May Magic

Yet again, time has had its way with me. My calendar seems to jump entire weeks at a time. Thus, May has arrived and my brain is still in the middle of April. The frenetic pace of school has not lessened, rather it has picked up. Today, I managed to finish putting comments on numerous papers, to copy our quiz, to help plan the day, to re-write the same quiz, and to connect with a number of students. The added "bonus" is that I did all of that during a day that was shortened for various reasons. We also had conferences yesterday, and my daughter had to go to the ER the night before. So, I slept little on Wednesday, talked to parents for hours on Thursday, and eked every ounce out of my body on Friday. While I am grateful that I can handle a day like that, I also know that I will be worthless for much of this weekend.

I also realize that I am getting more and more run down as the end of the school year approaches. I find it fascinating that I am beginning to know myself and my body well enough that I can recognize when I am pushing too hard. Unfortunately, I am still too stubborn to do much about that. I know that I will continue to push when I should stop - like I did today. I "survived," but that came at a price. The lingering congestion and illness that I seem to still have will worsen. There is no question in my mind about that. I also know that I will do my best to exploit the boost I get from the improving weather.

While temperatures did dip during the past week, the averages are now consistently in the 60+ range. That is glorious. I have come to abhor winter. The warmth coupled with the ever growing daylight definitely lift my spirits. Of course, that too has a down side. More light means that I am tempted to push myself even more. Even the idea of May gets me pumped. More daylight and milder days portend summer's arrival. Summer means a time to re-charge and MITY. Yet, my extroverted, crazy brain transforms those good vibes into an insane drive to complete everything before the school year ends. While the idea is lovely, the reality is that I should NEVER listen to grand ideas like that. My body can't handle them, but my stupid brain never seems to remember that. Hopefully, I am gaining enough wisdom that I will intervene on my own behalf. Nonetheless, I am thrilled that I am entering the final month of school, even if it means that I somehow lost the latter half of April.