I have no stories.
I have task lists.
I have a written task list; I have specific mental task lists; I have half-formed task lists that bounce around in my mind like bingo balls in a rotating cage. The written list is under control; compiled into a single notebook , I consult it frequently and cross things off it not quite as frequently. The mental task lists are somewhat under control; on their way to the written list, they are mostly
captured and domesticated. The half-formed task lists that bounce around in my head are driving me crazy; random and wild, they have no respect for person, place or thing.
Interrupting my prayers, disrupting my exercise, and corrupting my recreation, these nagging, noxious need-thoughts haunt most of my waking moments. “Those spaghetti sauce trails on the kitchen island really need to go….Tell the grandparents
about the Primary Program on Sunday (fail)…..Did I really text Koni on her birthday and forget to wish her a happy birthday?
(yes)…..Oh dear, those beets Chick harvested from me last Saturday are still in a bucket in the basement…..I have GOT to figure out what I am going to do to enrich the Science Honors class…..Dawnie is doing a fabulous job with nursery; I need to send her a thank you card……Toilet paper! We are almost out of toilet paper……John Malan—Haven’t seen him in a month
or more—Must visit him……What am I going to fix for dinner?....... What am I going to have the rest of my students do while I tutor those who failed the quiz?...... What am I going to write on the blog?...... Havasupai—EEK!—Must get started with parent meeting, service project, mile run, etc. associated with the Havasupai trip…..Blackberries have not been picked for a week and a half….Need to visit Caleb and find out why he has quit coming to Primary…..Must get Lance a black suit coat for this week’s choir dress rehearsal…..Must start memorizing songs for choir…….Need to get insurance for the Acura…..And what are we going to do with the dead pickup?...... Do I have to fix dinner again tonight? (yes)……How is Chick doing in
school—Must check his grades…..Does Grace still need a physical so she can compete in cross country? (yes)……The peaches are ripe. Better check the pears to see if they are ripe….Time to butcher the pig……Lesson plans are due Monday……Does the pasture need water? Fertilizer?...... Miles! We need to read together!!!!...... Go to DonorsChoose.org to try to get funds for lab equipment…..Oh soccer practice! How am I going to get Miles there?.......That sink is gross!!!!.....OPE! Out of towels; need to do laundry……How are Mom and Dad? Haven’t talked to them in ages…..Bread? Who ate the last loaf of bread and didn’t tell me?......When are Tanah’s cross country meets? I really need to hunt down
that schedule……I can write my name in the bookshelf dust in my room….. The kids still have not sent THANK YOU’s to the people who bought their fair animals (4-5 weeks ago)……”
Like a mist, these circling thoughts cloud everything.
I was in a mist this week.
Monday Chick and I hiked to Ben Lomond Peak (15.2 miles, 6.45 hours, 2,550 elevation gain). It was grueling in a totally awesome way. Generally I hike with friends or students who ask for rest stops, requests that I graciously grant. Chick did not ask for a rest stop, not once. Sucking air and burning butt, I followed him up and down the mountain. The physical
exertion was exhilarating, the chance to chat with my son was charming, the fall colors on the trail were fabulous, and the view at the top was non-existent.
About two-thirds the way up the mountain, we entered the cloud had been crowning the mountain all day. The trail became misty; visibility dropped to 10-15 feet. Wind tore at us and rain pelted us. We pushed on to the top where we sat long enough to snap a few pictures and then headed down.
While in the mist, the wind took our breath away. When we exited the mist, the scenery was breath-taking; reds, yellows, and oranges moving in on green territory, blue and red berries highlighting bush branches, water droplets glistening in the sunshine. WOW! I took several “stop (but not sit down!) and smell the roses” moments and enjoyed intensely the trail’s offerings. (See photos.)
Back to the present……….
While in the mental mist, circling thoughts take my joy away; I don’t enjoy any moment because every minute is full of un-fillable demands. It is grueling but it is not awesome. Step out of the mist, Teresa!!
As I “step out of the mist”, I can see that some wonderful things happened this week:
Chick tried to go to ComicCon with some friends and enjoyed his evening so much that he came in my bedroom to tell me of his adventures three times when he came home. “Mom, can I just tell you one more thing…..”
Tanah auditioned for the high school play and was thrilled to make call backs. She felt she blew her call-back audition and was devastated. She was cast as the Milkmaid in “Slipper and the Rose” and is thrilled again.
Miles came home from school ecstatic. “I made my first pick [interception] today!” he said. “Some of the people at school told me they hated me because I am so good at football. I think that is so fun.”
The Soay ram is back with the Soay ewes for the first time since November 2012. He thinks that is so fun.
.I taped a sign on the yellow ceramic duck in my classroom that says “Tonio the Duck” because Tonio had admired the
duck and suggested I name it after him. On Free Dress Friday, Tonio wore a bright yellow shirt to school so that he and his duck would match.
Lance heard the sinking tone in my voice 5:00 a.m. Saturday when I described all that I had to do for school. He asked what he, full time teacher and cross country coach, could do to help me, part time teacher who has no coaching responsibilities, with my school stuff. Darling man.
Mom and Dad Hislop offered to pay up to $10,000 for each of their children’s families to go on a vacation with them; five children, five different vacations. We get to decide where to go and what to do. Talk about swirling thoughts! But these are fun swirls…..WOW!
Well, I took one thing out of the circling thought cloud; I figured out what I am going to write on the blog this week. Tally ho!!!
Teresa
I have task lists.
