Month: August 2017

Well, it’s that time again. The beginning of a new school year. We’ve had all summer long to sleep late, stay up late, shop, read, clean, travel. We got to use the bathroom whenever we wanted, go exercise whenever, take walks, bike rides, visit with family, friends, discover new people, places and things. No time restraints, no schedules, (except for all the doctor appointments we fit in…) nothing to tie us down, just fun, relax, and do whatever, whenever. Sounds great doesn’t it???? I think that is the best part of summer. Even though we still might run into stressful situations, I think I can just handle them better because I was relaxed when it happened? Maybe?

Tomorrow starts a new year. The kids won’t be in until next week, but we are mandated to report tomorrow, 8:00 am! Jeez! Too early! Can’t we start at 10 ish? If it wasn’t for traffic and making my lunch, picking out the day’s outfit, wash, laundry I wouldn’t mind so much. Tonight is Sunday night and I just heard on the radio that “Sunday Blues” is a real thing! Us teachers knew that! Turns out other people get it too, it’s not just for teachers! From one extreme to the other. Total relaxation to extreme “To Do” lists. I would bet money on that list happening real quick tomorrow, probably by 8:10.

I want to wish all the incredibly talented teachers I know, a good year. I really do know some of the best teachers in the country. I know they will do great and hoping they’ll have the best class ever! Just remember to have fun with those babies and show them how to relax too! When things get to stressed and complicated, think of summer, it may just help a ton! Have a great year everyone!

 

Life is just a series of events and how you handle them. I encountered a big disappointment today, but what can I do? I had plans to get something accomplished but because of certain circumstances, nothing could get done. Oh well! Guess I’ll get to go in my pool, do some schoolwork, make copies. If I was to fret about it, I would just be wasting my own time. It’s hard when you feel the feeling, but through constant practice, I am hoping it comes easier.

It’s hard to compare your quality of life to someone else’s. If and when disappointments occur, your quality of life could improve because your feeling and attitude improves, or you could just dwell on it and let it ruin the rest of your day. Nope! Not here! I am going to forget about it and move on. I choose too. That is my story and I’m sticking to it!

Tonight I get mommy/daughter time! I’m so excited, even though it may be a sad reason, I am going to enjoy my time with my mom and daughter while we go to visit my dad’s grave (today would have been his 78th birthday and he passed five years ago). If you read my blog titled “Oil and Water Don’t Mix” you’ll understand more how this day means to me. I am actually continuing our tradition of not being with him on his birthday, but… guess what? I’ve been thinking about him all day, so he IS with me on his birthday! Happy Birthday Dad, I love you.

Summer is coming to an end for us teachers. Time to start thinking of the new year and new students yet to come adorn our rooms ready to start anew, I hope! I am always hopeful of the new babies that come to me and I always wonder if I will handle the challenging ones well enough. I pray for a good year, every year, every August, September, June, October. But, guess what? I am having the same babies I had last year! It is kind of exciting actually! I get to see them a year older, smarter, cuter, and a tad bit more mature than they were last year. Last year, they were second graders, this year they will be big third graders! I can’t wait to see how much they have progressed over the summer. More milestones to see!

I hope I taught them well last year. I guess I will determine that this year, soon. I am “looping” with the same children I had last year, and it is a good thing, I am really looking forward to it. I just hope I gave them a good base to start with, for this year, a testing year. So much pressure! We will learn together how to deal with stress, how to be independent in our learning, and how to make ourselves better than before! I really do love my kids and I am glad I get to spend another year with them. I hope this looping thing works, I’ve already got a head start on what they need, and want, so I am thinking we are going to love being together again! A family reunion!

I love summer and the rest I get to experience. But, I do love the excitement of teaching, learning and the hustle and bustle of everyday living. Thank you summer of 2017, I had a great time but I may just be ready for my family reunion! Have a great school year everyone!

Don’t underestimate the value of things or people in your life, give them your attention, appreciate them.  Don’t take things for granted, be blessed and know it.

So many cliché’s come to mind. “You don’t miss it until it’s gone,” “Don’t take it for granted.” After a wonderful weekend in New York City I came home to a ninety degree house, broken air conditioner. Yes, it was late Sunday afternoon so of course no one is coming to help me out, except my neighbor who is a retired HVAC guy. Even though he got it running, he doesn’t have a supply of parts, so still looked like we had to rough it. So now, we are resting in the heat waiting until the sun goes down to cool down a bit. And it only took this inconvenience to remind me that I can go night swimming in our pool! What a delight! It got to the point where the water was warmer than the air and I got quite chilled! Imagine that! With a broken AC unit!

