Un-Decking the Halls

Yesterday was a melancholy day for the Random Household. The Holiday season is now officially over, so Mr. Random and I spent part of Sunday afternoon removing all of the ornaments from the Christmas tree, taking down the lights and garlands and little accessories that decorated the condo, boxing everything up and putting those boxes away for another year . . .

It is a bit poignant to know that the season is over and that things have to go back to “normal” – whatever “normal” is. No more of the parties and decorations and extended days off that characterize the season – the easy-going atmosphere, the flexibility, the built-in excuses for connecting with family and friends – all of that gone and replaced by the relentless beat of “must get done, must finish.”

This is going to be an important, seminal year for me . . . I can feel it in my bones. However, I don’t know if this is a good development or a bad development and that tension . . . well, it’s a nervous feeling of expectation . . . that will be driven by actions that *I* set into motion, which makes it even scarier . . .

One worry is that it was confirmed that my sister is definitely going to be deployed to Iraq in March. My little sister! She won’t be able to come home before she goes overseas, so Friday was the last time I would see her in person for a while – having lunch with her, I tried to keep my fear and despair ducked down deep so that we could enjoy the day. She is very rational about the whole thing, although I know that she is worried, but she knows that her worry and fear will not be helpful to her getting through the experience. I need to learn to be able to do that too . . . but I am petrified! I don’t want to lose her. I don’t want to see her changed. I don’t want her to go . . .

So I must stay busy and keep my mind off of it. My classes start again next week, so it is time to dust off the old ESL lesson plans and see what tweaking needs to be done. Last Thursday was our Volunteer Teachers’ meeting and I presented one of my lesson plans to the group. It was very well received and the staff thought that I did an excellent job of the organization and the incorporation of many different elements into the plan. It felt good to have that validation! A lot times I feel as if I have no idea of what I am doing, but after almost 3 years and much trial and error, I think I actually do have a good handle on what should be happening in a classroom setting. It makes me rethink whether this is something I may want to pursue for pay someday – as in, teaching ESL to adults in the evenings. Something to think about as I continue to make plans for the rest of the year . . .

News flash! Mr. Random’s Mom wants to come visit us again in April. She wants to see the National Cathedral, go to Politics and Prose, and generally do more sightseeing during a season when it is a little less humid. She’s also getting a bit bored and antsy in retirement, which I think is the prime motivation for this trip. She’d be staying with us for a week again . . . Heaven help us all . . .

I really want to take a decent vacation this year, but with Mr. Random having grad-school classes all year, even in the summer, that may not be an option. If there was time, then there would be no money . . .

It’s raining here today, which is not helping my mood at all. A vendor is coming by the Random Non-Profit this afternoon, bringing a free lunch – which is something to look forward to, but will probably end up being deli sandwiches, which are usually dry. I do hope they have chips and/or brownies too . . .

It’s sometimes the little things which bring joy . . .