No, I don’t read Asian newspapers or drink tea in a tumbler, but this is too cute.
What is it?
The Heat?
The kids?
Getting up to an alarm clock even though my body desperately wants to sleep in?
Knowing that soon I’ll be on vacation for real?
I’m not sure exactly what it is, most likely a combination of all of the above, but for some reason when I get home in the afternoon, after teaching my young writers (for just three hours) I’m totally drained. I try to do something productive, like write, or do laundry, or even just read a book, but before long I’m nodding off. UGH.
I get to bed at a reasonable hour, so why I am so tired mid-day? And why is it only when I’m home alone and have the opportunity to actually accomplish so much?
Am I running from my responsibilities? Am I hiding from something I don’t want to face? Am I afraid to be alone, so I escape into sleep? I’m pretty sure the answers to those questions are no, no, and no. I’m just freaking tired.
My first guess is that it really is the heat. Carrying around all this extra weight in extreme temperatures is hard on a body. I do my best to stay hydrated and keep cool, but I think my body is fighting back, and what better way to conserve energy than to sleep?
On Friday my summer work comes to a close, and I have a few weeks of pure relaxation. I’m heading east, away from the hellfire of my chosen Southwest home, and I couldn’t be happier. In the meantime, I’m going to keep waiting until after dark to jump in the pool, and keep myself as cool as possible. After all, I chose this, and no matter what, it still beats snow any day of the year.
My Lila is asleep at my feet, and every now and then she lets out a long sigh.
Earlier she was making the most adorable sound, one that she only makes when she’s asleep. It’s not a cry or a whine or a woof, but sort of a hybrid of all three of those sounds. Clearly she’s thinking about SOMETHING when she’s doing that, but I’m not sure if it’s something good or bad.
Do dogs have nightmares? Are they afraid in their sleep? Do they see monsters and boogie men and lions and tigers and bears? Do they hear fireworks and thunder? Are they afraid of being abandoned?
Do they dream of hunting? Chasing down a rabbit or a squirrel? Do they dream about running on the beach and splashing in the surf? Or riding in the car with the window down and the wind flopping their ears? Do they dream of curling up on the couch next to their person at the end of the day?
I wish I knew what she dreams of. I hope it’s all good things. I never want that dog to feel fear or loneliness. She’s much too good of a companion for that.
I have one week left of summer vacation before I head back to school for meetings and planning and classroom setup. One week left to get to the doctor and the dentist. One week left to attend to all the things I was going to do over the summer, but didn’t. One short week.
Maybe instead of focusing on what didn’t get done I should instead take a look at what I have accomplished.
Vacation
First of all, I managed to have a wonderful vacation that really felt like two vacations, since I was in two separate locations. I spent a good amount of time with my family and I got to see several friends. I walked the beach, I ate s’mores, and I swam in several different pools. I laughed until my cheeks hurt and I explored the area where the Pilgrims landed in the new world. I played mini-golf and I went to the movies and I drank wine and ate salsa with jicima and blueberries. I listened to live music and ate from a food truck and buried my toes in the sand. I saw where the Kennedy’s played football on the lawn and I ate peanut butter cup pancakes and I watched fireworks from the beach. I showed my son my university and goofed off with him in a way that just isn’t possible at home. Maybe that was enough. Maybe I didn’t have to do anything else, but I did.
Chores
I took care of my car, which was an unpleasant task, but what can I do? I need a car. I waited out the air conditioner’s coy way of fooling the repair guys, and restored some cool to our indoor space. I cleared out some items that we no longer need or love and donated them to charity. I also started cooking a little bit more, and began relying on going out a little bit less. Of course that means more trips to the grocery store, more meal prep, and more cleaning up. Oh, and laundry. I must have washed a zillion loads of laundry (that’s a lie… I’m actually boycotting laundry because I’m simply not in the mood for it).
Social Butterfly
If you know me in person and you choked on this heading I apologize. Let me clarify: I was a social butterfly to my way of thinking. I went to a baseball game with my son, I went to a painting party with a couple of friends, and I had a few lunches with friends. It all counts!
Reading
I read quite a bit this summer. Some of the books I loved, others I was less enthusiastic about, but I felt good about reading. In reverse order, I read:
The Outsiders by SE Hinton
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
A Dog’s Purpose by W Bruce Cameron
The Noticer by Andy Andrews
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
We Were Liars by E Lockhart
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
The bolded titles were the ones that really stood out. They were the ones I most hated to put down and the ones that gave me the most to puzzle over. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the others. I did. In fact I enjoyed them all.
Work
Oh yes, I did four weeks of teaching youth, I can’t forget about that. It was an enjoyable four weeks, and I would definitely do it again, should the opportunity arise. Spending my mornings with kids who enjoy creating stories and narratives is a pleasure. Helping them to refine their ideas and turn them into words on a page is remarkable. Being involved in that story telling process is quite an honor.
Rest
I admit it, I slept. I slept in, I took naps, and I went to bed when I felt tired. My body thanks me, but I’m a little bit worried about going back to work. No more nap time!
I’m okay with going back to work. A new school year is always exciting for me. I love meeting my new students and helping them to form a cohesive community of learners. We become a family of sorts, and that’s a beautiful thing. I also love seeing my former students, a few months older, a summer wiser, as they enter the fifth grade. The change in some of them is truly remarkable, and it’s so rewarding to watch those kids as they mature.
Yes, I’m about ready to go back, but before I do I’m going to enjoy one last week of r & r, there’s no need to rush it.
BulgingButtons 