According to Plan

This may come as a shock to you, but I like to plan.  When I go on vacations, I literally write down every shirt and bottom I own on a sheet of paper and pick out my outfits based on having a variety of clothes that can be mix-and-matched and require one color scheme (black or brown) of shoes.  When we were engaged, I spent my spare time drawing up diagrams for the wedding party and special seating at the ceremony and writing out detailed budgets.

Knowing this, can I express to you how difficult this semester has been?  We have had nine snow days since January, several delayed starts, and several early releases.  Each of these events requires me to reevaluate my lesson plans, push back due dates, and scrapping labs and midterm exams.  I've planned, replanned, and replanned again.  I've had zero workdays to get this accomplished.  I have meetings nearly every day of the week after school, so that time is out of the question as well.  I get to work around 6:15 every morning, but I have hall duty for 20 minutes of that time and I need to set up for the day.

Let me stop for a second and address your question: "But haven't you had all those days off?  Why are you complaining?"  Well, on the really bad days, I was home taking care of Tyler, because it was too bad for him to go to school.  Great Mama-Son time, but doesn't really help Teacher Megan.  On some of the nicer days, I did go to work.  However, closures aren't vacation time.  I have to document hours worked outside of my normal school day to make up for every hour of school we missed.  You know, to justify the awesome pay that I get...

The purpose of today's post is not to be Debbie Downer.  The purpose is to talk a moment of clarity I had today. 

There is a company that has offered to come in next week and give free 10-minute chair massages to anyone who signs up.  I saw the sign-up list today and thought "I'm too stressed out to waste that time."  You know, ten minutes.  Too stressed out.  For a MASSAGE.  How silly is that?  I need to take a chill pill, and yes, I did sign up for a massage after I realized how ridiculous I was being.

Other things that are helping me today...

The old saying:

"Want to hear God laugh?  Tell Him your plans."

Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

and wisdom to know the difference.

Or, as Outkast so eloquently put it:

"You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather."

Metaphorical (and meteorological) wisdom.  Gotta love it!