If there is anything I love to do more than teaching, its spending my summer hanging laundry out to dry, puttering in my vegetable garden, enjoying the days filled with kids in the pool and friends in the evenings and working on my computer in a leisurely fashion. I learned a lot in my first diagnosis and now into my second one..... life is entirely too short to be wasting it in a J.O.B. My vocation has brought me an incredible amount of joy, encouraged the passion to continue to educate myself and to seek out what makes my soul soar. I would be considered lucky by most but few would venture to go down the same path to get to the same conclusion. There is nothing like becoming mortal to sharpen the focus on what is ultimately the most important items on your bucket list of things to do. It rarely is about the money... only what money can bring you and often it is not the stuff but the feeling you get when you are doing what you love to do. I think about all those exotic places across the world where we all seem to want to travel to and I wonder what the residents of those places think about the lure of our country... the one we are always trying to flee to capture an 'adventure'? My relatives always wanted to see Niagara Falls and as a matter of fact... we often had to travel distances to show them this seventh wonder of the world.... how many people living here in Ontario have actually made the trek to see a gazillion tons of water flowing endlessly over the precipice? When we first arrived in Canada in the 60's after immigrating, my Dad promised that he would visit his newly adoptive country and the one located directly south of us. They had become tourists in their own native lands and now were seasoned Trekkers in this new land. We traipsed over glaciers that no longer exist today, hiked up mountains, swam in the ocean, camped in the woods, ate lobster from a fishmonger, visited every military forte and museum possible and rode hundred year old tortoises. I still love to travel but do not do nearly the amount we did when I was growing up... I guess my point is to live within your means and to find those things to do that make YOU happy. Your happiness is not defined in the glossy pages of a tourist brochure unless that is what your soul needs to fill your emotional and physical well being. My sister is well travelled and it fills her soul to travel with her husband to places even I cannot pronounce and perhaps when my immediate bucket list is filled... I will someday make it to Italy.... where I can eat truly authentic food and explore the birthplace of our father's side of the family while sitting across from them. Most people plan on traveling when they retire but most people will retire later in life. They are enjoying their travels when they are young enough to enjoy pain free travel!!! My friends Sandra and Joel travel with their kids quite a bit and their adventures are awesome. Next year, I want to take the kids to the East Coast to smell the briny air, swim in the rolling breakers, eat fresh lobsters and do some sightseeing in our own country.....for now.
Max is enjoying his time off and getting ready for school. We are both taking a class together near the end of the month to learn how to post our teaching videos online for our students. Next week I will be doing a video to teach the students how to solder correctly and it will become part of their educational library. If there is a way to incorporate technology into their tool box, I will find a way!! In the next few weeks, I will be opening up a student blog for them to use as a guideline for their studies.
Yesterday, I finished 4 out of 5 panels for the gazebo.... the sunlight coming through the ultra-violet filtered sunroof does not discourage the heat created by the rays that come through. It looks like an exotic middle eastern tent now... I love being able to create a project with a practical application... I just have to cover all the pillows with the same fabric to give it a more cohesive look. I have to be very careful I do not poke myself with any needles. It really is looking nice... I will post pictures. There are other projects I am working on but I am only doing one at a time these days.
My energy is coming up in this second week. The hair loss is minimal but still coming out, the eyes are hollow and the skin without makeup looks tawny... I do not look like myself but it is after all, temporary. I will be applying for occasional teaching with the local school board now that I have a few Additional Qualifications and in the new year when I am done teaching at the college. I will be too busy teaching at my favorite school!! I am looking forward to getting back into the classroom.
Thank you to Mary who came for breakfast this morning!!! It is always great seeing you and I look forward to seeing you again soon. You are inspiring and wonderful!!
To Ameeta, who lost her uncle to Leukemia and had to go out of town to attend the funeral.... your aged puppy was good and she stayed by my side most of the time you were gone. She is sweet and hobbled around the house wearing her diaper. I only have to look under my chair to locate this miniature little lady, who by the way eats like a champion!!! The cat stopped hissing this morning and is laying nicely on my side of the bed. I myself am contemplating a nap in the warmth of the afternoon now that the storm passed quickly this morning.
I am dedicating my blog entry to all of you brave enough to let go of old worn out notions and to pursue your passions big or small..... to change the course of your life into a positive direction doing things that fill your soul. Create your own job, plan a trip, take unpaid leave (if you can) to extend a vacation, buy the house you wanted, go camping, go fishing, go for a nap, take a course, take more courses, sing, dance, build a castle, build a dream and then..... follow your dreams and realize your future.
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