What's next?

Maybe it is because I have a two and a half year old.  Maybe it is because I pushed so hard for so many years.  The last two semesters have been like climbing uphill for a really long time with no end in sight.  I just can't seem to find the energy or excitement to make things happen beyond just getting by.  I know I need to find something to be passionate about again but mostly I want to rest.  Really rest.  Not have to think too much about the complicated issues that are sprinkled through my academic life.  Of course I want to keep students engaged and inspired but at the moment... something primal is lacking.  The question of what's next is looming on the horizon of my psyche.  What's next? What do I have to offer the Blog-sphere?  I live between SO many worlds, I rarely feel truly rooted in one anymore.  Plus I am teaching Organizational Communication, truly I am not so fond of the topic and it is a struggle to find the places that give me pleasure in teaching that particular course.  It really is the only course that I have a hard time finding something inspiring about... I guess I need to work on that.  I miss having a deep connection to earth, I miss gardening and I am definitely not dancing enough... I have been doing some very fancy cooking and baking that is great fun, doing the dishes... not so much!

And, so the semester begins.  Chaos, the wave of exhaustion from the anxiety of meeting 125 or so people in the course of two days.  The intensity of beginning to cultivate the ground in order to grow a creative, healthy, and academically engaging classroom environment quickly always leaves me wiped out.  The change in our family schedule impacts both HWIA(He Who is Adored) and my son. New child care expectations, new routines to be established.  It is an exciting time, full of possibilities for success, re dedication to my own and others learning.  I like beginnings.

Ahhh, my son, (who is meticulously unscrewing the cap off of the Liquid Paper as I sit typing this).