Give Me a Break

Teachers get themselves into interesting predicaments. Today, my students were taking a quiz, and I really needed to go to the restroom. Normally I could just run out quickly if they were just doing normal class work. However, I can’t just pick up and go while testing is going on; they must be supervised. So, I sent out a little petition for someone to run over to watch my precious little angels. No such luck. It wouldn’t be so bad if my classes were only 45 minutes, but they are 90 minutes long! Can you believe it? Do people in other professions have this problem?

I’ve gotten in the habit of calling my mom each morning on the way to work. It’s so nice to hear her voice first thing in the morning. She has such a soothing, peaceful voice. If I feel anxious about an issue, we don’t even have to talk about it. We can discuss the weather or what I’m wearing; I just feel calmer talking to her. I wonder if other moms have that effect. Is it just the “Mom Effect” or is it one of my own mom’s special qualities? Whatever it is I hope that my children feel the same about me as I do my mom.

Tonight Chris brought home dinner from Pei Wei. I love their lettuce wraps and Mongolian beef. We ate our delicious Chinese food and watched Fun With Dick and Jane, which stars Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni as a couple who lose all they have and end up opting for a life of crime in order preserve their family. For most of the movie, I felt very sad. I sympathize with characters in movies way too much. Chris says that the fact that I feel so much for these people in movies is evidence that I have a big heart, and I think that I’m just way too sensitive. At any rate, I was sinking lower and thinking that there was no way that it could end well. I, of course, forgot that it was a comedy and, by definition, has to have some kind of happy ending. Still, despite my generally positive outlook, I just couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, and I just didn’t know if I could keep watching if the movie was going to leave me wallowing in an abyss of failed dreams. I will not give away the ending for those of you who have not seen it, but I will say that I was pleased with the outcome. I can now move on with my life and sleep tonight without worrying about fictitious characters and their plight in life.

Though it is a bit too early for bed, I will be soon heading in that direction. I did not sleep well last night, have been dealing with a headache for much of the evening, and walked 2 1/2 miles on the treadmill this afternoon. I’m tired. So, I wish a good night to all.