Winter’s Quiet

In this time between the holidays, I rest.  The Christmas tree is still in the corner and decorations remain.  Holiday presents and treats are slowly being stored away and eventually the tree will come down and the needles be swept up.  But there is no hurry to finish these tasks.  There is quiet and time to rest.

These two weeks of relaxation are well-earned; I need the slower days.  December’s school days are busy and cheerful but no matter how much I try, it always feels like a whirlwind in which I am spinning as fast as I can.  So these days matter; they are a chance to pause and refresh.

I sleep past sunrise; I linger over my cups of coffee.  I read for hours with a cat on my lap while soup simmers and there is time to refill the teapot.  I look forward to these days and I embrace them while they are here.  I make lists and organize for the coming new year.  I stack up the garden catalogs and daydream.  I rest.  This pause sets me up for the rest of the school year and I feel grateful and blessed for the quiet.

The Restful Season

The start of Winter Break signals two weeks of time off for me.  I am ready for the rest and eager for some unscheduled time.  Yesterday afternoon was the first day of our Winter Break.  We don’t return to school until January 8.  Gift-shopping is compete.  Yesterday, I picked up the holiday ham and the other ingredients for our Christmas meals, saving only Costco for today.  

As the last of the sunlight faded away on Friday, T tucked under a blanket for a nap on the sofa.  In the quiet, I wrapped packages and happily considered the days ahead.  The coming two weeks will bring me hours of time to read and write, the chance for an afternoon nap, and plenty of unscheduled time.  During the school year, I work seven days a week.  December is always extra busy.  The break is a most-welcome development.  It’s a chance to rest, to reflect on my many blessings, and to enjoy the company of a boy who is closer and closer to leaving my nest.  The time off will remind me to rest and refresh; it will set me up for the remainder of the school year.  That’s a blessing indeed.  

On Time: Winter Break

The last few weeks have been busy and full.  Today’s school day in the Middle School will feature  a host of community-building activities —— from community service to just plain fun.  It will be filled with energy and excitement and it will be exhausting. When the day closes at 3 pm, our Winter Break will begin.  That means that two weeks of time off stretch before me.  It’s a most welcoming prospect.  I’m looking forward to some leisurely mornings, afternoon naps, long hours with good books, time to work out without being rushed, suppers served before 7 pm……the list of things made better thanks to time off stretches before me.

That’s happy!

A Season of Rest

When Winter Break first began, I was weary and ready for some unscheduled days.  One week into vacation, with Christmas just past, I’m starting to feel rested.  I’ve had time for books, both familiar and new; there’s been cooking and extra sleep.  We’ve played games and I’ve had the chance to try out all of my new coloring books.  The days between Christmas and the arrival of the New Year feel like time has slowed down.  It permits me time for renewal before we return to busy school days.  That’s happy!

Relaxation Mode

Winter Break has begun and JT and I are settling into the realization that relaxation has arrived.  He still has wrestling practice and there are a few meets over the holidays but he doesn’t have much schoolwork and the alarm clocks don’t need to be set.  The pace of our days is eased for the next two weeks and we welcome this time.  Both of us are feeling happy about the leisurely days on the horizon.  That alone feels like cause for celebration.  Add in the holidays, and we are feeling blessed and lucky in equal measure.

This morning, I made a few extra cups of coffee and started my holiday lists.  This afternoon, I’ll go grocery shopping to stock the fridge and pantry for the week.  There are a few more gifts to be wrapped.  There are stocking stuffers to be organized and holiday cards to address and slip in the mail.  I especially enjoy this part of the holidays; the small chores, lists, and, plans are surefire proof that relaxation has arrived.  That’s happy!

Winter Nest

One of the things I most enjoy about Winter is the need to sleep under a heavy down comforter.  I like the weight of the covers and the warmth of the down, both of them protection from the night’s chill.  I like to swap out comforter covers throughout the season (I do the same with quilts in warmer weather).

This comforter cover is soft and lovely; the pattern reminds me of something I might see in my coloring book.  As of this afternoon, we’re on Winter Break and this nest and I will spend a little more time together.  That’s happy!

