Up at 4 am

Ever since I took the steroids, I have been ready to crash at about 7 pm from the long days at work but I wake up in the middle of the night. I imagine this will pass soon but in the meantime, I'm just adjusting my schedule around this change of pace. Rather than working after school the last few days, I have been relaxing. Monday I went to yoga and then fell asleep on the couch at 8 pm. Yesterday, I was so tired when I came home, I just sprawled on the couch and read, had dinner, watched a movie and went to bed.

I am actually excited about work. There is stress but I'm feeling good about the new year and our new facility. I really like my "academy" and I am getting to know some people in new ways. Yesterday we did some team building with Outward Bound and I enjoyed it a lot. I was ready to have a bad attitude but instead I made some great connections and had a lot of fun. I have a good feeling about things...

On the health front, things are very touchy. My skin and body feel very sensitive after all the steroids and I bruise easily. All the congestion in my lungs seems to be coming up too. The heat has also been a problem and yesterday my classroom was boiling hot. There were several times where I could hardly see. My vision has become blurry and spotty whenever I overheat. I am also noticing that I can hardly stand the lights in the new building so I will probably teach with the lights off and the blinds open in my room to help my eyes. I am quickly remembering the physical rigors of my job but I think I will be supported by colleagues when I need breaks or assistance. I still need to talk to my boss but I am turning in FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) paperwork to HR today.

Despite feeling pretty rough, inside, I feel positive. I am enjoying the need to be creative with my teaching because there are still many uncertainties. For the first time in a long time, I am reinventing the wheel but I think it is a good thing. I was stagnating and now I am inspired again. Now, I'm off to work.

Today I am grateful for a burst of creative inspiration.