Christmas is Coming (with no goose getting fat!)

Today is the day before the real day before Christmas. I've been an elf and helped my daughter with a gift she was making. Now I need to get wrapping and creating my own gift, but I'd rather write tonight.
When one lives alone, it seems weird to decorate the house...put the stuff out, look at it myself, and then put all the stuff away. I've ALWAYS hated that part...the putting away. Somehow this year, I just didn't have the interest, or the time. As it turned out, I'm leaving Christmas afternoon for a time away, so I'm glad I don't have to deal with decor. In the meantime, I had given it it some thought...was I lazy? depressed? was it always going to be that way? I finally decided that I was just fine. For this year, I didn't put my Christmas stuff out. That's all it was. A simple decision to keep it simple. I made no cookies or candy either. Okay, so it doesn't "feel" like Christmas, but that's something I can live with.
So for all of you who live alone, or are going through other changes, and you find yourself not wanting to do "what you've always done", give yourself permission to not do it. Or do something different. It's all right.
Merry Christmas and May God bless your new year

Summer is here!!

"Summahtime and the livin' is easy"...oh, those lyrics sound soothing and inviting. On Friday school ended and boy, do I need some easier days. Not that I need the hammock and lemonade every single day, but teaching this year pretty much depleted me. The kids, the administration, the schedule. The results of giving so much of myself to my students seems worth it to me. They have changed a lot over the year and I'm proud of their emotional and educational growth. Many of them I'll miss. Some are moving, some I wish would move. I'm glad I didn't have to move classrooms or grade level. Some weren't as fortunate as me. Enough about that.

I now get to look to Maine and replenishment. Nourishment. Rejuvenation. Where I get to be me in a different way. Why is that? Aren't I me here? I get nourishment from the scenery. I get nourishment from friends with whom I share a history. I get nourishment from looking for seaglass, my very favorite way to spend time. It relaxes me and revs me up all at the same time. Weird.
I'm hungry, so will close on that and get some supper.

a new year

A new year means all sorts of things to me...I've also just celebrated a birthday and among other things, I want to put my house back in some semblance of order (that means putting away the Christmas decorations); I want to exercise; I want to do better, be better and definitely look better! I want to trim down, slim down, and "get down"! I want, I want...sounds like a kid to me.
I believe I've written about wants and needs before, but it comes back to that now. If I want, such and so, I will need to stop....if I want to be thinner, I need to stop eating so much. If I want to exercise, then I'll need to do it! If I want to not be sleep deprived when I go back to work, then I'll need to go to bed on time. Sounds so simple, but how come it isn't?
Perhaps in 2010, I'll figure out how to match my wants with my needs. Perhaps...but in the meantime, let me sleep on it. Boy, I do like my sleep time....z-z-z-z