#SOL

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Who am I? Who do you think I am? Who do they think I am? What does it matter?

It is so hard to stay true to yourself, or at least the person you think you are, when others are beating you up or trying to hold you down. There is only one me albeit an ever evolving me.

Deep down I know exactly who I am – faults and all. Most times I dwell on the faults. Yet I expend so much time and energy trying to live up to some fictional version of me. A version created by those around me who think they know who I should be, who judge who I am. A version created by the need to live up to others expectations instead of my own wants and dreams.

I like the person I am. Oh sure, I could weigh less, exercise more, or eat healthier. But that just addresses the shell of who I am. Not my core.

I am sensitive, and I have been known to cry easily.
I am serious, and don’t take the world around me lightly.
I am creative – always looking for new ways to express myself
I am compassionate, and always try to put myself in someone else’s shoes.
I am loyal – loving the same man for nearly 43 years – a rarity these days
I am a mother – so very proud of my grown children
I am a nona – loving my grandchildren to death for they have stolen my heart.

This is part of who I am. Don’t look at me and assume to know who I am or how I feel.
Dig deeper, or you may just be wrong.

 Since I completed the #SOL 16 Challenge, I am going to try and continue to post in Slice of Life every Tuesday along with the other challenge participators.

The difference between the IMPOSSIBLE and the POSSIBLE lies in a person’s DETERMINATION. ~ Tommy Lasorda

A Cinderella Story – is a term “used to refer to situations in which competitors achieve far greater success than would reasonably have been expected.” While not a true Cinderella story, they were certainly not the favored team, yet last night Villanova University fit into the glass slipper and went to the ball after being away for 31 years.

I do not regularly follow college basketball, but I always get hooked on March Madness and the “Road to the Final Four.” Once in a while I fill in a bracket, but most of the time I just like to watch and see how the tournament unfolds. I am especially excited when one of our local teams advance. Growing up in Philadelphia, the home of “Big 5” (Temple, St. Joes’s, LaSalle, Penn, and Villanova) basketball, how could you not be rooting for the locals?

The game was a nailbiter from the start, and it ended in epic fashion with the North Carolina Tar Heels tying the game with less than 10 seconds on the clock. Then with only 4.7 seconds left the Villanova Wildcats inbounded and drove down court – sinking a game winning, buzzer beating three point shot to become 2016 National Champions.

More important than the final score and outcome of the game was the way in which all parties conducted themselves. The Wildcats were gracious winners and the Tar Heels gracious losers. The post game interviews with coaches and players brought me a sense of hope. Through exultation and elimination the young men continued to show their respect for the opposing team. They showed that they were men of character and class.

People can say what they will of this generation or that; these “kids” played with heart, determination, and an unselfish desire to win. They practiced and practiced to reach this stage, and their practice showed. It is a shame that there has to be a winner and a loser.

I can’t wait to see where their determination, devotion, and passion take them as some of them move on in the world away from basketball. If they take what they learned on the court and translate it to life off the court, I am sure each will be very successful wherever their dreams take them.

#SOL16 Day 31

Perserverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other. ~ Walter Elliot

Well here it is day 31, and I did it! I wrote and posted every day for 31 days. If you would have asked me back on March 1st if I thought I was going to finish, I would have undoubtedly said yes. You know how it is when you are all excited and just beginning a new project. But, if you asked me that same question on the 15th or the 25th, the answer would probably have been, I’m not sure.

Sticking to something for 31 days is definitely a challenge. Some nights I was so tired or not feeling well. Other days I was frustrated because I couldn’t think of something to write about, or I kept dismissing all my ideas as lame. Once in awhile I didn’t want to drag myself upstairs to the computer. The key to my finishing I believe is that I tried to take it one day at a time, one blog post at a time. I tried to draw inspiration from the incredible teachers who also took on this challenge.

I am proud of myself. I feel accomplished and am left wanting more. Wanting to be a part of this challenge forced me to create the blog I have only had rolling around in my head for the past year or two. It made me step out of my comfort zone.

I am grateful to the many people who took the time to respond to my writing. Thank you for your words of encouragement. I hope to continue to follow many of your blogs. You are all a source of inspiration and make me want to be a better writer and teacher.

#SOL 16 Day 30

Everything worth doing starts with being scared. ~Art Garfunkel

OMG! I just had the scariest experience.

It was another long day a school. So much to do and so little time. I am not going to be in school tomorrow, so I needed to plan for the substitute. It is exhausting. You the the drill. I have a wonderful sub that knows the ropes and can be counted on to get the work finished or wing it – whatever is necessary, yet I still make sure to over plan so that I am not leaving her in the lurch.

After school there was tutoring and then home to freshen up for an evening commitment. My husband and I stopped for a quick dinner on our way home and even Facetimed with our grandson as we were driving home. We are multitaskers!

I couldn’t wait to get home and slip off my shoes. My legs and feet were aching. I sat down on the couch “for just a few minutes” and started watching The Middle. I felt myself getting a little sleepy, but I “wasn’t going to sit here too long.” I thought to myself that I should set my phone alarm, but my phone was only at 15%, and I was afraid it would die before the alarm went off. I could plug it in, but that would require me to get off the couch (well almost entirely off) to reach the plug behind the table and turn on the light.

Instead, I just sat there “watching” TV. I remember opening my eyes to see part of The Goldbergs and glance at the clock on the DVR which read 8:38. OK, I’m still safe. I will get off the couch and go upstairs in a minute. I continued to sit there feeling my head bobbing and weaving like one of my favorite Phillie’s bobbleheads.

At 9:00 after what felt like a full night’s sleep, the phone rang and woke me from my slumber, only I didn’t realize that it was only 9:00. I jumped off the couch with a sick feeling in my stomach. Oh, no! What had I done?!? This can’t be! I woke up thinking that it was the middle of the night, and I had missed my chance to post my Slice for the day. I was heartbroken that I had come this far – writing and posting every day for the past 29 days only to falter two days short of the finish line 😦

Once my heart stopped beating like the drumline at a Villanova game, I realized that I had only slept for about 20 minutes and there was still time to write and post.

I will be able to sleep tonight!