The Blissful Blogger: Beth B.

We Broke Up (This Is Not an April Fool’s Joke) It’s funny how fast people show up when they think there’s drama. There isn’t. I know some of y’all came for the tea. This is all I’ve got. The truth is simple. I’m the problem. Not in a messy, tear-everything-down kind of way. In a self-aware, I finally sat still long enough to hear myself kind of way. And let me tell you. That will humble you real quick. If you are reading this- I am not sorry, this is going to hurt, however.... WE BROKE UP, You and I, We broke up! And I’m not saying we won’t rekindle either. The only person safe in this break up is the Barista, we will talk about that next time.  But the truth is still the truth. Sometimes relationships are seasonal. So what. I rekindle things all the time, just reconnected with my long time sister/friend of 20 years. Life doesn’t always end. Sometimes it just shifts. Now listen Linda. Life didn’t gently tap me lately. It came in like a wrecking ball. I have a sibling deployed. A ne...

It’s been a while since I have taken the time to actually publish my blog… is that even the right term? Publish? Either way, we made it here today. Since the last time I posted, I took a big step back. I started worrying about me more because others were not going to worry about me. No one shows up for you like yourself. There is no one for you like you. And listen, as my friend would say, it’s okay. People have lives. I don’t like to be vulnerable, but damn it would be nice to have someone else initiate the conversation for once. All of this has made me realize people don’t notice when I am quiet unless I say I am going quiet… and this is a me problem. I should never expect someone to show up the way I feel I do. Perception. Let’s get back to why we are here today. It’s not pleasant. There is no way to say it or change it. Student loss. No, not they moved to another school. They are gone. While I have experienced loss of students that I have directly worked with, tragic loss, murder, ...

  J anuary 1 75 Hard – Yeah, I Said It We started January 1. Cliché, right? Cool. Stay with me. Here’s the deal. I was supposed to do this with a friend. I pulled back. Not because I couldn’t do it. Because it started to feel like I was being told what to do. And right now? That’s a hard no for me. But here’s what I do know… Finishing is non-negotiable. I never finished this part of the story. So here we are. Back at it on 3/10. Day 69. And somewhere along the way, this got bigger than me. I decided I’m finishing this for Kurt. He didn’t get to. He was on his 75 Hard journey… and he passed before he could finish. So now every early morning, every step, every hard moment… it means more. This isn’t just discipline anymore. It’s respect. It’s purpose. Ice. Snow. Post-op from skin removal. Still healing. And I’m still out here at 4 a.m. getting it in. No excuses. No audience. Just me. And I feel good. Like… clear. My head isn’t loud the same way anymore. And when I’m not heard now? I ...

KNOW THIS. I know this from experience, and I am sorry that I know this.  You cannot put a price on mindset. You cannot sell it. You cannot coach it. Mindset is lived. It is built in the choices you make when nobody is watching. And until someone is ready to do that work, nothing works. Let’s clear something up, because people love to blur these lines. Coaching and mentoring are not the same. Coaching is instruction. It is skill-based. It is structured. It is tied to outcomes, performance, and expertise. That is where education, experience, and yes, even payment can make sense, yet it is probably not need. Mentoring is different. Mentoring is human. It is relational. It is consistent. It is lived out in real time. It is showing up, leading by example, and holding a standard without performing it for attention. Good human practices falls under mentoring. And no, I am not going to charge someone for that. That is my opinion. Being a decent human is not a business model. I am not talk...

Before the Coffee! The little challenges set me up for bigger success. Do your wall sits, push ups, squats before coffee and suddenly the day looks different. That same mindset carried me back into the classroom. Short on teachers. Heavy caseloads. Carrying a team. Was it too much. Yes. Did I put my whole heart in. Absolutely. To a fault. Year two of someone telling me to apply for a consulting teacher position knowing it was my goal. Year two of being put off. Meanwhile I was drowning in re-evaluations, extended school year paperwork, IEPs. Missing the fun times with my students. I had a group of 4th graders reading on a 1st or 2nd grade level. No growth. The common thread was language impairment. Day after day I threw myself into strategies, repetition, gross motor movement with vocabulary, research based instruction. Nothing. Then one started to grow. What changed. Not the curriculum. Not the delivery. Me. I stopped clinging to only what was “approved” and leaned into intuition. I w...

  Music’s playing. Dogs are barking. My fingers are clicking across the keyboard. It’s one of those Saturdays—laundry is piled up, a new career and a cubicle are calling, coursework waits in a tab I haven’t opened yet… and still, all I hear is the fan blowing. I’m deep in my thoughts this morning. The Weight of the Quiet The Barista isn’t home, and I can feel it in my bones. The silence hits different without him. Not because we’re overly affectionate....we’re not... but just knowing he’s near grounds me. I never realized how deeply his quiet presence is stitched into my sense of safety. Last night, Boo Thang shared something heavy, deep struggles, deep loneliness. She’s in another state, no family, no real friends yet… just her, holding her own in the quiet. And this morning? I'm feeling it too. For her. With her. Perspective in the Stillness When your friend hurts, you hurt too. Especially the ones who’ve held you up in ways they’ll never even know. And I realize now: ...

  Soul Sisterhood, Sweat, and the Magic of Boo Thang Energy So now you’ve met the family I live with, now let’s talk about the family I chose . Enter: Boo Thang. My best friend. My ride or die. The thunder before the storm, the calm after my chaos, and the reason I didn’t pack it all up and disappear into a walk-in closet with a tub of peanut butter and existential dread. She’s not just a friend. She’s a force . She’s the walking embodiment of freedom, healing, and fierce-as-hell feminine energy. Let me paint the picture. How We Met: TikTok, Trauma, and the Power of Planks It all started in the land of TikTok. Yes, I’m on there. Yes, I’m also lurking on Instagram. No, I’m not dropping my handle unless you find it yourself. ( Privacy in this digital age? A blessing. ) Boo Thang was hosting a plank challenge on TikTok during one of those brutal, bone-chilling Southern snow days that shut down everything—schools, sanity, and any desire to wear pants. She would go live with her MO...