Synthesis Sunday: The End of the Regular School Year

One more work week before 16 glorious days off to spend here at my home instead of having to go somewhere. One more week before I can use the recently pain-free spine that I have to unpack things and move things and mow things...

One more week.

Now, in my facility, we have an Extended School Year (ESY) to provide educational programming for our clients more than the typical 170+ days required by the educational powers that be in my state. So, I do not get a summer off. I have never had a summer off. I'm not jealous of those who have their summers off...grrrr. I do not think that I would do well with an entire summer to myself, but who knows. I've never tried it before. ANYWAY...

My break schedule varies from year to year. This is the first time in about 10-15 years that we have had a two week break at anytime during the school year. Now, this happened because the administration decided to give us an additional week off in July that we did not have before. The reasons for this are primarily to help out our residential staff members who are not as sophisticated with leisure planning as the educational staff members. It is difficult to keep persons with limited leisure interests busy for sustained lengths of time.

I am ready for sleeping in and taking mid-morning naps and going to daytime movies. I am going to finish some tasks that I have not moved forward on for a time, but I am also going to enjoy myself. I am not going to stress about getting things done, but I do have some stuff that has to be finished. I have to get my guest rooms ready for guests anticipated to arrive at some point in July. That means moving books into the library, setting beds up on frames, and emptying boxes so other people can move around the rooms. I want to hide some things from some of my guests. They don't need easy access to my tools, instruments, electronics, or other things. So, that means lots of work on my end. I am also going to haunt estate sales and garage sales this break. I need some more furniture, but I have very little money, so off to the sales I go! Fortunately, I am an early person, so I have the potential to get deals just by being me!!

The first step, though, is to get things moved around and unpacked.

At the moment, I am sitting in a rapidly darkening room as some clouds roll in. We are expecting some severe storms just about the time I have to head out to church. I was able to enjoy the almost full moon out my bedroom window early this morning, and I watched the moon set. I love it when the sky is clear enough to see the moon.

When my church job is finished this morning, I will come back here for some time in my house. I am currently working on the cover for a purple junk-type journal. I am making one for one of my interns. It is not completely a junk journal - I am using new papers - but it is put together with pieces that are not completely new either.

Ooh. Here comes a fast moving, very dark and forbidding cloud accompanied by a significant increase in wind. My morning has gone from bright and sunny to completely dark in just about 30 minutes. This is the scary part of living here - the suddenness of storms. We are in full storm mode now - wind, rain, lightning, thunder, and things blowing around the back yard.

Time to distract myself from what is going on outside...

The end of the regular school year is always a time of reflection for me, but not as much as the back to school time. Summer is not my favorite time of year. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder that hits me in the summer months instead of the winter months. This often means that I find little to no joy in the heat, the humidity, or the simple fact that the sun shines. I have always been this way, so I start to prepare for the surge of depressed thoughts before things get bad for me. I am sure that this year will be no different, but I am prepared. I have my plan which will include spending time in the movie theater every week, living in the coolness of my downstairs, and eating things that I enjoy. I am hoping that my back will be healthy this summer. My back has really dictated my spring. I am also going to plan a trip home in early July - I will drive unless I can find a cheap flight. I just found a cheap flight, so I will have a California vacation in the beginning of July!! Hooray! I will not be there for as long as my break, but I will be there as long as I would if I were driving myself, and the cost is a bit less than it would be if I were driving and staying in hotels. There you go.

So, my summer will be punctuated by a trip home to see my mom and my sister. That way, I have something to keep me excited and motivated to get through the first part of ESY. At the end of ESY, we have another long break, so I will be able to spend that time at home as well since my family visit will be done.

Time to head off to work - two more Sundays after this one for the part-time job, then a hiatus until August or September.