New Energy

Sometimes I get sidetracked at school and sucked into a big vat of negativity. It’s not unwarranted: there certainly is a lot going on that’s not right or fair or professional; it’s just when I go swimming, I’d rather it be in my own chlorinated water, not a vat of muck. See, the issue is, even when you can come out of it at 2:30 or 3, it’s still stuck to you a little. Try as you might to shake it off, you can’t clean up very well before it is time to go to bed to do it all over again. I know it’s not unique to my profession, and it’s a shame so many of us spend so much time mired.

One of the reasons I love this time of year so much—Thanksgiving is a couple of days away, the first of four days off from work, and the beginning of a month or so of shopping and celebrations—is that it refocuses my energy. I leave school, and I get festive. I busy myself looking for the perfect gift, treating myself to a bite to eat along the way maybe, or go home and sit among sparkly, glittery, happy things. Maybe I’ll wrap gifts or make lists or watch something on TV that makes me feel good (maybe while sipping a seasonal cocktail)(Brandy Alexander, anyone? Jill?). I’ll write out cards and send everyone warm wishes for Christmas and the best and brightest New Year yet—and I really feel that in my heart. (Stamping the cards and putting them in the mail becomes another issue entirely. Meaning sometimes it doesn’t get done).

Somewhere along the line, during the next couple of weeks, in the busyness of it all, I become impervious to the muck. My energy is refocused and I’m in good spirits all day long.

That is my holiday wish for all of you, too.