My Life is Ruled by a Calendar

Written on 6/15/2013

By Jennifer R. Gilliland

Photo by Nikitta Gilliland

     Summer. It is finally here and I am so excited for the extra time to get ready for the new school year. Is that sad? I am not sitting outside working on a tan but planning for the next year's classes and how and what I will be teaching. Always it seems my brain is working overtime.

     It must be official then: I am a teacher to the core.

     When I think in terms of years, it is always in school years. When someone says to me, "See you next year!" I am always thinking August.

     Forget about the seasons and their official dates, my life is ruled by the school calendar. Summer begins when school gets out and summer is over when school begins. Fall is in September and Winter is just blended in until Winter break. January is the last half of the school year. Then summer in June.

     Really, if only life were that simple. But it isn't.

     June is also birthday month for me. Both my kids have birthdays in June and now I have a new grandson to add to the birthday shopping total. Then let's add father's day and I am pretty much broke by mid June.

     Then we have July. Fireworks, barbeques and thanking our soldiers for their sacrifice for our freedom.

     Now it is August - where did the summer go?

     This fall we will be welcoming a foreign exchange student to our family. Anita, who is coming from Norway, will be joining us at the end of August. She will be attending the local high school and is very excited to come to America. We have been video chatting through Skype and have met her father, who also happens to be a teacher. If you want to learn more about Anita, you can check out her blog at http://america.blogg.no/.

     Now I am hyperventilating but let's go back to today.

     It is just the beginning of summer and still so much to accomplish. Not only do I have to enjoy some time off, but I need to get a bedroom ready for Anita. That involves clearing out the clutter and finding an extra bed. We want to make a very homey little room for her, fitting for a teenage girl coming to America for the first time. I have this anxiety that she won't like anything I do or won't like our family. But I know that I am just over examining it and now I am hyperventilating again.

     But I digress. Summer is here and I need to allow myself to enjoy it and relax. Of course you know what I am doing? Starting a blog and staying busy. Go figure.