About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Friday, January 08, 2010

I Love My Job

I love my job! How many people do you know who can actually say that and really mean it?
I've never been a "morning person" and when I was teaching full time, it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed every morning around 6:30 to get to school no later than 8:15. Coffee in hand, I'd stumble into the elevator (I couldn't climb stairs then because of my bad back) and wend my way to my classroom.
Open the blinds.
Suck on my coffee.
Reread my daybook.
Suck on my coffee.
Write the agenda on the whiteboard.
Suck on my coffee.
Gaze out the window at the kids playing or waiting for the bell to ring.
Suck on my coffee.
*RING*
And away we'd go.
By 3:00 in the afternoon, I was exhausted and could hardly wait until all the kids were gone and silence reigned once again.
I'd work until 5:00 or 6:00, depending on the time of year, before packing it in and heading home.
Dinner would usually be some sort of microwaved gourmet delight before I fell into a heap on the sofa to veg out watching TV until I thought I could make it up the stairs to my bed.
And again the next day.
But now!
Sleep until I wake up - shower and get dressed before joining Regis & Kelly or the gals on The View for breakfast. After that comes the daily newspaper. I hunker down with my coffee or tea to do all the word puzzles while the laundry does itself.
Oh gee! Is it noon already?
Hmm...what shall I do today? Go for a walk? Do the grocery shopping? Have lunch with a friend? Do a bit of gardening? Read a book? (ooh! that's my favourite, especially since it's not a textbook!)
At 3:00 pm, I gather myself together for my "busy" work day. Students begin to arrive any time after 3:15 and they're all gone by 6:30 at the latest. And they're all such great kids! Four days a week is like that but Fridays are all mine! All day!
I can actually stay up until 11:00 pm these days and sometimes even later!
*Sigh*
What a wonderful life!

5 comments:

Mimi said...

Leslie, I'm so pleased that you're enjoying your new life! And you obviously appreciate that extra time so much! And you still get to teach a little, which seems pretty perfect. Good for you.

Amy said...

I'm with you Leslie. My schedule is similar to yours at least until the students arrive. Even though I live in the far northern part of California, I watch (really listen because I'm reading the paper and sipping my coffee at the same time) the LA local "happy news" - they are just funny! Then I usually do something very physical like exercise, cleaning, and gardening. In the afternoon I read, sew, run errands, cook, or none of the above. And I, too, stay up until 11:00 most nights - what a blessing to have so little stress.

Shrinky said...

Sounds you have reached the perfect balance Leslie. I never seem to find enough hours in the day, (despite being up before dawn most weeks) how on earth I once managed to also work full time, is now a complete mystery to me! But you see, I also love my "job", and like you, I apprecieate it all the more for having previously worked myself into exhaustion for years. Life is indeed good, eh?

photowannabe said...

Ah, that's a breath of fresh air. I love when people say they love their lives. Its the way I feel now that we have moved and have a house we love, a church we love and being near family that we love too.

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