Sometimes, in order to be a creative risk-taker, you need the right supplies.

Last weekend, I was having a little coffee and breakfast with my birth mom, Martha.  Towards the end of our catch-up, I said we had to scoot next door because I wanted to buy a new notebook from the paper and scrapbooking store.

Sometimes a new notebook with silver dots against a seafoam background is what you need to live a creative risk-taking life.  To enhance the effect, I also needed some Le Pens.  These are small writing instruments with fine, marker-tipped points that you can clip easily to the spiral of the notebook.  Sublime.

Let's be honest, I also needed some Gelly Roll pens in multiple colors.  I used the purple one to take fluid notes during a parent phone-call yesterday, and it really enhanced the experience.  When I think about next steps for that child this morning, I'll use the pen to write my thoughts, and I'll probably come up with more creative ideas for a good outcome because of the Gelly.  I'll probably switch colors to distinguish between my initial notes and my solution-seeking notes.  It'll be amazing.

Can we talk a little bit about psoriasis?  I have the worst psoriasis I've ever had right now.  I realize that's hard to believe because I've complained about it so much over the years.  Still, it's a fact.

Beginning at (and in my estimation, BECAUSE OF) Christmas, which other people seem to consider a joyous occasion and I each year endure, I'm 16% covered with red spots.  My previous high was 11%.  Educational fact: one side of your hand is 1% surface area of your skin.  I have about 16 palms  + fingers worth of dots and spots spread over my torso and limbs.  Yuck.

Can we celebrate for a second, though, with a very important piece of information?  IT'S NOT ON MY FACE.

And now let me hit you with the sankalpa:  As a creative risk-taker, I've continued to just live my life with the dots.  They show at school depending on what I'm wearing.

"What is that?" ask the kids.  "Does it hurt?"  At which point (daily), I explain it calmly.  "I hate having it," I say, "but things could be worse."

I look in the mirror without feeling like a leper.  I shrug, instead.

I make jokes to the nurses at the light booth, which I've been visiting thrice weekly.  "Crank her up!" I laugh, and we smile at each other. "Any clearance?" they ask.  "Nope," I say.  But, I have hope that it will, indeed, start to clear.

I'm just carrying on, not hating myself, with psoriasis.  It's chronic, as I've mentioned.  So, I might as well find a way to live with it with grace and creativity.

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.

I feel like I've done a pretty good job of embracing my identity as a creative risk-taker.  Unfortunately,  I've been too encumbered lately to really act like a creative risk-taker.  It's that time of year when there are a bazillion meetings, grades and narrative comments, yearbook deadlines, new units... To be honest, I've been a bit run down by those serious obligations.

Still, I'm confident in my sankalpa. I don't think I have to prove my creative risk-taking in order to adopt this identity. Just in case, here are some creative risk-taking actions I've embraced:

• I've been reading a book about the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching young children.  There are a couple of practices I'm excited to try with my middle schoolers.  One is documentation, wherein the teacher writes about and photographs the learning that happens in the classroom.  This can be a good way, the Reggio people say, to get parents on your side.  It works because they see what's happening and buy in and want to be a part of it.

• I agreed to help my boss think about how to infuse reflection on life skills - things like resilience, curiosity, teamwork, and time management - into our parent-teacher-student conferences.  It actually occurred to me that we could use the Reggio practice of documentation to help us structure productive conferences in which kids can really reflect on life skills, with traditional academics on the side.  I don't really want to talk to sixth grade families and kids about straight As.  Who cares?  Let's talk abut whole people.

• I'm hitting publish on this entry even though I don't really have a 3rd bullet point.  You're supposed to have 3 to do a bulleted list.  But, today I only have two.  Oh well!  I'm a creative risk-taker.