When I moved into my house in the Reynoldstown neighborhood of Atlanta, it was late winter.

Therefore, I had no way of identifying the vines that crisscrossed the backyard all the way to the deck.

I might have known, however. When things began to leaf out a few weeks later, I realized that I was dealing with kudzu, a non-native plant known as "the vine that ate the South." This enthusiastically invasive species can grow several inches a day, climb telephone poles, and engulf wide stretches of open land. Boy, this would be fun.

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I like to be on the move whenever possible.

I have a very hard time sitting still. I prefer to take meetings by phone while out for a walk, weeding the garden, or folding laundry. I do the same when listening to lectures. It actually helps my concentration.

But naturally, it's not always feasible to work and learn this way, especially in the age of Zoom.

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The other day, a student, April, came to me in tears.

She had had an unpleasant interaction with another student during Discretionary Time, which is the period in which students can work on the assignments and projects of their choice.

The other student told April to do her work, and April did not like that.

"I just feel so mad!" she said. "I want to go home."

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It seems impossible that life is going on for so many of us when it has been so brutally disrupted for millions of people who simply happen to be the wrong nationality.

Why am I allowed to be here, safe, typing this in a comfortable, quiet place? It's an unanswerable question.

I am not in a position to do much to help defend Ukraine; in any case, I have responsibilities right where I am.

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My biggest breakthroughs have happened during times when I was the most disciplined.

In those times, I was engaging consistently in an activity, like yoga, meditation, writing, or classical piano, that required heavy concentration and commitment.

Emerging from such a period of focus and follow-through was a key idea, decision, or opportunity that changed the course of my life.

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