When I officially filed my paperwork to retire after 32 years of teaching, I got a lot of comments and questions about how excited I must be. Excited? I can't say that was the emotion I was feeling last spring. Mostly, I was exhausted. My final teaching year was hectic and challenging. I consider it one of the top three most difficult years of my career.
I smiled when questions about my excitement level were asked. Eventually, I settled on a more honest response: "I'm excited for summer vacation."
On June 20th, I packed up the last of my things, said goodbye to my principal, and walked out into the heat of the June day.
The summer went by in a blink- one that wasn't so much relaxing as it was busy with family care and a lot of driving between my house in Alexandria and my 90-year-old mother's house 85 miles north. The rest I was looking for didn't exactly come...until right now.
I was up early this morning for an appointment of my own. Traveling back home around 8:30, I noted group after group of youngsters, all looking a little sleepy, as they walked, biked, and scootered their way to nearby elementary schools. Parents, when in close proximity, carried mugs of coffee and smiled broadly as they ensured the safety of their own child.
I have a few tasks on my list today, the first being to complete a juror questionnaire. It was the occupation question that stopped me. After years and years (and years) of having an occupation to write down, I stopped before finally filling in the agreed-upon term for pensioner/relaxation specialist. How do I feel about that? I'm excited and content (for now).
No comments:
Post a Comment