A former student showed up to visit this week and with her was a friend who had not been a student at our school. We had a lovely visit, talking about the past and the future, and wandering through the hallways of our incredibly beautiful building. The friend was blown away by the light, the space, the furniture, the colors and the newness of our school. "My middle school was not this nice," she remarked. My immediate family is fortunate in our academic and professional places. My older son works at an arboretum, which we not-jokingly refer to as "the most beautiful place on earth." It's filled with plants, space, structures and light that are all designed to bring beauty and peace. My younger son is working towards his PhD in applied mathematics in Hoboken, New Jersey. Each time I visit him there I am in a awe of the Hudson River and all the buildings and lights and walkways that support human wonder. And, of course, my school was designed to keep middle school
This year, kids and teachers across the country have gone back to school in extreme heat. Some schools have fared better than others due to air conditioning, but many have suffered discomfort, malaise, irritability, unsafe temperatures and disruptions to learning. I spent the summer feeling crummy as a result of most of the things on the list above. Crummy is actually putting it mildly, but that is beside the point. I saw some medical professionals, spoke with some experts, complained to my family and yet, I wasn't really able to get a handle on what was wrong or what to do about it. If you want to feel like a hardcore loser, have vague medical symptoms. Anyway, the place that I landed was to reduce my discomfort by being more anti-inflammatory. More fatty fish, more berries, more sleep, more fitness, more seeds and nuts, but fewer processed foods, less sugar and (sadly) less beer. It is a process, but I am feeling better. My efforts to reduce inflammation were thwarted somewhat