With the start of the school year for me, it's been that adventure of balancing work and home and school and play and personal and professional. Every year I get to do this, and every year it makes me a little crazy.
Until this year.
My Spring semester was rough. With a 26 credit load (normal is 15,) Sandburg's first musical at the Orpheum, baby on the way, Marquie's wedding, travel, weight gain, and all things different and exciting, I vowed to never,
ever have a semester like that again. It was out of control, and while everything did get done, it wasn't pretty.
So, as I've approached this semester which, by the way, snuck up on me, I've work hard to keep everything in its proper place. We're doing a musical, again—Into the Woods—but I've tried to get out of almost everything else that isn't my normal teaching load. With that done, I've looked at the demands on my time, scheduled carefully, and, at least in my mind, re-prioritized things in a way that keeps my perspective healthy and my life managed.
It has been wonderful. I have auditions tonight, but I'm not feeling crazy about it, despite the fact that it signals the end of leisure time as I know it, until almost Thanksgiving. I've spent time with my boys, I've prepared myself physically and mentally, my classes are running and in order, and I'm feeling in control. If you've never been a teacher in the fall, you can't truly understand the unique joy of feeling in control. It has, for six years eluded me, but this year I found it. I found it because I stopped, stepped back, and started from scratch. For example, my classes are all prepped through the end of the week, already. It may not seem like a lot, but by the end of the week, those classes will be one eighth over, and that's something worth measuring. I've never "had" the time to do that before, but this year, I
made the time, and that decision had a positive impact.
It's a silly story, but it's brought me peace and a sense of control. It leaves me time for things like sleep, watching a movie with Liz, taking the boys shopping, reading Michelle's book (I love it!) and making good eating decisions. It strengthens me and reinforces my decisions to know that I didn't make them hastily, but carefully evaluated and choose exactly what I am doing and how I do it. I suppose I have finally found a way to act rather than be acted upon, as it related to my work, and I'm grateful for that.
Thanks for letting me share this random thought process. I hope you're all well!
