My Relaxing Day in Florida

It's 4 o'clock and I haven't showered yet today because I have spent much of the day floating in my parents' pool. 

My day began around 7 with a run through fog, the air heavy with heat and humidity. After spending the entire day driving to Florida yesterday, it was a relief to be able to move. I passed an escaped dog and the golf cart with owners in pursuit. 

I had to do some class work on my computer but had promised Grace I would run with her so didn't take a shower. Grace has been inching toward running with a couch to 5k app. By the time she got up, it was pretty steamy out.

Eureka! I had a genius idea. Let's do the walking and running in the swimming pool. 

So Mom, Grace and I did our 30 minutes of walking and running in the pool. 

Then we all floated on rafts and chatted. We got out for bathroom breaks and drinks. Grace gave in and went to shower, but I returned to the pool for more floating, watching clouds build up, white ibis fly over, and Sandhills cranes land in the yard nearby. From across the lake, I hear a train roll past with its horn echoing. 

A jungle-sounding insect makes repetitive clicks from the nearby lake and cicadas hum in the background. 

Mom and Grace tried sitting in lounge chairs to chat with me, but they got too hot. Not me. I was in the pool. 

Now I can hear a distant rumble of thunder so I suppose I'll have to abandon the pool, but I'm pretty sure I left my worries in the deep end. 

Selfish

Since the beginning of the year, I've been blogging like a whirlwind, but these past few weeks, I've had my writing soul sucked out as I deal with children complications.
And I really don't want to write about them. I'm tired of thinking about them.
I'd like to just be selfish for a little while.
I have one more class to teach on Friday night and then I'm going to take some me time this weekend.
Do you ever take time for you?
What kinds of ways do you spoil yourself?

Florida Respite

I'm in Florida this week visiting my parents. My parents, in their mid-70s, decided in the fall that they really needed a party house.
That's why we haven't eaten dinner in the same room twice so far. So many rooms to choose from.
They bought a beautiful house near the clubhouse of the golf course where they play probably 5 times a week.
The house has a screened in porch with a bar. Another screened in porch with a pool. A sun deck. And another screened in porch off the master bedroom. So plenty of outside space.

 Indoors, there's a great room with a long dining table, seating area and fireplace. There's a media room with two level seating and, of course, a big screen TV.

And there's a game room looking out on the pool.

My favorite part of the house though is the view from any of the porches or the sun deck or the bedroom windows.

I wish you all could sit here with me and  hear the call of the birds, the chirp of the frogs at night, and even the barks of the alligators. It's so peaceful and even when the Sandhill Cranes start calling, it sounds a little like I imagine Africa would sound. 

End of Vacation

Tonight, my long vacation comes to an end.
I finished teaching and submitted grades on Dec. 22. Since then, I have been lollygagging -- as far as work goes. I've read and watched too much TV. I've worked out and visited with family. I've harangued my kids and I'm sure they've wished I'd go back to work.
Classes started again Monday for one of the colleges where I teach, but I didn't actually have to show up until today -- my Friday night class. So, although I've communicated with people online, I hadn't faced students, turning on my entertaining teacher face.
Here's something surprising -- I get less done when I'm off work than when I work.
I do less housework.
I cook dinner less often.
I'm basically pretty unmotivated when I'm off work.
But everyone needs some down time, so I'm going to accept my laziness. No, I'm going to embrace my laziness.
I had some family life stress over my vacation; Maybe lying around rather than accomplishing things is what I needed to bounce back and become an A-personality professor and author.
I hope everyone had a chance to relax, even if you didn't get to a beach or ski lodge or didn't get time off work, like we college professors did.

Summer Evening

For my friend who sat through her 8-year-old's soccer tryouts, these days will come.
Sitting on the hammock with a book set in Italy. A warm breeze blows my hair across my face. The tweets of birds are my social media. The lowering sun is my backlight for reading.
Ahhh. La dolce vita

Birthday Reprise

As this long weekend draws to a close, I wanted to tell you that my birthday do over was a success.
The morning started with tulips and Starbucks; my husband came in later that morning with balloons tied to a little pink Chinese food carton decorated with white polka dots. The box alone was adorable, but inside hid a lovely scarf in taupe and pink. Perfect.
I even managed to tie the scarf in a complicated way that I liked.
I spent much of the day grading papers, but then escaped for a massage at an Aveda spa. The 50-minute massage was a true, relaxing treat and I got to smell the delicious oils for the rest of the day.
Earl and I were going to go out for dinner that night, but the wind howled around the house and I opted to send him out for pizza instead. I spent the rest of the evening reading a book that I enjoyed a lot -- A Summer in Europe.
Spending Friday the way I wanted, meant that I was behind on paper grading Saturday, so I didn't leave my desk much on Saturday, but the day spent pampering me was well worth it.

Free Time

Like a wisp of a breeze on a still day, I feel it.
Like the far away whistle of a train in the night, I hear it.
Like that spot on the horizon that draws closer, I see it.
Freedom is nearly mine.
I give finals today and tomorrow. Then I have to grade the finals for five classes and turn in my grades.

For three weeks, I will not have to go to work. Not until Jan. 3.
I can almost feel my body collapsing in a heap just at the thought.
Now, I know that compared to many people, I don't work that hard. Some people are doing manual labor or standing up all day. They wouldn't complain about sitting in front of a computer answering students' emails or grading a stack of papers while munching on popcorn.
And I am truly grateful for my jobs, which help pay for one kid's college and next year two kids' college tuitions.
The thing is, teaching at two colleges means that their breaks don't coincide. So when one college is on spring break, the other is still having classes. And this summer when the one college took a two week break before summer quarter, the other college took the week after. I eeked out five days and darted down to Florida and back.
So since last Christmas, I haven't had time when I wasn't teaching.
Until now.
If I'm smart, I'll go ahead and prepare for winter courses next week. Then I could have two whole weeks not to think about teaching or work.
And what will I do with that time?
Well, a lot of basketball and swim events, plus Christmas shopping and baking and cleaning. Plus, I plan to read a lot and take many walks to Caribou Coffee.
Sometimes, maybe I will allow myself to collapse in a heap, learning a lesson from the cats.
How about you? Will you have any time to relax during the holidays?

Rushing Through Life

I was making school lunches the other morning -- a job I loathe even though I've only done it for three years -- when I suddenly remembered that next year I'd only have to pack two lunches. Grace would be gone to college so I'd only pack for the boys. I perked up at the thought of buying one box of drinks that lasted the whole week. Three kids, five days a week -- that's 15 drinks. Whereas two kids... well, you do the math.
Then this week Grace is gone as a counselor at 5th grade camp. I'm packing two lunches in the morning for the boys, but I miss Grace. And that's when I realized that with packing lunches and so many other things, I'm anxious to get on to the next step. I want to put this stage behind me, put a big check mark next to it and move on.
When the kids were little we had boxes and boxes of hand-me-down clothes. We were lucky to have so many clothes for the kids, but I hated all the clutter from the boxes. The boys clothes came from my brothers' sons and the girl clothes came from Earl's sisters' daughters. I separated them according to size and when the youngest reached that size, I could throw out the box crowding the attic. I couldn't wait to get rid of all those big boxes. It wasn't until later that I realized how I was rushing through the kids' childhoods because I wanted to get rid of boxes of hand-me-downs.
I wonder what else I am sprinting through, not taking the time to enjoy, anxious to clean up and finish?
Because, I have to tell you that this week, with Grace gone and only fixing two lunches, I'm not really using that extra time wisely. It's not like I take the time I saved and work on the the great American novel.
Another game of gem drop anybody?