Inspired!

Last night I had the opportunity to see one of my very best friends accept an award for Excellence in Education for what she's done as a middle school social studies teacher.  During her acceptance speech, she captivated the audience with an allegory of the teaching profession.  Heading into last night, I knew that whatever she was going to say during her acceptance speech would be awesome.  See, my friend is incredibly intelligent. She's witty. She's a fantastic writer. She takes pride in her job.  She loves history.  She thrives in the spotlight. And, she's good; she's very, very good.

As it turned out, it was not one of those well-written speeches delivered by a person who's an amazing speaker, which she is, but has no substance.  And yes, she had a very receptive audience; it was filled with a mix of education professionals who love what they do and people who love their educational professionals and were there to support them.  However, I think you would've had to have been made of stone to not feel inspired during her speech - it was packed with substance.

It's not that I felt as if I wanted to run right back into the teaching profession, even though as a former educator, I felt myself connecting to those amazing moments when you really get things right.  It was the passion she spoke with about the awesome responsibility she has and how much she loves what she has the opportunity to do each day.  Her message was yet another reminder to me that no matter what you're doing, you need to do it with fervor, and no matter how big or small someone else might deem the task, what's really important is what it means to you.  Yes, there will be ups and downs - after teaching together for four and a half years and a friendship that has spanned almost ten - I know she's had her share, yet her passion for what she does helps her roll with the punches when times are tough. 

I left the award ceremony last night feeling inspired, and it's a feeling that lingered as I woke up this morning.  I realized that I have people in my life who are passionate about what they do; it's just that with everything that goes on in our lives, sometimes it's hard to see.  

Like every other emotion, inspiration is contagious.  I have been "afflicted" by this feeling of excitement and hope, and I feel good about what I get to do today.  I am excited for the what the future holds and the opportunities that will come with it.

I have been inspired.

Time Flies

I always thought the reason that the school year went by so quickly was due to the fact that I was so insanely busy being a teacher.  My normal schedule would be to wake up around 4:00AM, workout/grade papers, get ready for school, teach, do homework, make dinner, clean up, get ready for bed, grade some more papers, go to bed, and then repeat for 179 days.  Throw in a husband and two kids, and it made perfect sense for time to fly.

But even now that I'm not teaching full-time, I have noticed that time is still flying by...how can this be?

Take for instance, the school year.  Even without me teaching, first quarter has come and gone.  We've had school conferences and Halloween.  Thanksgiving break is only 13 school days away, and Christmas and the end of the second quarter will come and go before we even realize it.  This doesn't even account for my kids' and husband's sports' schedules.  Throw them into the ring, and now we're traveling at warp speed and arriving at the end of May.  Another school year down. 

But what about each individual day?  With no one at home, some people might think time moves slow.  I met another stay at home mom shortly after the school year started, and she commented to me how bored she gets during the day.  I wondered if I would ever feel this way?  Occasionally, people like to tease me about all my "free time."  I play along to be polite:

Yep, this is me.

I have come to realize time flies whether you're having fun or whether you're too busy to realize you're not having fun.

Luckily, I'm happy to report that I'm having fun.  During the time of the day that I should be sitting around being fantastic, I am instead constantly on the go trying to tackle never-ending, seemingly brainless household chores like doing the dishes, putting laundry away, and making beds.  But it's also during this time that I stumble upon little treasure-troves of happiness: finding Tate's trashcan filled to the brim with Halloween candy wrappers and being reminded that while the kid needs to have his candy rationed, he's also incredibly giving, selflessly sharing his favorite candies with us simply because he knows we love them; or finding Ellie's tablet of drawings buried in her bed along with her flashlight, with several sketches of women with the Mona Lisa's curious expression - they're studying her in art - and being able to appreciate her interests and talents even though she's stealthily staying up past her bedtime.

In my current stay-at-home-mom-world, I stay challenged, I'm not bored, and I'm quite content with what I accomplish throughout the course of the day to take care of my family, my house, and myself.  It gives me time to appreciate everything going on around me. It gives me time to think about what I want to do when I do go back to work that will allow me to keep this sense of serenity in balance.  It gives me time to realize that time will fly by no matter what I'm doing, so I had better make sure whatever I choose to do is worth it.