Real Academics Blog

Dear Real Academics, Tiberio and I have a 2-year old "puppy" named Rocky. In this week's picture, Rocky is experiencing his first-time-ever small-town Christmas parade. Rocky had never seen a horse or a goat or a marching band or floats decked out with lights. So, when I saw him sitting so attentively and curiously looking at the parade, I had a sudden sense of awe myself thinking of what it must be like to experience something for the very first time.  As a writer, there is a part of me that needs and longs for awe and wonder. I find that I can revive that sense when I slow down, and I'd like to share some thoughts as to why this may be. In doing so, my goal is to help you (and me) with inspiration for writing and work. Slowing down can inspire my sense of awe and wonder by: (1) Allowing me time to be grateful. When I slow down, I can more easily appreciate what is in front of me instead of thinking about what I need to do next or ruminating on the past (which, unfor...

Dear Real Academics, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving Break and found time to reflect on what you are thankful for, no matter how big or small. It is amazing what stopping to be thankful does to the soul! Confession The week before the break, I will confess that I was not heeding my usual advice about taking breaks between writing sessions. I had SO much on my plate, but I seemed to add more by constantly checking my emails, online courses, electronic calendar, and texts. At one point, my eyes literally started to hurt. And things got a bit blurry. My eye muscles were tired. I don't want this to happen to you (or to me!) as we close out the academic year. Challenge My challenge for you and for me is to make sure to take breaks at least every hour. By breaks, I mean literally setting a timer to remind yourself to GET OFF SCREENS for at least 5 minutes before your next writing/screen session. Allow your eyes to blink and your body to move and don't use the break to be on more s...