Happy Valentines Day to Me!

Well, I'm sick. But actually, today I seem to be feeling a little better than I felt waking up over the last few days. Maybe that is partly because I don't have to work anywhere today. I'm certainly not feeling any better because of rest! Laura commented to me this morning that I "sure do have a remarkable resistance to sleep; to be able to not sleep despite sickness, exhaustion and neo-citran!" To which I replied, "Yeah, no kidding. Hence the premise of the one-woman show" (For those of you who don't know, I wrote, produced and performed my own one-woman show in 2006, the premise of which was a young woman trying to fall asleep... but it also dealt with some more interesting topics too!)

Okay, so I've been sick. And sleepless. But happy... Mostly.

Part of my happiness has to do with the fact that I have started teaching again!!! Would you believe it? I mean, some of you must be thinking... But she just quit the bookstore last week??? And I thought she had to stay until the end of the month??? Well, yes, you are right. I do have to fulfill my commitment to the bookstore until the end of the month, but I have negotiated some reduced hours, in order to accomodate my new teaching jobs.

You see, just a day before I had planned to give my notice to the bookstore (in order to make space in my life to pursue the things in life that truly inspire me and make me happy - and make me more money too!), I got an email from a company that I used to teach lunchtime and afterschool drama classes for asking me if I wanted to come back and teach some classes this term. Apparently they were really in need of teachers and would be so happy to have me back, they'd take me even if I had limited availability! So, I took on teaching three afterschool drama classes (Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday) and reduced my hours at the bookstore accordingly. I'm still leaving the bookstore though, because I know there are still bigger and better things out there for me!

I've also agreed to volunteer, with my friend Mark, to meet once a week with the teenagers that we worked with a few years ago (we helped them to create a memorial presentation about their friend Drew who was murdered in 2004, and then also a play about violence). I don't think that this time we will do theatre work with them, but rather I think we will meet once a week to hang out, eat, talk about our lives, how we are doing, and maybe start to think about personal goals and values. Mark is doing his Masters in Adult Education so he's a really great resource for these types of activities. And we've both been through so much with these "teenagers" (who are getting older!) that we just really felt like being a part of their lives again... for good times, and to see if we can't do something productive together again!

Oh, did I mention that we had our first meeting with this new "teen group" on Tuesday (after I taught my afterschool kids class)... in the middle of yet another snowstorm!?! Yes. Miraculously, 8 people showed up. And seemed interested in continuing to meet. Yay!!!

Ok, so anyhow, that's been my week so far. I've also had to put in some extra hours at the bookstore (because my boss is away, again) so you can probably understand why I'm underslept, overtired and sick!

But today is Valentines Day. And I decided to start the day off by writing a love letter to myself! Cheesy? Perhaps. But useful in bolstering one's sense of self and self-love? Absolutely! So I have no shame.

So far, it's been a lovely Valentines Day morning, just hangin' out with me, myself & I, and also my dear roomies Laura & Henry. I plan to just relax, take care of my still-sick self and take the day as it comes...

WITH LOVE!

X's & O's