Taking Things Slowly
I can’t believe it’s already December 2022! Almost a year has passed since I wrote the last blog-post. Much has happened. Much has been placed on the back burner. So let me get you up to speed.
Last January, I discovered that I could actually retire from teaching—the State told me I would have my 30 years in at the end of May 2022, and my accumulated sick-days would give me another year’s credit, so on the books, I’d retire having served 31 years. Wow!! It was an answer to a prayer! I would receive FULL retirement, be able to buy my insurance coverage through the State until I reached Medicare-age, and I could get out of the classroom, sooner rather than later. I turned in my paperwork, told my principal, finished out the school year, packed up my classroom, and walked away from the only life I’d known for 30 years.
After two years of pandemic-teaching, I was so ready to get out of education! The first year was difficult; I taught all virtual classes of varying levels. It wasn’t easy, but it was doable. The second year should have been a breeze, but as anyone who taught in the ‘21-22 school year will tell you, it was worse than the year before. I won’t bore you with details, but I will say that I had employed all of my tried-n-true tactics/strategies/tricks by Labor Day, and NOTHING was working. Thus the restlessness and desire— need is a better word—to find a way out and quickly!
My goal after the school year ended was to spend two weeks in TN to tidy up before heading to NC to start my new adventure as a mobile bookshop owner. However, I found myself just vegging on the couch, watching crime dramas on BritBox, napping, snacking, and taking the dogs for short walks. My mind wouldn’t focus, and my body had little energy—even for the garden. I did manage to read some of the book The Body Keeps the Score, which explores how trauma “literally reshapes both body and brain,” and I decided although my experiences of the previous 2.5 years wouldn’t really be regarded as trauma, the stress and worry had certainly done a number on me. Suffice it to say, the summer became all about decompressing from the pandemic and pandemic teaching. In fact, it wasn’t until October that I was able to really read a book for pleasure.
So, we’re off to a much slower start than I had anticipated, and that’s ok. The time and space was necessary for rejuvenation before tackling a brand-new, complex project. Now, I can attend to things at 100% rather than 50%. The website is up and running; we’re adding product each day; we’re gearing up for our first bookclub (January); and I’m looking through massive amounts of screenshots I’ve taken of van interiors pulling out ideas for The Sprinter. I do have a name for her, and I’ll share it in due course. For now she’s “The Sprinter,” and that’s ok, too.
Thanks for hanging in there with us.
Karen
December 9, 2022