Mother Nature

I am a girl who loves her traditions.  Among my favorites is setting up a Christmas tree.  Each December I enjoy the magic of a Christmas tree with its sparkling lights and its collection of ornaments guaranteed to trigger some happy memories and at least a few good stories.  Even so, once Christmas day has passed, the tree and my holiday decorations are on borrowed time.  This year, our early return from winter vacation (thanks, Sandy) made it all the more urgent that the tree come down in a timely fashion.  With my mother on hand to help out, the tree came down on Friday.  Then I had JT remove it to the back deck in preparation for hauling it to the curb for the recycling truck pick-up.

At that point I realized that Saturday's snow would be a terrific chance to enjoy the tree for a few more days.  So we left the tree on the deck and the piney boughs collected some snow.  It was a lovely sight as the snow fell all afternoon, a welcome reminder that Mother Nature's powers also include great beauty.

Rest & Relaxation

I am long-accustomed to being a very tired Mama when the holiday break rolls around.  But this fall has been one hell of a semester (see: Sandy, Hurricane) and as winter break finally loomed on Monday, I found myself struggling mightily to reach the finish line.  December is usually a crazy, busy month in my life and this year is no exception.  Each day this past week I got up to a long list of tasks that must be accomplished before I could crawl back in bed and I moved through the day attempting to succeed.  At one point, JT asked what we planned to do on Friday and I replied that we'd deal with Friday when it arrived.  Until then, I was on a day-to-day plan.  Quite frankly, sometimes it was just hour-to-hour.  Break arrived on Thursday evening and it is most welcome.

I still have plenty of small details to wrap up before Christmas Eve but I am closing in on getting those tasks done.  Most of them are actually things I look forward to and now that alarm clocks have been turned off and daily lessons set aside, it is a  happy prospect to have packages to wrap and holiday food to prepare.

Yesterday, we went to the market to secure the holiday feast.  Today is set aside for making some (more!) cookies and wrapping some packages.  If I play my cards right, I may even find time to read a book and have a nap.  That's happy!

A Teacher's Life

Plenty of critics look at a school teacher's schedule and conclude that they too would love to have a two week winter break and summers off.  Well, fair enough.  But until you've spent your days in a classroom and seen how the time plays out, I just don't want to hear from you.  A good teacher; an effective teacher, is ON from the moment she steps out of her car onto the campus.   Her entire day is devoted to the needs of others and these others are kids, so they don't always recognize a boundary to their demands.  A successful teacher gently moves her students to a place where they understand that the world doesn't revolve around them.  In the process, the teacher is always aware that for all their bluster and seeming confidence, they are still kids, sometimes far more sensitive than anyone realizes. 

And, yes, it's an often-uttered platitude that kids are our future…..but it's also true.  They must be encouraged to be creative and confident problem-solvers for life.  For that to happen, they must enjoy learning.  They must see the complexity of the world as well as the inter-connectedness.  No amount of any subject matter will ever be enough, so we must expose them to everything and teach them to be lifelong learners who continue to thirst for knowledge.  Our children need art and algebra; gym and science; some music and foreign languages to go with their english and history class.   They need it all.

Then we must take a break and allow our children and their teachers to enjoy some lazy days of quiet and rest.  In our house today, we'll be availing ourselves of some well-earned relaxation.  I highly recommend it.

And Now a Word of Praise

This is normally the point in the weekend when I start to triage, aware that I haven't finished my long list of things which MUST BE DONE, and must now prioritize to use the rest of my evening efficiently.  Usually, right about now I am headed upstairs with another load of clean laundry to put away and plans to iron clothes for the week ahead. 

I cannot even express how grateful I am that the week ahead requires no ironing, no 5:30 am wake-ups, no lunch-packing, no grading, no meetings, and no lesson plans.  It will instead feature hours and hours of reading, workouts in the morning, afternoons of cooking, card games with JT, and plenty of time to put up my feet and enjoy the new sofa.

That's very, very happy.