Many months have passed since the last time I wrote here. Alas, this is because life’s changes have intervened, but mainly – really all – for the positive.
I changed jobs – back to my real love of teaching (and tutoring) after figuring out our plan for being able to do this and stay financially solvent. At one point, the right job came along (while I was recovering from the previous surgery); I was able to land it, and then we put the plan into action. That was for a part time tutoring position, and a couple of months later I was able to land a college class to teach. I had a particular group of students in mind that I thought I’d be working with, but that part didn’t go in quite in the direction I thought, which is fine – just different. I’m now teaching science writing and am working more with higher level college students and professional writers. This is an interesting twist and has taken my professional reading in directions away from where I thought it might go upon my initial decision to leave my previous job. Rather than reading more about strategies for students with learning differences, I’m reading about performance optimization and writing in the disciplines.
I’m very lucky to have the summer to work on developing my approach to these new student groups, to develop curriculum, to read and prepare. Hopefully I can also read for relaxation!
Part of the reason I have the whole summer to devote to such activities is that I’m recovering from surgery for that other health issue that’s been holding me back – hallux rigidus. You can read all about it if you search on that term, but there really isn’t much organized information for the patient out there about what to expect after surgery and how to get yourself organized ahead of time. I hope to provide some of that in later posts. I hope that by my 50th birthday I’ll be able to hike the mountain behind where I live the whole way over to the next town – 12 miles. I’ve had trouble doing just one to two miles lately to walk my dog. But the recovery from this surgery is a REALLY big deal and it’s not worth doing unless the pain is interfering with one’s active life, which this was. I won’t be able to walk or drive on that foot for weeks and currently I can only lay in bed with my “toes above my nose,” so I can’t even sit all the way up, except for taking care of personal needs or eating.
I’m really enjoying this winding, spiral road – it’s bringing me back to happiness and health, at least closer to where I should be for my age. Change can be forged – it’s not without risks, but when you find yourself stuck in a rut, those risks – if reasoned through carefully – can definitely be worth it.
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