Gratitude Injection

I feel like I've been complaining a lot lately. I don't mean to. Tonight I'm reaching my overwhelm point with the new class. Trying to coordinate materials on the fly doesn't work well, and I don't like to be unprepared. Yesterday I thought I had enough "stuff" to get me through at least two of the three hours. I didn't. We finished up about an hour and a half in. Part of the problem was that the technology in my classroom wouldn't work. I had planned a syllabus review (since I got the information too late to print out copies, as I would normally do), and I had to get students to pull up the syllabus on their smart phones while I looked at on the computer. Not the best way to review. The irony is that I rarely use computers in the classroom; the one time it's critical to my lesson plan, it doesn't work.

I've spent the entire day (well, after my four hours of online scoring) trying to track down readings that will be valuable to the class. I went to the local library and checked out several books of essays and some longer works from which I will use excerpts. I don't have a copy code yet either, so I have to send everything to the print shop on campus. I have been doing a lot of printing on my home computer; it's different when I'm printing single-page assignments or worksheets. I'm not going to print multi-page readings, twenty-five copies of each, at home. I've already burned through too much ink.

I realized an hour ago, as I was still deep in databases searching for readings, that I wouldn't be able to go to my sewing class tonight, one of my great escapes and nearly the only "me-time" that I get. When it comes down to knocking something off the schedule, me-time is always the first to go.

So I just complained more. In the midst of all of this, I reminded myself that even though it's exhausting, the big crunch will last only about another week and a half. The pay isn't bad, and I'm grateful to have money in the bank and food on the table. Tonight I'm cooking up some steamed shrimp with Old Bay -- I was surprised I had any of that seasoning around, and I'm trying hard not to think about how "Old" it might be. I'm glad the weather has been beautiful and that overall life is good for me and my children -- and my pets, who at this very moment are lying on my legs as I type. These are the times when it's most difficult, but probably most important, to remind myself of the many blessings in my life. So I am.