I remember when I was a single mom living in Philadelphia. No one to help me out at all, except my parents in a nearby suburb thirty minutes from our row home. Our electricity was cut off late one Friday afternoon. I don’t know why I didn’t pay the bill, I can’t seem to remember why I didn’t! Yes, I was short on money, but I could have scrapped together enough for PECO to leave it on. My parents would have helped me out, I just didn’t ask. Me and Ashley just had to rough it. I remember both of us sleeping directly under my bedroom window, catching the inch of the breeze coming through. No electricity, not just no AC, no fan, no nothing. I don’t remember what we did the rest of the weekend, just that night, apologizing to my daughter who didn’t understand over and over again, and her saying “it’s ok mommy, we’ll be okay, it’s fun! like a sleepover!” She didn’t even notice the heat. Another delight.

Sometimes it is good to “rough it,” makes us appreciate things more, I think. Remember back when you had nothing, and now you have everything. I remember dreaming of having my own pool and now I do! What’s that saying, “If you don’t have to work hard for it, it’s not worth it” and “If it’s too easy, it won’t be worth it” or something, I don’t know, I just know I work hard to have AC and I’m glad it’s available to us. So, tonight, my husband and I will “rough it” after an amazing mini vacation in the city that never sleeps!

 

Okay, I kinda stole this title from my friend. She told me that was her reason for attending the Women’s March. Sometimes we just want to watch and see what’s happening. We do know what it’s all about, but we might want to see what is happening up front. Sort of feel the crowd, or maybe we believe in what’s happening and want to be a part of it, just don’t want to lead the masses. So, we observe and absorb.

This weekend, I am in New York City attending the Writer’s Digest Conference for the first time and why am I here? I don’t have a novel yet, or an action thriller or crime story, mystery or romantic novel to offer. I am here to observe and absorb. I have always classified myself as a teacher, but seriously, I am a learner. I love my kids everyday and I guide them to learn certain stuff but in fact, they teach me! I observe  them constantly to figure out what they need and how I can supply it to them. I absorb their feelings and try to convince them it is fun to learn something for themselves. It helps me understand them and in turn, they understand me better too! I am constantly learning through observation and absorption. I did attend a class today and attended the opening keynote speaker who was very inspiring to me. She told her audience to write what you know and be true to yourself and your writing. I’m glad she told us that, because that is what I am best at doing, being myself.

Do you observe and absorb? Follow others around you, watch them, see what they need or want. Be aware. Help them be the best they can be, it will make you better and the whole world will be much better for it. Go forth, observe and absorb.

I have the pleasure of knowing some of the best people on God’s green earth. It is pure joy when I talk with some people I know. How did my friend who I’ve known all my life know I was feeling down? How did she know to call me at that exact moment when my daughter walked on without me because my feet hurt? How did my workout buddy know the exact words to say to make me feel better when I was feeling totally beat down? Maybe, because they know me. It is pure joy knowing them and knowing they know me. I don’t know how else to say it.

I am so grateful to have these friends in my life. I am lucky, blessed, and beyond thankful for them. I hope I am there for them. I have to make sure I am, I am going to try to be so much more aware of them and issues that may be going on with them and take the time to let them know I care. I want them to feel what I am feeling right now.

I’m feeling mushy I guess. I am reliving the beach, boardwalk and memories with my beautiful daughter whom I love to the beach, moon, or wherever, and back. There are no words that can even come close to the love I feel for her. We are spending an overnight trip at the beach together. I don’t get enough time with her anymore. As a single mom, she was my world for over ten years and it is incredibly hard letting her grow on her own as an adult woman.

I thank my daughter, my childhood, lifetime friend Deirdre and my workout buddy Kathy. I love you all from the bottom of my heart, or wherever I can compare to let you know how much I appreciate you. Thank you for your time, thoughts and encouraging words, exactly when I need them. I love you all!

Do you have people like this in your life? I sure hope you do, if not, try to make friends more. The feeling inside is absolutely incredible. Spread the joy wherever you go, even if you don’t feel like it, it will be good for your soul, or someone else’s! Spread the joy people! Pure joy!

We’re going to Disney! Well, we really aren’t but what excitement creeps into me at the thought of it. So many short trips I have booked into the last few weeks of my summer. I usually like to book them early and have August to relax and mentally prepare for the start of school, but just didn’t happen that way this year. So now, my reserved short trip excitement is building and may just be overflowing into the start of school!

Excitement to me is the building of happiness for things yet to come. I usually try not to get excited because if for some unforeseen reason, my plans fall through, I will get sad. And I don’t like sadness. Sometimes I will get stuck in “what we could have done” and I don’t like to live in the “what if”. When this happens, I try to redirect myself into another thought or purpose for the time.

Excitement for me right now is building for a trip to the beach with my now grown daughter, Ashley. We hardly have any time together anymore. I hope we have fun while we are there next week. I am actually excited just for the time we will get to spend alone, and do the things we used to do together. I hope she has a good time with her mommy.

Excitement is also building for the Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC. My husband, Bill gets to come with me. Although I will be in classes most of the time, I am imagining some sightseeing things we may get to do. Just being out-of-town, in an exciting city, and time alone with my husband is enough to excite me! I hope everything goes well there too.

Well, off to pack and plan our excitement! I like being excited, do you? What excites you and why? Do you try to plan a little excitement for those you love? Here’s off to an exciting day! Plan and live some wonderful memories!

