Solace in Struggle

I don’t remember the last time a few days felt like an eternity. So much as happened in six days, or 144 hours, or 8,640 minutes, or 518,400 seconds.

Sunday: I resigned as youth director at First UMC in Joshua. Immediately, I felt physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually lifted.

Monday: another day spent at school with students that, to me, lack self-respect and personal conviction to even give a damn about their future, much less their education. I don’t understand the mentality where excuses and “I don’t wanna” are acceptable. What happened to the days of disciplining your child for poor choices, misconduct, and disrespect? Why do young people plagiarise? Why has cheating become so easy, accessible, and require so little effort? I realize Google and Bing make it so easy for them, but am I the only person that reads students’ work and notice the red flags waving when students are submitting eloquently written work when in reality they cannot write a grammatically correct sentence? Heck, a student told me it was too much work to write his name on a paper. Excuse the hell out of me. I’m sorry to bother you for your time. What has happened / is happening to this generation? Truly, I don’t understand. (please, don’t send me hateful comments saying I don’t understand because I don’t have children of my own…I’m telling you now I don’t understand this terrible epidemic sweeping through our country’s future leaders, but I know something needs to be done and I would like to help the situation, not make it worse. Of course, my first recommendation would be an ass-whoopin’ from the ol’ homestead, but that’s just me. I’d love to introduce some of these young people to an individual I call my Dad.) This week, I introduced my students to a little website I like to call GOTCHA! ~ www.duplichecker.com ~ and I intend to use it whenever I deem it necessary. I might have been born in the dark, but it wasn’t last night. Little Fockers. And I don’t mean the movie.

Tuesday: the most boring day of my entire life. Two words, no three: TAKS Writing Test. Oh. My. Gosh. I posted about this earlier but let me repeat: MOST BORING DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!! Let me tell you, my feet, back, head, eyes, and brain hurt. My eyelashes and hair on my head even hurt! The day got worse after lunch, which we had to eat in the classroom, and most students finished shortly after. Boredom immediately ensued. Duh. They’re seventh graders! I’m 27 and was bored out of my ever-loving mind.

Wednesday: I don’t remember much here. Oh, I spent the evening in Rev. L’s office half-listening to her Confirmation class and half-working on stock certificates for a youth fundraising. Yes, I worked on a youth activity AFTER my resignation. I’m not really going anywhere, except I’m losing the title, paycheck, and responsibilities of youth director.

Thursday: If you were to look in the dictionary under lazy, you would have seen my face. Seriously. Before Kevin left for the roping pen, I was on the couch. He returned three hours later and found me on the couch, in the same spot, had not moved, nor did I want to be moved. I finally went to bed. Dirty dishes were in the sink, clothes in the dryer…the list goes on.

Friday: It finally arrived! I posted at 7:01 am on Facebook, “I could break out the I’m-Happy-It’s-Friday dance.” Shake what your Mama gave you, honey. Shake it good. It was a pretty uneventful day at school, except grades are due next week and I’ve been in a sprint race trying to collect missing work from students. I’m so nice to these kids. Probably too nice. Another creature (a.k.a. student) expressed diarrhea of the mouth when he said he could not, and would not, complete his review sheet OR study for the benchmark exam because he had plans this weekend. Really? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the world revolved around you. Another students says he doesn’t like me, which is why he is disinterested in class and fails to turn in assignments. How nice.

I would like to announce it to everybody, everywhere just how awesome and wonderful and kind and gracious and amazing and just plain sweet my husband really is: he’s all of this and a gazillion things more. Today was an off Friday for him (lucky beast!) but he spent the day getting rid of ranch implements, cleaned the barn, and worked on the electric fence. As a prize for surviving this week of torture, he took me to dinner. Nothing special or spectacular, just Outback, but it was nice. I didn’t have to cook. I didn’t have to clean (which reminds me, the dishwasher is clean and needs to be unloaded and loaded again ~ sigh) and I didn’t have to get dressed up. In fact, it was jeans and t-shirt for him and comfy pants and a hoodie for me. Thank you, Husband, for buying me dinner. I love you.

Prayer request: My Nana is wonder woman. For her 80th birthday in January, I created a list of “80 Things I Love Above Nana.” It was pretty spectacular. Nana agreed because she had it framed. In case you couldn’t tell, I’m a bit spoiled. Actually, I’m a whole lot spoiled…but the GOOD kind! For the record: I am the ONLY granddaughter on BOTH sides of the family. Yes, I count my blessings twice. Everyday. Anyway, back to Nana: I have #81 ready for next year: she withstood the pain and awkwardness of a shot in her eyeball. Yes, you read that correctly: Nana got a needle poked in her eyeball. Can you say OUCH!?!?! I would have passed out long before they ever got a needle that close to my eye, but she took it in stride, in hopes of it relieving the strain and pain of her macular degeneration that leaves her legally blind. Bless her heart.

On a MUCH lighter note, and with celebration-flair of confetti, balloons, streamers, and whatever else you need at a party, I reached not only one but TWO blogging milestones yesterday: 27 & Counting has had more than 1,500 visitors and logged more than 100 daily views for the first time ever. I will always remember Friday, March 4, 2011 as being a very successful and memorable day in my blogging history. 

I really appreciate everyone who visits and leaves a comment. It’s great to hear from you. I’m enjoying the weekly photo challenge and reading other blogs of various genres, tags, and themes. I have so much to learn and I hope the veteran bloggers will share their knowledge with a Newbie like me.

Now I can reset my countdown clock and look forward to the days, hours, minutes, and seconds leading up to Spring Break, which is next week. I leave for Kentucky a week from TODAY – – that’s spectacular news to my ears. I’m beyond ready for a break from school and the busyness I call life. It’s weighing me down and I’m tired.

Blessings to all and to all a goodnight! Here’s to a weekend filled with warmth (cold front’s coming sometime), rest, and lots of love. And perhaps the Cleaning Fairy will find her way to my house this weekend. Or at least bring her Teacher Fairy along and finish my grades. Wishful thinking…