"Life is additive, not subtractive". One of my former students had that in his facebook post this morning- and I am going to adopt that phrase for I find it true. Curious thing is that this student (who is now 30 something) and I didn't get along much at school- oh, he was polite more or less, and very very talented...but I miscounted him as lazy. He miscounted me because I constantly nagged, then gave up. But now- he is one of the wisest people I know. Every day he writes a bit on facebook, little essays and observations about his life, and writes them very well- humorous, insightful, sometimes sad, sometimes celebratory- always worth reading. And today, this bit of a treasure.
I haven't written for a long while, been living in the fog/waking dream state- no worries though, will hopefully get all that sorted out soon. Know brain is ok according to the CAT scan, know that I haven't sleep apena, hopefully just something that can be cured with stepping back a bit and the right kind of vitamins. We will see. In the meantime, trying my best to balance work and school and home- have decided to take an incomplete for this semester (my first ever! Not an easy thing to do or admit) but I am at the point where I must make time to do something other than work and sleep....which is not easy as I am best on 14 hours of sleep a day....(not continuously, though I could. More like a long night and then a long nap. or two.) Anyway, enough of all that. Point is, I want to do other things besides work and sleep- like paint and draw, think and write, drive around, play with the awesome new camera (it's the schools camera, but I get to use it) research, read, watch... and have time for all the people I care about.
We went down to Barbies for Thanksgiving- haven't seen her in years (!) We packed up the Grendel, the doggs and ourselves, drove down Wednesday and home again Friday. The trip was fun- talking, sweet potato fries, Mr. Owens 'reminding' me how to drive, smelly doggs (even though they were freshly bathed- Bear wasn't quite dry yet.....). Thanksgiving was huge- all the food, lots of folks- the Judys, Paula, Paul, Michael, Tommy, us, Barbie and Tom. Four happy doggs- three outside and Cash on the couch. Football, sale papers, talking....dessert. All the familiar things in my sisters home- the glass apples, Mother's and our embroideries, photos from a summer vacation long ago. Afghans - just like we have- including a white one on the bed. ('frosting'- that's what I call the one on our bed- it is the frosting on the top of comfort.)
Back home, Monday, time for school almost. Mr. Owens is on set in Supply this week (Adrenaline movie- it has one of the old Dukes of Hazzard guys in it). Boy is safe in his apartment, getting on with his life/work/school and I'm sure the leftovers are long gone. I have a week of late nights- senior projects that need finished, meetings (always), endless paperwork. Dark in the morning, dark on the way home- but it is ok. All of these things add to our lives, our realm of experiences that make us who we are- and how others remember us to be.
