A couple of months ago, Dave and I started something we call our "Sunday Seven". Every Sunday we publish a quick list of seven items, resources, movies, books, tv shows, podcasts, documentaries and other sorts of things that we share with people who subscribe to our daveburgessconsulting.com email list. The Sunday Seven is delivered each Sunday morning to your inbox with posts written by either Dave or me or one of our DBC authors. We get lots of great feedback on these weekly posts.
The Sunday Seven below is one I wrote a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to share it with all of you just in case there is something on the list that might be of interest to you.
1. Resource I value
I know I’ve shared with you before how important it is to me to keep reading and learning, and I’m always looking for ways to maximize my time in doing so. I absolutely LOVE The Main Idea by Jenn David-Lang. Each month in my inbox, I get an email from Jenn with a comprehensive eight page summary of a current education book. It gives me working knowledge of the book’s content and helps me decide if I am going to purchase a book or not. If the book is one you want to read or introduce to your staff, she includes a ton of suggestions for how to use the book for professional development with your team. Another cool feature… when you subscribe, you also have access to every summary of all the books she has included in the past. So valuable!
2. Podcast I’m enjoying
“The Slowdown”. I will admit that high school English classes did not inspire a love of poetry in me, but this five minute daily podcast by Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith has kindled an admiration for this form of art. In each episode Tracy selects a poem - she shares some background or commentary, tell a personal story, describe some of the techniques the poet uses, discuss a favorite feeling or image the poem might inspire, and then she reads it. So cool!
A few of my favorites: Ep. 54: “Dancing in Buses”, Ep. 74: “Waking Up”, Ep. 79: “Trans is Against Nostalgia”.
3. Show I’m binge-watching
Schitt’s Creek. If you like comedies with a full cast of quirky characters (think Parks and Rec) then this is for you. Dave and I are both watching it with our teenage daughter, and we all love it. I can’t remember the last time we all watched a show together where we frequently laughed out loud. Our favorite character is David! There are currently four seasons available on Netflix, and the good news… each episode is only 21 minutes - who doesn’t have time for that?
4. Book I’m Reading
The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer. A beautiful read about Lee Miller, a Vogue model in the 1920’s who decides she would rather be the one taking pictures and creating art instead of the one posing for art. It chronicles her tumultuous relationship with Man Ray, a famous photographer of the time and her journey to becoming the only female combat photographer in Europe during World War II. I love books that highlight both the strength and vulnerability of women.
5. Documentary worth watching
Free Solo (the 2018 Academy Award winner for best documentary) follows rock climber Alex Honnold on his quest to free solo climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He is the first and only rock climber ever to do this. Even though I knew how the story would end, the journey took my breath away. The camera work is awesome, too!
6. Necessary pastime
For a whole host of reasons (age, injuries, body mechanics, extra weight etc.) I have increasingly had more and more difficulty with back pain. I see a chiropractor and get regular massages to help manage it, and both of them have recommended that I add a bit of yoga to my regular routine. I have always been one of those people that thinks yoga is for super flexible, incredibly fit, 20 somethings (so not me). I was reluctant to try it, but the daily back discomfort and the insistence of my massage therapist (who also has to manage back pain) to just try one Rodney Yee “back yoga” video at home led me to a new (almost daily) 20 minute yoga routine that I can actually do. I love the routines and the difference it is making for my back is incredible. Rodney Yee has several free yoga videos on YouTube. This “Yoga for Back Care” is a good one. I have also subscribed to the GAIA app which has even more Rodney Yee videos. My current favorite is “Back Care Yoga for Beginners”.
7. A moment of nostalgia
I read this story on CNN online last week: “There’s Only One Blockbuster Left on the Planet” and it brought back so many memories. I have made hundreds of trips to Blockbuster video and spent countless hours with family and friends perusing the Blockbuster shelves looking for the perfect video for “movie night”. Throw in some popcorn and some red vines, and the night was complete.
Sidenote… the Blockbuster video in our neighborhood shut down several years ago and is now an AutoZone!
If you are interested, click the button below and scroll down to the black box to get your weekly #SundaySeven along with our monthly newsletter of all things DBC!
