30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 13

Today I am thankful for sleep!

I can't remember the last time I had a "no alarm clock" Saturday morning--it has been over a month, maybe even two.  There is just something about being curled up in bed with no pressing issues to resolve that is pure bliss to me.  The bonus for this morning was that while I was warm in my bed, I knew that outside it was cold and rainy.

Listening to the rain is another thing to be thankful for.  There is something soothing about the pitter-patter sound on the window.  My uncle Gerry loved the sound of rain, too. (It seems that lots of people enjoy the sound of rain, but I think being a farmer adds another dimension to being able to enjoy what rain is.)   I'm grateful that one of the last times I spent some quality time with him, we were able to stand in silence in the doorway of his shed, listening to the roar on the metal roof and watching the rain come down in torrents.  The sound of gentle rain is soothing, and to me, there is something cleansing about a downpour.  I think it overwhelms my senses and causes me to stop, take in the world around me, and reboot.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 12

I missed a day!  What I would write about, however, was on my mind yesterday--it just did not make it into blog form.  Here we go...

Yesterday I was thankful for my job.  There are so many things I love about being a teacher in general, and I am particularly thankful to be working at my specific school.  I have great resources, great support, and am just overall very lucky to have been hired at Oregon High School.

So much of being a teacher is making connections with students.  Even the most disengaged teenager will make an effort if something about the classroom makes him feel like he belongs there.  Teaching can be exhausting, but it isn't any particular task that needs to be done that sucks the energy from you.  It's the fact that in one day I interact with at least 115 students, all of whom I know details about their lives or am in the process of trying to build that relationship.  Add to that the staff members I work with, and perhaps it becomes more clear why I am not often up for hanging out with more people on a weeknight.  Despite the energy those relationships demand, they are also by far the most rewarding thing about teaching.  Students, in all their diversity, make such a interesting and fantastic community of people to be around.  It probably helps that I also really enjoy the subject I teach.  If I disliked either the students or the math, I would be counting hours and days.  Instead, the only reason I dread my alarm clock is because sleep is one of my favorite things in the world (see the next post).  I sincerely love my job, and many times I forget that I get paid to do what I do.  And when bad days come?  Well, that is when I look forward to paycheck Friday :)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 11

Today's thankfulness post is going to pretty shallow, and I'm ok with that.

I am thankful for my DVR.  I am thrilled that I don't have to be home when my favorite shows air to be able to watch them, nor do I have to attempt to set up a VCR recording (which despite my tech-savviness, I still always managed to mess something up).  And when I finally do have time to watch tv, I get to skip all the commercials and replay any jokes that went over my head.  In case you want to know a little more about me and my interests (and you are reading my blog, so I know you do), here is a taste of what is currently on my DVR waiting to be watched:

• Chuck
• Parenthood
• Psych
• Community
• The Big Bang Theory
• 30 Rock
• The Office
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• The Colbert Report
• Conan

...And once again I feel as though I watch too much tv.  I do multi-talk when I watch, so perhaps it's not as bad as it seems.  I really believe I could give up tv at any time and I would be just fine.  The most important thing to me is being able to laugh at and with something, so as long as I have other outlets for laughter, I will survive.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 10

Today I am thankful for having nothing to do.  I got a little overwhelmed with being busy recently, and it was nice to just sit around my house tonight in the quiet, do a little knitting, watch a little tv, and overall just be relaxed.

That's all she wrote tonight, folks.  Short and sweet and off to bed!