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RCA Part 3: Traveling Home Amid TSA Shutdown

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    The severe understaffing, a direct consequence of only a handful of TSA agents reporting for duty, plunged the airport into a state of total disarray. We found ourselves navigating a chaotic environment as we desperately tried to clear security and reach our gate in time for the flight home to Evansville. While our initial itinerary had us departing at 7:00 AM, the rising tide of news regarding the government shutdown and its crippling effect on airport operations prompted a last-minute change in strategy. After reviewing the mounting flight delays, we made the collective decision to head to the airport much earlier, aiming for a 5:00 AM arrival. This required us to summon a Lyft from our hotel at the incredibly early hour of 4:30 AM. Upon our arrival at the terminal, the sheer magnitude of the crowd was staggering. I had harbored an assumption that a major international hub like Atlanta would surely have multiple checkpoints open to manage the flow, but the realit...
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The Ron Clark Academy: Reigniting the Fire in my Heart!

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  To start, I want to express what a wonderful experience this has been. It has truly revitalized my passion for education and reignited a fire in my heart. GO REVEUR  (That is my house and the best house!)  First Impressions: Energy and Environment Upon entering the school, we were greeted by an incredible sight: students lined the hallways, waving warmly and offering a heartfelt welcome. Their remarkable poise was immediately evident; they looked us directly in the eye with firm handshakes, contributing to an atmosphere electrified by the staff’s palpable energy. It is clearly an environment where emotional support for both students and staff is a top priority—a transformative experience that I believe every educator should have the opportunity to witness firsthand. We eventually made our way into the "heart" of the school: a grand rotunda where a student band performed at the front. The physical appearance of the facility—a former warehouse in down...
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Finding My Voice Amidst Rejection in the Writing World

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  Photo by seymasungr on Pexels.com I am at a crossroads, and for the first time in a decade, I am unsure of the way forward. I have dedicated myself to the craft of storytelling with a persistence that should have borne fruit by now, yet despite my efforts, the "breakthrough" remains elusive. My journey began in the days of CreateSpace, eventually transitioning into Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). However, that transition led to a devastating setback. In an attempt to protect my professional reputation as an educator from a third-party publisher’s threats, I updated my metadata and pen name. Amazon flagged these changes as a violation of their guidelines and terminated my account on July 6, 2025. Despite a year of formal appeals and my commitment to publish exclusively as Nancy Ann Creed , the decision remains firm. After a decade of building a presence there, I am forced to accept that it may be time to let that platform go. The pursuit of traditional represent...
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Etched Upon My Heart

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  Etched Upon My Heart The world was wide and waiting The day you took your start, And every step you’ve taken since Is etched upon my heart. I’ve watched the boy of wonder Turn to a man of grace, With courage in your steady hands And kindness in your face. It isn’t just the things you’ve done, The trophies on the shelf, But the quiet way you choose to act When you are just yourself. Through every doubt and shadow, Through every climb and fall, You’ve found the strength to stand back up— The greatest feat of all. I look at you and see the best Of everything I know, And feel a pride so deep and vast It has no place to go. So keep your eyes upon the sun, Keep honest, brave, and true; There is no greater joy I own Than simply knowing you. More Works by Nancy Ann Creed https://books2read.com/u/m25Ygd
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Why I Deleted My Goodreads Challenge

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  For a long time, I participated in the Goodreads book challenge, a digital ritual where you commit to a specific number of books to read over the course of a year. Initially, it seemed like a harmless way to track my progress and stay motivated. However, over time, the experience transformed from a rewarding hobby into something that felt more like a demanding second job. Instead of finding solace in the pages of a new story, I started feeling an underlying sense of anxiety every time I looked at my progress bar. The quantitative tracker, meant to encourage, began to exert an unhealthy pressure, making me feel that my value as a reader was tied strictly to my output rather than my engagement with the material. The Numbers Trap   I used to use Goodreads' book challenge where you set a goal for yourself for how many books you will read that year. One year I was planning on writing a middle grade book so I read a lot of popular and award winning middle school write...
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Courage in Chaos: Overcoming Anxiety Daily

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  Courage in Chaos: Overcoming Anxiety Daily The walls are leaning inward, though the level says they’re straight, And the air feels thick and heavy, like a physical, dull weight. It’s a static in the marrow, it’s a ringing in the ears, A list of "what-ifs" blooming into catastrophic fears. The door feels like a mountain, and the phone a jagged stone, The mind builds up a prison that it’s crafted all alone. But the kettle starts its humming, and the clock begins to chime, The world doesn't pause its spinning just to give me extra time. So I breathe a shallow rhythm, count the floorboards near my feet, And find the tiny pocket where the fear and duty meet. It isn't that the shaking stops or shadows go away, It’s the shaking hands that reach out to begin the work of day. I carry it like luggage—bulky, frayed, and overfilled, Across the bridge of "must-do," where the panic isn't stilled. I take a single, trembling step, then find the strength f...
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Twilight’s Simple Litany

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  A poem from the book Echoes and Whispers books2read.com/u/bO0zDK
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