Beginnings can be scary, intimidating, and upsetting. They also can be fun and exciting. Plenty of times, they’re both.
Pictures are floating around Facebook of parents sending their children off to school for the first day. Smiles abound. It makes me wonder what if every day was the first day of the school year.
Today is the last full day of summer. I know – it doesn’t feel that way to me either.
The beginning of summer is heralded. Excitement, possibility, and joy. Yet, the end of summer passes and no one notices. I chalk it up to Labor Day. The unofficial end to summer feels like the true end. Once Labor Day passes, it might as well be fall.
As the thought of summer ending came upon me, I thought about what my family and I had done this season. While the summer included the FLASH! and a dash of dog reading sprinkled with pizza, there was much more.
Courtesy of Flickr
I am sitting in my living room and a feeling of calm is upon me. My heart rate is so slow that a doctor would worry if his/her stethoscope is broken.
It’s working just fine doc.
This tranquil feeling is far from the standard of this gotta, go, gotta, go, gotta go, go, go guy. I need to get to this place more often.
So, what has he me in Bob Marley everything is gonna be all right mode (By the way, I listened to Three Little Birds a few times while writing this.)?
That’s not really true – the title that is. I am a morning shower person. Anyway, you know how you used to watch those television shows like Happy Days and other comedies of that era? When a woman didn’t want to accept a date request, she would say I have to wash my hair. Now, of course, the guy did not buy that excuse. It’s just too lame. However, he would accept it at least publicly because it was a way to escape the embarrassing no to his date request. “Hey she’s busy,” he could tell his friends, “she has plans tonight.”
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This is the third week of the new school year. We have already had some days off for holidays with more coming. Despite that, I feel as though I have so much to do. Rushing, rushing, rushing.
One of my goals this school year is to minimize stress. Actually, it’s a goal I set every year which seems to fade ever slowly away till it’s time to do grading for the first marking period. At that point, it just completely disintegrates. I end up feeling anxious and fighting the feeling that I am not getting enough accomplished.
Last year, however, was a bit different. I wasn’t as hard on myself. I followed through on some of my promises to myself. I actually got to get bed earlier one night a week, assisted the students as best as I could and did not take their failings as my own. I even did some things for myself (one of those was to start a blog – you may have heard of it – it’s called memyselfandkids) You know what? It felt good!
This year, I am ready to take it to another level. I have a number of things that I want to accomplish outside of school. Therefore, I have to be even wiser and more efficient when it comes to budgeting my time. This goal has been in the back of my mind all summer. I know I can, I know I can. I psyched myself up.
You’re waiting for the but right? Well, here it comes. Sort of.
I have had to go out nearly every night since school started. Whether it was a back to school night, religious commitment, a concert (saw Bruce Springsteen and the E. Street Band last night), I have had regular plans every night. You know what I need? I need a bunch of nights in a row where when you get home, you can latch the door because you know you are not leaving till the next morning. You know the type of night I mean? Now, of course, there are still familial responsibilities, but that’s different. That’s an everyday responsibility, and one I enjoy (usually).
So, I am thinking about using that line. The next person who tries to make a plan will hear, “I need to wash my hair.” Who knows what they will think? I just know that I need the space and time.