Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.
So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…
"Muscles are fleeting. Bodies give out. But integrity, honor? The confidence to be oneself, to follow one's heart? The compassionate drive to help others, even at great risk? That's strength." - Marjorie Liu
On Friday I turned in my thesis draft to my mentor! At 112k words, it’s the longest book I’ve ever written. As always, the manuscript will need to be edited, but that’s work for next semester. For now, I’m taking a break, reflecting on the past year’s professional accomplishments, of which I include anything school related, and thinking about my intentions for 2026. Change is in the air for next year, and I’m trying to meet it with equanimity by staying present, embracing gratitude, and taking each day as it comes.
One big change for 2026 is that Ray and I will be nomads no more! As I’ve mentioned previously, we’re moving into a place in Pasadena, and we’re currently working to turn it into a home. We have literally no furniture, so it’s both fun and daunting to start building back from scratch. I’m really excited to find a local community, and I’m equally as excited to have a place our friends and family can come visit.
Next semester, in addition to editing my thesis, my course load will include classes on the business of writing and on pedagogy, or teaching teachers to teach, lol, so the focus for this last full semester is a little different, but I’m really interested in everything. I just got my pile of textbooks. I look forward to studying them, of course, and also putting them on the bookshelf in my new office!
We are currently in Indio, just outside of Palm Springs, for the holiday. Our kids will be arriving this week, but unfortunately my mom and dad are sick and won’t be joining us. It seems like this year, everyone’s a little worn out, so our plan is to simply eat, rest, play games, chill, and recharge. The nice thing about the desert in the wintertime is we’ll probably be able to chill and recharge by the pool. Wishing all of you a peaceful, restful holiday!