life beyond the well…

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Over Winter Break…

Well, it’s officially winter break around these parts.  These breaks usually come a little too slow, after the onset of the beginning of the year excitement, and then the lull of the grind that takes place in October.  By November, we’re all thankful for the time off with Thanksgiving, and even moreso looking forward to a longer break to recharge, reassess, and refocus.  That time is Winter Break.

While break was scheduled to begin on Friday, it began a little earlier for me…and for the rest of us.  An upper respiratory infection had me out of school on Tuesday and Wednesday (doctor’s orders).  Being rested and functioning on antibiotics, I was looking forward to returning to work on Thursday.  But then there was the snow.

Yes, folks.  We got our second snow of the season on Thursday.  I suppose I should add that the first snow of the season was on Monday of this week, which led to an early release at 1:30pm on Monday afternoon.  But I digress.  The second snow of the season arrived around 7:15 on Thursday morning, forcing us to close (we had already planned a 2 hour delay).  What was particularly unusual was that we received more snow than anticipated (because who really expects those weather guys to get it right?).  Anyhow, the after effects of the snow (namely ice) forced us into closing again for Friday.  Thus, winter break began early.

While I was at home sick, and just kind of dreaming about winter break (3 days is a long time in the life of a teacher), I started thinking about all of the things that I wanted (and needed) to accomplish over winter break.  Here’s that list:

  1. Celebrate my best friend’s birthday
  2. Watch basketball
  3. Watch the Complete Series of The Wire
  4. Organize and Reassess
  5. Watch Good Morning America
  6. Bake
  7. Read (for pleasure, not for work or school)
  8. Get an early start on Spring Coursework
  9. Reassess and Refocus (What are long term goals, and how am I progressing towards getting there)
  10. Spend time on what’s most important
  11. Prepare for 2011 (and beyond)
  12. Get into a solid gym routine

I’m sure there’s more.  There’s basic stuff like- laundry and home organization tasks that I want to accomplish too.  Overall though, I think that’s about it.  I’ll follow up with how that’s going later…

Until next time…


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How Thankful Are We?

I enjoy Thanksgiving. I have fond memories of my mother cooking all of my favorite foods (because really, who doesn’t like turkey, ham, potato salad, green beans, etc…) and us having a house FULL of family members to eat and rejoice with. Of course there was the time off from school, but just the general communion of people was so enjoyable.

There was always the quick dash to the grocery store in the morning because inevitably, something had been forgotten. Usually, a pie crust or some cranberry sauce, but there was always something that we had to rush to the store for, and it had to be done SOON…because it was Thanksgiving Day and the stores didn’t stay open very late.

That was then, this is now.

I’m amazed at the number of stores who are open on Thanksgiving this year. I’ve seen commercials for Wal-Mart, KMart, Target advertising that they’ll be open on Thanksgiving, as well as stores such as Ann Taylor and Old Navy. Hmmmm…

Perhaps it’s just me, but isn’t that strange? I understand it’s a recession, but is there an extreme necessity to be open on Thanksgiving? I feel that our society has very quickly transformed into one that is more and more about things and less about people, family, and experiences.

I understand the Black Friday phenomenon. I also have fond memories of being up in the wee hours of the morning on the Friday following Thanksgiving, traveling to Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and several other places to acquire the items on the very long Christmas list that one has as being a part of large family. I just can’t understand the need to begin that shopping on Thursday, on Thanksgiving Day.

It makes me wonder- how thankful are we? And what are we thankful for? Are we just thankful for a day off and another opportunity to spend hard-earned money (or for most people, spend beyond our means), or are we thankful for the chance to enjoy the time with our friends and family, to create memories and have experiences that are priceless?

I’m just wondering…