Classes begin today, so I will put my feet up in sympathy with my former colleagues who will be exhausted by the end of the day. The weekend was busy, but fabulous. It began with what I thought was going to be dinner with my two best friends from school and their spouses. I made potato salad for six, packed it up and headed for Shawna's house. So, it turned out to be dinner with about 30 of my most intimate friends from school. Hard to believe that in the middle of preparing for the year she is about to have, she had the time and energy to plan and execute a surprise retirement party for me.
It was a great night, since I know that I will see her and Ward, but I'm not so sure about many of the others. As our lives get busier, unfortunately many people are relegated to the back burner. Not pleasant to think about, but true. It was a great opportunity to feel loved as I had a chance to connect with these people again. Most importantly, talking to them made me realize how lucky I am to have been able to make the choice I made.
Shawna will be teaching all five levels of French this year, including AP and CHS for Level 5. The materials she has are minimal, since the previous teacher (furloughed late last year) had done it for several years and had developed many of the materials herself. Having taught Level 3 last year will help her, since she knows where those kids are, and Level 2 will take some doing, but is not that difficult. But it will take some understanding on the part of the administration to get her through this year. Let's hope that is forthcoming. Her work ethic and dedication will be her greatest assets.
Ward is back in the classroom after several years of Technology Coaching. He is a great teacher, so I'm sure the kids will benefit, but it will be tough at first.
Meanwhile, I continue to struggle with my to-do list. I have been waking up almost every night about 3:00 a.m. and not being able to go back to sleep for at least an hour. That has cut into my morning work time, since I usually don't fall back to sleep until almost the time I'd set for myself to get up. I think I've been careful not to set too ambitious an agenda, but there are some projects that have to be done in a timely manner. The application for the part-time job (more about that later) had a deadline, and some of the yard work and housework have windows of opportunity as well. Besides, I'm just plain getting tired of having some things hanging over my head.
In any case, I've practiced good "sleep hygiene" just like the last time, it's just not working. I may have to resort to Benadryl for a few days in a row to break the pattern. The last thing I thought I'd be doing was having school dreams and losing sleep once I retired. Not fair.
The rest of the weekend included having a gathering for a friend of the family who really is a part of the family. She turned 90 last week and we hosted her and her actual niece and nephew to celebrate. It was a great evening, and I'm glad I did it.
On Sunday we cycled with our friend Gary to the Boston Waterfront to hear a blues band they recommended. It was a great experience: perfect weather for sitting outside and listening to good music with good friends and some good food thrown in. We biked back to dinner with my family and today is PT and a visit with my sister.
So all in all, life is good. My thoughts will be at school today, hoping that the day brings good things to all the good people involved. This is the first time in many years that the academic year really has nothing to do with me. That will probably take some getting used to. A friend who had a very hard time in high school ("I hated it," is his summary) told me recently that for years after he graduated college and worked full time, he still got depressed around September. We concluded that the "back to school" feeling might never truly go away. I'll let you know.
Some food highlights: Friday night, one of my former colleagues said, "I knew when I tasted it that this potato salad must have come from you. It tastes so good."
Tonight: hamburgers for the two of us and a friend, followed by "Horrible Bosses" at the Water Front. It won't hurt to be reminded!
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