Orelove Family Blog: May 2015

Audrey and Violet...CLEAN!!! For the moment!

These past few weeks have been hectic, busy, exhilarating, and frustrating. Our little family has been doing big things, and we cannot be more proud. Audrey is finishing kindergarten, and will be a first grader in a few weeks! Violet is growing by leaps and bounds, performing well in preschool, and loving life. Kim is working very well with her new team and earning high praise.

We made the decision a while ago to sell our house and find a new place in which our family can continue to grow. While we haven't sold yet, we are hopeful and remain optimistic. Failing to sell our house in a couple weeks, we have learned a lot about the whole process and what really matters. While we wait in our "show-ready" home, things don't feel like "home" necessarily. Everything is so clean, so put away. It is nice at times, but we also feel separate in a sense. We live in a place, that no longer feels like a home, but rather a shell. While we are happy under this roof, we are starting to peer out for a new dwelling. All in good time, though.

A little over a week ago, I attempted my fifth marathon in Wisconsin. I failed. It was a beautiful day in Kenosha, and the temperatures rose very quickly. While the heat was a factor, it was not the central reason for my failure to complete the Wisconsin Marathon. It is simple: I didn't put-in the training to run a marathon, let alone complete one. I registered for this marathon in the winter, and it has kept me motivated to run throughout the cold, snow-filled days. The treadmill became something I despised, but continued with, knowing an actual spring marathon was in my future. My dedication wavered in the early spring, and my long runs became shorter or skipped altogether. A lingering respiratory illness the final two weeks leading up to the run eliminated any mental toughness I had. My stubbornness would not allow me to change to a half marathon, so I found myself unprepared for a run that even the most prepared version of myself finds challenging. The first part of the run (15mi) was great, and then I hit my wall, and was completely dehydrated and nauseous at mile 18, and I walked away defeated. Even walking to complete it was something that I refused to do, knowing that it was not something I had "earned" through hard work. Yes, 18 miles is quite a distance, but I also knew that the last eight were not in me that day. With four completed marathons, this fifth one really made me pause and reflect about what I did and did not do. My choices leading up to the run were not all good, and my overall effort was reflected in my inability to finish.

These are all things that I will need to remember as I transition into my new Assistant Principal position next year. My running these past years has become part of who I am. The miles I put down are also times for reflection, contemplation, and often decision making. I know what it takes to complete a long distance, and doing the small things and doing them well are what makes me successful. So to will it be with this new job. I understand there is a lot to do, and slacking in any area will cost me valuable ground later in the whole process.

I have often told my students over the years that failure is a good thing when we can learn from it. I try to be the example for them, letting them see me fail....acknowledging my mistakes, and showing them that we simply learn and move forward in our life. Well, I am trying to learn from this last marathon...not only about running, but about my life as it continues to change and evolve. No one can truly see the future, and I don't spend too much time looking back. Failure, however, is something I need to examine closely, as it will allow me to use my past to shape my future.

-a