I have a written task list; I have specific mental task lists; I have half-formed task lists that bounce around in my mind like bingo balls in a rotating cage. The written list is under control; compiled into a single notebook , I consult it frequently and cross things off it not quite as frequently. The mental task lists are somewhat under control; on their way to the written list, they are mostly
captured and domesticated. The half-formed task lists that bounce around in my head are driving me crazy; random and wild, they have no respect for person, place or thing.
Interrupting my prayers, disrupting my exercise, and corrupting my recreation, these nagging, noxious need-thoughts haunt most of my waking moments. “Those spaghetti sauce trails on the kitchen island really need to go….Tell the grandparents
about the Primary Program on Sunday (fail)…..Did I really text Koni on her birthday and forget to wish her a happy birthday?
(yes)…..Oh dear, those beets Chick harvested from me last Saturday are still in a bucket in the basement…..I have GOT to figure out what I am going to do to enrich the Science Honors class…..Dawnie is doing a fabulous job with nursery; I need to send her a thank you card……Toilet paper! We are almost out of toilet paper……John Malan—Haven’t seen him in a month
or more—Must visit him……What am I going to fix for dinner?....... What am I going to have the rest of my students do while I tutor those who failed the quiz?...... What am I going to write on the blog?...... Havasupai—EEK!—Must get started with parent meeting, service project, mile run, etc. associated with the Havasupai trip…..Blackberries have not been picked for a week and a half….Need to visit Caleb and find out why he has quit coming to Primary…..Must get Lance a black suit coat for this week’s choir dress rehearsal…..Must start memorizing songs for choir…….Need to get insurance for the Acura…..And what are we going to do with the dead pickup?...... Do I have to fix dinner again tonight? (yes)……How is Chick doing in
school—Must check his grades…..Does Grace still need a physical so she can compete in cross country? (yes)……The peaches are ripe. Better check the pears to see if they are ripe….Time to butcher the pig……Lesson plans are due Monday……Does the pasture need water? Fertilizer?...... Miles! We need to read together!!!!...... Go to DonorsChoose.org to try to get funds for lab equipment…..Oh soccer practice! How am I going to get Miles there?.......That sink is gross!!!!.....OPE! Out of towels; need to do laundry……How are Mom and Dad? Haven’t talked to them in ages…..Bread? Who ate the last loaf of bread and didn’t tell me?......When are Tanah’s cross country meets? I really need to hunt down
that schedule……I can write my name in the bookshelf dust in my room….. The kids still have not sent THANK YOU’s to the people who bought their fair animals (4-5 weeks ago)……”
Like a mist, these circling thoughts cloud everything.
I was in a mist this week.
Monday Chick and I hiked to Ben Lomond Peak (15.2 miles, 6.45 hours, 2,550 elevation gain). It was grueling in a totally awesome way. Generally I hike with friends or students who ask for rest stops, requests that I graciously grant. Chick did not ask for a rest stop, not once. Sucking air and burning butt, I followed him up and down the mountain. The physical
exertion was exhilarating, the chance to chat with my son was charming, the fall colors on the trail were fabulous, and the view at the top was non-existent.
About two-thirds the way up the mountain, we entered the cloud had been crowning the mountain all day. The trail became misty; visibility dropped to 10-15 feet. Wind tore at us and rain pelted us. We pushed on to the top where we sat long enough to snap a few pictures and then headed down.
While in the mist, the wind took our breath away. When we exited the mist, the scenery was breath-taking; reds, yellows, and oranges moving in on green territory, blue and red berries highlighting bush branches, water droplets glistening in the sunshine. WOW! I took several “stop (but not sit down!) and smell the roses” moments and enjoyed intensely the trail’s offerings. (See photos.)
Back to the present……….
While in the mental mist, circling thoughts take my joy away; I don’t enjoy any moment because every minute is full of un-fillable demands. It is grueling but it is not awesome. Step out of the mist, Teresa!!
As I “step out of the mist”, I can see that some wonderful things happened this week:
Chick tried to go to ComicCon with some friends and enjoyed his evening so much that he came in my bedroom to tell me of his adventures three times when he came home. “Mom, can I just tell you one more thing…..”
Tanah auditioned for the high school play and was thrilled to make call backs. She felt she blew her call-back audition and was devastated. She was cast as the Milkmaid in “Slipper and the Rose” and is thrilled again.
Miles came home from school ecstatic. “I made my first pick [interception] today!” he said. “Some of the people at school told me they hated me because I am so good at football. I think that is so fun.”
The Soay ram is back with the Soay ewes for the first time since November 2012. He thinks that is so fun.
.I taped a sign on the yellow ceramic duck in my classroom that says “Tonio the Duck” because Tonio had admired the
duck and suggested I name it after him. On Free Dress Friday, Tonio wore a bright yellow shirt to school so that he and his duck would match.
Lance heard the sinking tone in my voice 5:00 a.m. Saturday when I described all that I had to do for school. He asked what he, full time teacher and cross country coach, could do to help me, part time teacher who has no coaching responsibilities, with my school stuff. Darling man.
Mom and Dad Hislop offered to pay up to $10,000 for each of their children’s families to go on a vacation with them; five children, five different vacations. We get to decide where to go and what to do. Talk about swirling thoughts! But these are fun swirls…..WOW!
Well, I took one thing out of the circling thought cloud; I figured out what I am going to write on the blog this week. Tally ho!!!
Teresa
Chick at the top of Ben Lomond Peak
Where is the top of Ben Lomond Peak?
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The view from the top of Ben Lomond Peak
Tess at the top of Ben Lomond Peak
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