Here's to thirty-one days of stories
My personal musings as I approach my fifties and beyond. For my posts on books, reading, and my life in the stacks as a school librarian, please visit MoreBooksThanTime.blogspot.com .
Here's to thirty-one days of stories
Our annual Texas Library Association conference is next week in Dallas. I love being surrounded by fellow librarians for four days. I love learning about new book lists, seeing beloved authors, and celebrating information literacy and the freedom to read.
But...I ain't gonna lie; it's an overwhelming experience for an introvert like me. Full days of navigating crowded, unfamiliar places is exhausting exercise that tests my socialization and sensory limits.
But...this isn't my first rodeo, as folks in Texas say. Beyond the usual tips of packing snacks, wearing comfy shoes and clothes layers, I have developed a system of preparing and overpacking to cover most of the possible annoying and/ or anxiety-provoking circumstances while spending four days away from the comforts of home.
Here is a list of some of those items and tasks, in no particular order:
But it's back to work tomorrow, and I needed to know. So I pulled out the box and went through the drill--swab, swirl, squeeze, cap, drop, and wait. How many of us can do this in our sleep now, amateur lab techs by necessity?
Imagine my happy shock ten minutes later. The sigh of relief. The texts to family. The feeling that maybe now, I can return to some sense of normalcy and participate in events in the coming weeks. I'll wear a mask in public for a few more days, just in case. Out and about will feel nice, after this past homebound week.
It goes on to say: But if you try sometimes, well, you might find/ You get what you need.
Maybe I needed to rest.
Maybe I needed a break, without sub plans involved.
Maybe I needed to spend more time with my husband, watching TV together and sharing memories.
Maybe our kids needed some more sibling time, hanging out together up north.
Maybe I needed to be stuck in my cluttered house for a week, to truly understand that I have to get rid of stuff.
Maybe I needed the reminder to take better care of this one precious body I've been given.
Sure, I could have done without the fever, fatigue, rib-hurting coughing fits, interrupted sleep. But it makes me appreciate a quiet moment on the back porch, sunshine on my face and windchimes softly playing in the breeze, even more.
I couldn't taste the pastini today.
Two lines, two tests, two positives.
One call, one doctor, one prescription.
Two pill packs daily, five days.
My only sunshine, on the ceiling.
Image courtesy of NavyMWRNaples |