Making the Right Moves

Today I take a step forward to begin incorporating writing back into my life.  I had a blast this summer getting into the writing life, and this blog is a big part of that.  I knew that with school starting it would be tough, so I gave myself a bit of a break.  I managed a couple of posts, but in general I was overwhelmed with getting to know new students, new curriculum, new computer programs, and a new schedule.

I am finding the most important aspects of life are rising up, and that is the best I could have imagined when I made the decision to change my life by returning to middle school teaching.  I have started a daily meditation practice -- on the cushion, just 10 minutes in the morning for now.  This clears my head and calms me before the craziness begins.  Today I started walking again for exercise, and keeping a food diary to help myself eliminate some extra pounds that creeped in over the summer.

I am also cooking again. That wasn't even an aim -- I just started planning and putting together meals again. Cooking used to be a favorite activity of mine, but it had fallen out of favor with me the last couple of years.  To see it making its way back without effort on my part is interesting to me!  I'm reading books of my choosing (just finished Brewster by Mark Slouka -- fantastic), and I even got to see two new movies released this month:  Jobs and Les Daniels' The Butler.  Enjoyed them both.

The last couple of years had produced a burn-out in me that was so gradual, it was nearly undetectable.  I just kept having a "knowing" that something big was missing in my life.  Slowly, step-by-step, I am finding what has been missing.  A good GOOD feeling!

In general, I am loving my new school, my new students, my new colleagues.  The pace of middle-school has a hectic quality, but certainly not the intensity I've been used to at the high school level.  I feel an incredible amount of support from my wonderful department chair -- Heather Millican -- and my administrative team, as well as our tech support person.  There is always someone available to answer a question.  I love that.

Cypress Lake Middle School is a special place.  My life is more relaxed, and I feel more in-tune with myself and my teaching.   It is clear to me that I have made the right move.