Boarding Up for the Storm

OK. So I've had a rough week. It's not the first and it sure won't be the last. However, this week, instead of fighting battles, I felt like I got ambushed. It was just overwhelming and I needed some time to step back and devise a new battle plan. I can't tell you that I have that plan finished yet. I'm still struggling. However, I know that it's time for me to put my big girl panties on and get my butt off of the sofa and move on. Have you seen that crazy show on TV called Wipe Out where crazy people purposely put their lives at risk to run through seriously stupid obstacle courses and have a narrator make fun of them the whole time? That's exactly how I felt this week. Except, on the TV show, once you land in the water, you get to dry off and go home. I haven't had that option. I've had to keep getting back onto the obstacle course knowing that I'm probably going to end up in the water several more times before I figure the course out. And the narrators? Well, the narrators in this game that I'm stuck in seem to be folks who just don't get it. Heck, I don't get it either but I've given up trying to figure out some things. It's taking too much energy to stay on the course and not get knocked into the water! And the narrators are having quite a hayday with me! I'm one of those very uncoordinated participants who don't just fall off the course. I'm the one who bounces in between two obstacles and lands in the water with a graceful belly flop.

Yes. It's been a very hard week. Yes. It's going to get harder. No. I don't have the luxury of getting out of the pool, grabbing a warm towel, drying off, and going home with a parting gift. I have to keep running through the obstacles until I have mastered the course and can make it through in one piece (while leading three kids through, as well). My mind is a hurricane of thoughts right now and the only reason that I felt semi-safe to even write anything tonight is that I seem to be standing in the eye of the hurricane and pretty sane right now. Who knows when the back side of the storm will blow through. I have so many questions for so many people. I have questions for God. Questions for Eric. Questions for her. But, as I'm standing in the eye right now, I'm rushing around trying to get everything tied down and locked up before the rest of the storm blows through. I've nailed the plywood up over the windows again and tried my best to secure all of the valuable possessions to keep them protected from the remainder of the storm.

I am definitely happy to be heading back to school tomorrow. I love my teammates. I love my students. I love what I do. (Don't laugh. I'm practicing the power of positive thinking because this week is one of the most drama filled weeks of the school year)! :) Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting back to a solid routine where I can be successful and productive. Yes, I've had a great time with the kids this summer and we've made some very special memories but they are just as ready for me to go back to school as I am! :)

Tomorrow night, I get the pleasure of siting with Grant and Woodstock's mayor as Grant interviews him. Wow. I could spend an entire evening journaling about all of things Grant has done this week to stand in gaps that 11 year olds shouldn't even know exist in life. While he has his moments of being a typical preteen, his sensitive old-soul prevails when it comes to protecting me and my love for him grows more fierce every day. My prayer is that somewhere, two loving parents are working hard to raise his wife into someone who could truly appreciate his incredible character (and not gripe about wiping up the pee from around the toilet since he can't aim)! Even Annie has been sensitive to my needs this week. OK, yeah, even though Dasha is revving up toward her crazy stage of the month again (seriously), she has been good to bring me ice packs and try to fix my hair for me. While Grant has taken the lion's share of the load, the girls have also been great. I'm so thankful for them and their gifts.

OK, enough of that before I get myself all worked up. It's time for me to head to bed and start the next year of my career. Whoo-hoo! Bring it on!