are a data person and like to know ..read more
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