#SOL

Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength. ~ Betty Friedan

Last week I attended the wedding of the daughter of high school friends. It was so wonderful to share this happy day with them just the way they shared the wedding days of both my son and daughter almost four years ago. Time seems to move more quickly these days. Wasn’t it only yesterday that we were getting married, having babies, going to school shows and soccer games? But I digress.

As I was making my way around the reception space, I ran into a guy who went to the same elementary school as me. We graduated from the eighth grade together, and I hadn’t really seen him in at least 30 years. We engaged in small talk about our kids, our aging mothers, and I of course expounded on how wonderful it was to be a grandparent. We only spoke for about five minutes, but in that short time I was taken aback by something he said. “Don’t you feel like our expiration date is coming up?” Wow, I have never thought about my life in those terms.

No, absolutely not! I do not think about expiring any time soon. Don’t get me wrong. I know the decision is not mine, but I am certainly not dwelling on the end of my life. I am not even sixty for crying out loud! I am enjoying this phase of my life. My husband and I get to do whatever we want whenever we want without having to worry about kids, college tuition, or having dinner on the table every night – just to name a few things.

Oh sure, we worry about our kids and grandkids. Who doesn’t? But being freed of some of the responsibilities of raising a family gives us more time to pursue things that have been left on the back burner for too long (like this blog). No, we are not looking at our expiration dates or “best by” dates. Each day is a day to celebrate the good things life has brought us, to work through the challenges that may come our way, and to plan for future adventures together. The only “date” I am looking at is the one I have planned for this weekend with my husband.

 #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!

#SOL16 Day 27

There’s only one day at a time here, then it’s tonight and then tomorrow will be today again. ~ Bob Dylan

So here it is the night before my last day of Easter break. Where did the time go? I had long “to do” list when my vacation started on Wednesday. I was going to take care of everything in my house that had fallen by the wayside. Right. Didn’t happen. Why do I always set myself up for failure when it comes to my breaks from school? I make long lists and think I can get it all finished like a superhero. Wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, I did accomplish a few things, but the bulk remains just where it started on Wednesday morning. I would hang the list on the fridge, but I am afraid it would taunt me as I pass by each day.

Yelling things like, “Hey remember me? That closet you were going to clean out.”

“Look, over here, I’m that bag that needs to go to Goodwill.”

“You who…did you forget that you were going to sort and file this pile over here?”

So instead, I am going to rip it up and through it into the recycling bin. When tomorrow comes I will choose ONE thing to try and accomplish for the day. If I try and get to one thing each day then the list will get completed. One day at a time my friends, one day at a time.

#SOL16 Day 25

There is only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on. ~Leo Christopher

Today I didn’t worry about time. I planned to do my traditional Easter baking – Ricotta pies and Easter bread. I dug out my handwritten recipes that are stained from years of use and nostalgically thought about the people who generously shared their family recipes with me. I have been making these since I was first married over 35 years ago.

Easter bread takes time and patience. You must melt the butter and let it cool. You must warm the milk but not too hot. Add the yeast and wait for it to bubble. Mix the ingredients then knead the dough for eight minutes. Then it rests and rises under kitchen towels and a homemade afghan – have to keep it warm. Again I wait until it doubles in size. Again I knead in the raisins and nuts (some with no nuts because that’s how my son likes it). Again I wait for them to rise.

Finally they are ready to bake. The house is filled with the aroma of love. Once they emerge from the oven I wait one last time for them to cool so that I can drizzle them with a confectioner sugar mix and nonpareils. It takes me all day.

Today I moved a little slower than I have in years past. I remember years when I made a dozen batches of Easter bread; today there were only three. I remember when I kneaded those 12 batches by hand – two times for each batch. Today I let the Kitchenaid mixer do the work. My hands are not as strong and agile as they once were, but they got the job done. When I said that my fingers were locking up a bit, my husband said that maybe this should be my last year to make the bread. My reply was quick – “NO.”

My family waits almost 365 days for a taste of this bread. We only have it at Easter. It is tradition. I know that someday someone else will have to make the bread and carry on the tradition, but not yet. If it takes me longer to make the bread, it takes me longer. This is one time I am not worried about time.