Truth: It's hard to be a creative risk-taker in January.  I have so many grindish tasks in January that don't really invite creative risks.  One of those tasks I've been working on all weekend.  It's report cards.  It's not that I don't love my students and think they're fascinating - I totally do!  It's just that I've written 21 single-spaced pages in 3 days.  Usually, I start early and spread the task over a week, which can be quite pleasant.  But, this year I was doing other grind-like things during the week before the due date and three of us in the family got a energy-sapping virus.  So, I have to do them all in one long weekend. Sigh.

To accomplish all of the work-related grinds, I stopped writing my book, stopped practicing violin, and in the last three days, stopped exercising.

Here's the plus: I have witnessed creative risk-taking on the hockey rink by both Shef and Mac.  I've taken breaks from the report cards to watch their dangles, goals, saves, and cellies.  So, there's that.