Gone with the wind...

I wish I could use the often misquoted Rhett Butler line from Gone with the Wind to express how I feel about this year, but frankly, my dears, I do give a damn. It's been one of those years that God throws at us when we need to be reminded that we are not omniscient or omnipotent. This year has been fraught with changes for me, which seem minor in context with a global picture, but as I live it day to day, they fill my world like an IMAX screen.

Life lesson are pretty important and many of you who know me know that I've said, frequently, that any day I learn something new is a good day. Here are some lessons I've learned in this past academic year:

1. Do not teach middle school if you have been a high school teacher for your entire career.
- I think this is pretty self-explanatory, but let me explain my reasoning. As a high school instructor, you teach in a certain way using certain materials. If you've been doing this for ten years, you might need to re-educate yourself about age-appropriate materials.

2. Hold on to your friends.
-Even if you make and break dates, you can fix it. If you're in the midst of a deep depression, people want to know and help. That's why we have friends.

3. Get enough sleep.
- Sleep you say? When shall I do that? When you need to, is my answer. You know you need 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Cut back on the computer visitations (yes, I know, I'm guilty). Don't have coffee after dinner. Leave yourself time to relax and fall asleep naturally.

4. Work someplace you'll enjoy going to day in and day out for 180 days (or more).
- But a job is a job, isn't it? Benefits, pension, paycheck? If you come home day after day and collapse on the couch and can't talk to people because you're so stressed from your job, it's not a place for you to be. How much is your mental health worth to you?

5. Eat organic.
- I know, Chee-tos and Lay's potato chips and Hershey bars are oh so yummy, but when you take a look at their ingredients, your brain should go: ICK! Do you really need to lick fake cheese powder off of your fingers? Is organic more expensive? Sure. But again, what is your health worth to you?

6. Exercise.
- You may be laughing at me right now because you all know how hard I've struggled with exercise and weight loss throughout my life. However, as someone who has been reaping the benefits, and as someone who couldn't get two feet in the gym door, I can assure you that exercise works. Yes, my therapist told me for years that exercise was good for me. Intellectually I could understand that. Emotionally, I didn't want any part of it. I struggled very hard to get myself to a point when I could think about working out without running into my bedroom and slamming the door or grabbing a Hershey bar and scarfing it down. But luckily I have people who care about me surrounding me and they supported me when I finally came to the realization, and worked up enough gumption to take the first steps.

7. Life is beautiful.
- You may be sick of the rain, meteorologically and metaphorically, but think about what rain does for us. It nourishes the plants; it fills our reservoirs, it feeds us. So, your metaphorical rain is doing something for you too. Life is beautiful, no matter what obstacles you face. We are so very lucky to be on this planet, capable of enjoying each other and learning from each other every day.

8. There will come a day...
- When you feel satisfied. I'm not there yet, but I know it exists. I would not have to struggle for so long without some reward. At some point, you will realize you don't need those boots, or that extra job, or to take that vacation. You will look around you, gaze at those whom you love and be content.

9. Have hope.
- Throughout this year I've been singing a song from The Cathedrals in my head. The lyrics kept me going through some of the worst days I've experienced. I kept thinking "If I can just hold on till tomorrow, I know the Lord's gonna bring a better day." If I didn't have that hope, I would've sunk into my turtle shell and never emerged. It's hard to keep hope alive when you're faced with so much despair and darkness, but if you remember #8, that might help.

10. Love.
- Am I content with my love life? Of course not. Do I love? Yes. Loving others is a gift that we have, a treasure we're allowed to share with others. When you love someone, that creates a sense of well-being within yourself. When you love, and know you're loved, you feel that you can overcome any obstacle that Fortune might throw in your path. Just knowing I could go home to a place of warmth and love helped me get through so many rough days this year.

11. Stairs do not get easier.
- No matter what anyone says, if you have to climb more than three flights of stairs in a NYC public school, they do NOT get easier. Your legs may get stronger, but climbing those stairs will still leave you breathless at the top. However, if you look at it in terms of Miley Cyrus' song "The Climb"- that struggle you make to get to the top is what life is really about. What do you learn from climbing those stairs (literally and metaphorically)?

12. Naps are good... in moderation
- This goes along with my sleeping thing... Naps are good. Take one with a cat, preferably one that will purr you into oblivion. Should you nap at 7:00 at night? No. Maybe at 4:30... but don't become all about the nap. Naps are treasures and should be valued, not used up. I realized that I spent a good portion of this year napping instead of doing things to benefit myself and had to change that.

13. Be open to new experiences.
- That's one lesson I've really taken to heart, especially lately. It's been so hard trying to find a job that I've been looking into fields I wouldn't've considered previously. The searches have awakened in me a desire to learn to be better at skills I've acknowledged but never truly mastered.

14. Don't let fear make you weak.
- Fear is our body's natural way of letting us know something bad is happening to us. But why do we become crippled by fear? Acknowledge it, give it a time limit and move on. You've got better things to do with your life than be crippled by fear.

So, I guess I learned a lot this year. I'm looking forward to learning more- but hopefully at a less stressful pace next year.