Possibility Plethora

Came home from a not-so-hot day at school -- those "off" days are just unavoidable -- with a burdened heart, stressed mind, and the same headache that's been off and on since Thursday. Not so happy camper, you might say.

An email made my heart skip a beat as it revealed that my credential file not only has the potential to go out now, but it is going out! Tomorrow! To 5 schools!

My head nearly to it's bursting point, I quickly gathered up a stack of letters and walked down the street to the mailbox. And then kept walking.

Praying.

Thinking.

De-crabbying.

And building excitement.

Joy.

Optimism.

Hope.

Some things aren't worth worrying about. We can't control 'em, so why worry about them? God can use everything, anyway. So instead of worrying, get excited. Don't look at what could go wrong. Look at what could go right. I'm sharing these words because that's the attitude shift I needed, and maybe somebody else does, too. I wasted too much time even just today worrying about things that really won't matter next week or next month or next year, and not enough getting really psyched about all that could matter and be in that time.

I got to tell my kiddos today about Jesus feeding 5000 with the lunch of one boy, a meager lunch of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. That was after the disciples probably looked at him with the same look my little boy gave me about the snake hole: "You're absolutely crazy and unbelievable!" Jesus not only fed them, but he made leftovers to boot. Clearly things always work out. God always provides far beyond our imagination.

I highly doubt that any of these first 5 places will work out, but who knows? I'm really just saying that so I don't get my hopes up too high. They actually look like some fun areas and decent schools. One's an hour away from home. What I do know is that these are doors opening left and right, and it's just the beginning.

I don't know where I go from here, but I know who I go with: the friends, family, and God who love and support me all the way through. It's the beginning of the end of one adventure and the start of a brand new one, and it's truly awesome.

This is it.

~"Do not conform to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will." [-Romans 12:2]~

Time To Shake It Up

I am going to cut my hair. Short. Maybe even shorter than last year. The question is...what should I do with it?

This is always a tough choice. I know that I always build haircuts up, love them for a few days, and then realize all the things I can no longer do with my hair, and then I hate it for a few days. And I've always, always loved to play with hair. Mine, somebody else's, doesn't matter. It's fun. It's how my cousins and I would literally spend hours when we were little. (And now two of them have gone to cosmetology school.)

What I'm really trying to say is...I'm just not good at change.

I wrote this a while ago, but it fits, eh?

Hair Wars

This hair swirls before my eyes and lips,

Sticks stubbornly to chapsticked lips,

Refuses to surrender to my hair tie even for a split second.

This hair decides to be smooth and tame,

Cooperates easily when it doesn’t matter,

Innocently taunts me to a sigh because nobody will see.

This hair flares up with static and frizz,

Loves my cheeks shamelessly,

Clings to hands that fight it all in the name of beauty.

This hair competes with products and pins,

Defends resolutely against my brush,

Forces my eyes to water.

I consider a haircut.

Saturday Slowdown

Woke up at usual time for a weekday. Snuggled back into the abyss of blankets and fell back asleep. Woke up at 8, but let myself lay in bed until 9:30...because sometimes Saturday mornings demand that you give your bed some extra attention.

Did lots of laundry. Did some writing. Did some reading.

Talked to old roommates on video chat for a few hours [ignoring the nagging feeling that I should be doing lesson plans or portfolio work]...because sometimes Saturday afternoons demand that you give your loved ones some extra attention.

Admired the fact that I'm at the age where staying home all day is okay, where laundry is part of a relaxing day rather than a burdensome chore to squeeze in at some odd hour. [Maybe the difference comes from not having to scrounge up quarters every time.]

"Rule #32: Enjoy the little things." Thanks again, Zombieland.

Now off to do some lesson plans while sheets are drying...and maybe listening to some of the things I found on iTunes U today...and an early bedtime.

Yeah, it's a good Saturday.

~"I cannot walk through the suburbs in the solitude of the night without thinking that the night pleases us because it suppresses idle details, just as our memory does." [-Jorge Luis Borges]~

Risk Taking

I have a lot of things that I want to do before I die.

I just don't want to do them alone.

Things aren't as fun if you do them alone. I have less motivation to do things if I have to do them alone.

But sometimes there's a certain satisfaction to doing something on your own.

Like driving across the country. Without getting lost (much). Or doing something you were afraid to do alone, like meeting a whole group of people you've never met before.

So go ahead. Step out of your comfort zone. Take a risk. Surprise yourself. And have fun.

~"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult." [-Seneca]~

Storm Pictures

A lot of these pictures are astounding. I wish I could take some cool action shots like those.

I feel so disconnected from all of that stuff by being down here.

And I never thought I would be excited for snow when I was looking forward to leaving it behind.

Funny how being away makes you appreciate so much of what you were anxious to get away from. Usually the things you want to escape are part of the essence of what makes that place unique.

~"Advice is like snow -- the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind." [-Samuel Taylor Coleridge]~

Culture Shock

It was 21 degrees this morning here in Texas, and 18 degrees back home. Something's not right. Could you people in the Midwest stop sharing your winter weather? I came here to get away from it!

It's interesting watching the response of an area that isn't used to such cold temps. There's so much talk of making sure pipes don't freeze because they aren't insulated for this. They have to worry about having antifreeze in their cars right now, too. And they just don't like this cold! I guess it's something that I really just took for granted with living with it. Never really considered what it would truly be like to live someplace without it. What an experience! It's just as much a form of culture shock for me as this cold is for them.

A new concept for me is "rolling power outages". Because their pipes aren't built for this cold, they have to keep water running to keep pipes and pools from freezing. This really ups the electricity demand, and they use these controlled outages to manage it. The electricity went out this morning at our house, and it went off 3 or 4 times at school today (which the kids thought was so cool -- whew, much better than screaming!). This is supposed to continue for the next few days.

We have snow/freezing rain in the forecast for Thursday night or Friday morning, and that will definitely mean a snow day. Who would've thought I could be facing a possible snow day while here in Texas? "Not I," said the student teacher!

Stay warm and safe, folks!

~"Weather forecast for tonight: dark." [-George Carlin]~

p.s. -- Since the time I made this original post, we got a call from the EC Director. Guess what? We have a half day of school tomorrow and no school Friday. Guess I got that "snow" day after all. Now let's wait and see what Texas snow is all about. Perhaps not EVERYthing is bigger in Texas, eh? ;)

Snowfalls and Snowplows

There is a certain quiet that you can't get with anything but a hushed snowfall. The patient flakes float their way to the ground, glittering in magnificence in whatever light they can catch on their journey. There's a freshness in the air that mixes with the coldness for clean breaths unlike any other times (except other snowfalls, of course).

And then there's the scraping of snowplows, a sound that's oddly comforting to me. I know the dedication those people behind the wheel have, first hand. Snowfalls would be a lot more of a nuisance without them.

Stay safe, all of you back in the Midwest. Especially those of you out plowing - Dad, Dave, and Ben. Praying for you all.

~"When snow falls, nature listens." [-Antoinette van Kleef]~