Maintenance

Good morning, Amanda.

"Newsy" to me doesn't mean lengthy, but it does conjure up a Christmas form letter ...Brittany got braces and Parker got his license. We were blessed that Carl got a promotion and we could finally add on that great room we had been dreaming of....Still, it's okay for me to be newsy here, as it for you to use this as a healing place. In fact, that's my artist healing, getting rid of the day to day crap that keeps me from the creative part of myself. Bottom line? I like to do more than dump daily details I guess--but I suppose that's a bit ambitious. Enough of that.

I'm in a good groove I think, and trying to stay grounded. Now that I have house projects done and I'm caught up with correcting, I want to stay on top of things. I was saying to C yesterday (after my haircut--more on that later) that sometimes I get overwhelmed with both lives and end up paralyzed, doing nothing, which obviously doesn't help. I'm trying to remember that I can do a little at a time, and that ultimately, maintaining is easier than playing catch up. And now, while things feel right and manageable, I really need to make a commitment to maintaining order, so I can make a commitment to writing, to the artist in me. No more excuses. It's not like I'm coming home to a messy house with a list of projects to do a mile long and a bag full of lab reports in the car (i.e., the decoy). When that's the scene, when I have sh*t on my mind and things hanging over my head, I can't get to the page. I don't have an eye for the comic detail. Rather, I have a belly full of dread.

Speaking of a belly full of dread, the mother of one of my friends ("the boys," in attendance at the wedding in Maine) passed away yesterday. He isn't even 30. His mom was in her early 50s. His wife is pregnant. Wake is tomorrow night and funeral is Friday. I am one of a few teachers who requested time off to go on Friday. I am poised with my contract open to p. 29 that says "Other Leave [...] For funerals." No mention of whose funerals count. As it should be. I hope they do the right thing and get us all coverage for a half-day, otherwise they might have a bunch of teachers calling in sick.

On that note I need to get busy planning and figuring out where I'll be with lessons on Friday.

I'll check in again later.

Love, B