The Deep End

It has been a little while since the last post.  This is not for lack of action or happenings, quite the opposite.  Sometimes life just gets busy, and we get caught-up in it to the point where the little rituals and routines sometimes get lost in the shuffle and hustle of the day.

The routines of school for both myself and the girls has been a positive one overall.  Audrey is enjoying kindergarten very much, learning new math and reading skills daily.  Violet is transitioning well to her preschool setting, and I think she likes being in a new group of peers where she can experience new interactions and how to move socially throughout the day in a positive learning environment.

While I am quite happy with the way the new school year has started, it is still difficult to let go of summer.  The simplicity of it all has been replaced by the almost overwhelming list of needs of my students and school policy.  While I understand it is all in the best interest of the children, it feels like I am being pulled in ten different directions on an almost minute-to-minute basis when at work in terms of meetings, conferences, grading, etc.  It really is very exciting and my days are not dull, and I very much like my students, so I think I just need to wholly embrace this process and get back into the groove, myself!

Today was a lot of fun, as Kim and I both participated in different running events on the same course.  I ran the Chicago Half Marathon and she ran the 5k.  While waking-up at 4:30am is not anyone's idea of heaven on a Sunday, I had fun chatting in the car, enjoying a nice run along the lake shore, and savoring a victory meal at home with my family in celebration!

It was during my run today that I finally had a little time to just think about life and do some reflecting and also to project out into the future a little.  I want to be someone who is more action-based.  By this I mean I want to be a person who accomplishes things, not just talk about them.  We live for such a short time, and I am trying very hard to not take that for granted.  We have plans for the future, but sometimes life around us changes quickly and I am reminded that we are not guaranteed tomorrow.  I compared this to walking in a swimming pool, or on a beach, out into the water.  We can feel our bodies getting lighter, as we move into deeper and deeper water.  At some point, though, we lose contact with the floor beneath us, and we are truly out in the deep.  While we know what is below us, and where we are headed (for the most part), we never quite know when the bottom will drop out or how deep the depths below us truly are.

So, as we wade-out into this new sea of routine and happenings, I am mindful of the opportunities and adventures that pulse before us.  I am, however, aware of my depth and appreciative of the stability that lies below my feet each and every day.  While I am truly not afraid of what lies out there in the depths of life, I am in no hurry to see the bottom drop out and find myself unable to float in the deep end.