Skip to main content

Year in Review

I realize that it has been a year (well, technically 374 days, but who's counting?) since my last post.  I could probably come up with a whole host of excuses as to why I've been absent, but I won't waste your time here.  I've just been absent.  However, after reposting a picture from an old post I heard the glimmer of excitement in my dad's voice asking me if I had written something new.  Rather than let my beloved daddy down, I figured I'd pick up the proverbial pen and get to work.

Last you heard from me I had graduated with a degree in administration and was standing at a career crossroads.  One year later?  I'm still standing in that same spot looking at the same horizon.  As time passes I find myself less and less interested in taking the leap into a new career.  Instead, I'm finding ways to add responsibility and excitement to my current job.  There are still days I fantasize about running off and spending my days with my toes in the sand, but I am looking forward to creating opportunities for myself instead of waiting for them to find me.

After focusing on those learning and professional goals I realized that I had run out of reasons to neglect my personal ones.  School and work were always my go-to reasons for coming home to an empty house at night; after giving so much of myself to my students and coworkers, I insisted, I couldn't possibly give more of myself to someone. The only one I was fooling with that thinking, though, was myself.  So I put myself out there, and last September I found myself meeting a perfect stranger for a drink.  As I sat down across from him the waiter brought him a drink that practically glowed and I was amused by his amusement.  About six months later I was still so amused by him that when he causally mentioned moving in I didn't say no.  Now, here we are a year later and he's still here.  It's no longer my home -- it's ours.  Every night there is someone who is genuinely interested in hearing about my day, no matter how boring or frustrating. He likes my cooking (or at least claims he does).  The washing machine and dishwasher have to be run more often.  There are a lot more boxes and books in the spare room.  The couch doesn't seem quite as big.  I've learned to enjoy "Top Gear."  I laugh and smile more.

I recognize that in the big scheme of things a year isn't all that long.  At the same time a lot can change in those ensuing days and months.  The year between my last and current blog post has run me through the wringer of emotions, which I suppose when is bound to happen over time; life would be rather boring if I always rode the same wave.  I have no clue what comes next for me, but I guess that's part of the fun.  Hopefully my next post will pop up before it's time for my next year in review.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mallrats, 2.0

Now that the Halloween candy is on clearance, 'tis officially the season all up in this joint.  The stores are already in full Christmas swing.  I even heard "Winter Wonderland" playing, which was hard to take seriously when it was 75 degrees and sunny.  With Black Friday fast approaching, I've already seen some holiday hysteria: * I was in a store looking for lady stuff.  There were three nuns in the lady stuff department.  I was torn between wanting to stay as far from them as possible and wanting to sneak up behind them and see what they actually bought.  I know that they need unmentionables too, but I figured that was just standard issue with their habits, along with the sensible shoes and Clorox to keep their whites looking white.  Do they have to follow a dress code for their underpinnings, too? * A guy walking in front of me clearly had his shirt on inside out.  Was he a messy eater and figured, "hey, it works for the couch cushions..."?  Is that a

The Power of Yet

Last week I attended a meeting where the presenter discussed the power of "yet"-- how someone can re-frame his/her thinking so as to have a growth mindset.  For instance, instead of saying "I can't run a marathon," I should tell myself, "I can't run a marathon...yet."  To be fair, I feel there's a fine line between self-confidence and false confidence; no matter how strongly I believe in myself, I'm not sure any amount of positive thinking will turn me into an Olympic gold medalist.  However, my thoughts on the theory were tested just a few short hours later... I discovered that someone was making disparaging jokes at my expense about my weight.  It's no secret that I have a love-hate relationship with my body; anyone who follows me on social media has seen my #runburstinrun journey. And it is indeed a journey -- I feel like I barely remember where I began, and there is no ending in sight.  The source of the jokes claimed no harm was

"The Golden Years"

This past week I've been working with my students on writing revisions using the genre of flash fiction. Typically flash fiction is 1,000 words or less; for our purposes, we are sticking between 500 and 750. In order to model for my students I created a piece of my own, and I enjoyed reconnecting with my inner writer.  One of my students, after hearing me read my first draft, asked me why I was a teacher instead of a writer #notsohumblebrag.  Now that I've polished my story, I thought I'd share.  It may still need a little work (I'm still not sure I'm happy with how I wrote the ending), but it sure was fun to create. Enjoy! The Golden Years “Mistakes are ok...but not here.  You’re fired!” Fred started filling a cardboard box with his personal belongings from his locker.  He wondered if they had a room of boxes somewhere, ready to hand out whenever someone was let go -- something that happened a lot.  In his time at the company Fred only bothered t