Some careers take the skill of listening. I hate to admit it, but I know I sometimes babble on, once I realize it, I try to stop immediately and get to the point if I haven’t already. Everyone’s time is precious these days. Time has always been precious, I think we are all just making that realization more and more, especially now as I/we get older. A bartender might have to listen a lot longer than a healer, therapist, or hair dresser. As soon as Val is done doing my hair, I leave, so her time listening to me ends quite well. She knows I’m not coming back for another 3 months! Of course, my masseuse/healer, Heather is a great listener! She wants to hear what’s going on so she can help me overcome it easier. Same with a therapist, that 50 minute timer goes off and poof! You’re done. Not only do we stop talking, they get to stop listening! But, they move on to the next talker!

I feel good inside when I know someone is listening. They ask questions, provide eye contact, and acknowledge you when you are speaking. They are genuinely interested in what you have to say, you can tell by their actions, body language. It feels bad when someone snaps back, “Yes! I heard you!” I have a hard time listening sometimes. I am not trying to be disrespectful, I just have a brain that doesn’t stop thinking. Something is always popping into my head thinking, I gotta do that, I must remember to send out the payment, go on Amazon and buy the solar eclipse glasses, and so on. I don’t mean to interrupt people but sometimes my thoughts overtake me completely. I really need to learn to listen more, and better, especially to my family and in my classroom. Thank God I don’t work in customer service I don’t know how long I would last!

Are you an active listener? or pretty much passive? I love to hear people’s stories, predicaments, and general goings on… Let’s all try to be more actively engaged in listening, it will spread good news and positive feelings!

Have a great day listening!

Today was a perfect day, and it’s not even over yet. The sun was shining, just a little warm, when I was up and moving around, with the occasional gentle breeze just when I needed it.

No list of things to do, even though I have a constant one in my head, but nothing pressing me that HAD to get done. I woke up early on a summer day, even so early, my husband and mom both remarked, “Why are you up so early?” Like it was so uncharacteristic of me! I don’t normally sleep late like I used to, and now 9:00 is late, so it really depends on your scale of “normal.” Two cups of coffee and it was time to get started, on what, I didn’t know yet. I showered and ate a low carb breakfast of bacon and eggs. (Low carb diets are so easy until the sun goes down…). I decided I would clean house, and that’s just what I did.

Polished the furniture, windexed (I bet you didn’t know that was a verb did ya?) all the glass, vacuumed and went a step further and shampooed the carpets! Golly! It was hard work! I didn’t realize how much exercise I was getting until 2:00 when the thought occurred to me that it may just be a good time for a nap! So, that I did. Nap. Until it was time to wake, or the time my neighbor decided to mow his lawn. But it was okay, I had already gotten in a few snoozes.

Now, the house looks great, I am well rested and ready to tackle the second half of the day, evening and nighttime. With that comes kitchen chores, schoolwork and deciding what to watch on TV for my background noise. It was a perfect day!

I hope you have a perfect day! And many more after that one, I really do. The world is a much better place when we all have perfect days. Whatever you consider to be perfect, I hope it happens for you.

Guilt, it’s not a good thing. It’s a bad feeling that you’ve done something wrong. Sometimes it causes us remorse and a desire to fix it, which is good, but how about the times when you feel guilty but really didn’t do anything wrong? I don’t get it, where did I learn that from?

Take for example, my day today. I have hurt my foot, I really don’t know exactly what happened but I can barely walk on it. I have pinpointed the pain to my Achilles tendon. I am thinking I just strained it somehow, maybe with the million miles I walked at the beach this past week. And, instead of stopping and taking it easy, I kept going. Kept exercising, kept walking, just wouldn’t stop. Now I’m in trouble, I can’t move. I’m stuck. Thankful for my husband who is taking excellent care of me, wrapping it in a cold compress, ordering me to elevate, and just generally doing more than his share to help me.

This morning when I slept in late, my foot feeling better from all the attention it had last night, it was cloudy and even drizzling outside. I thought, great! Inside day! But now that the sun is shining, I feel guilty for not going outside! Why? I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m forcing myself to get over it while fighting the paper war in my office.

Guilt is like regret in the present. When I feel guilty for a long period of time (usually for not doing enough chores!) I sometimes get depressed. I don’t like depression. It’s mean. Makes me think I am not needed, nothing I do is right, and it’s hard to lift yourself out of it, but that is the only cure. No one can tell you to “snap out of it!” You just have to lift up and out. My cure for these moods is to do something. Even with my foot bothering me I planted myself in my office to clean up, shred papers, well, you know the drill. Three bags of trash so far and yes, I am feeling better already! What makes you get out of a slump?

Summer is almost ending for me so school will be the official end of my slump, I won’t have any time to feel guilt, depression or a slump. Hope my foot feels better soon because I have a lot of work to do yet!

Shout out to my husband for taking such good care of my foot, I love you babe.