Flash forward, who was I kidding? I've never been the person to sit around and not do anything. (Which probably explains why I had a color-coded planner in college). If I sit on the couch watching TV for more than an hour at a time, I feel like I'm wasting time. At first, I was excited to have some time just for ME. Sean's at work all day, Brian's at his parent's house, all my friends are off doing fun things for spring break, so its just me... good ole quality time...
Monday was great. I got up relatively late, had breakfast, some coffee, cleaned Sean's apartment, worked out for a hour, cleaned my apartment, had lunch, read a book, went to the grocery store, had dinner ready when Sean came home, etc. etc. Well in my overriding need to stay busy, I didn't save myself much for the rest of the week. I have lesson plans to do, yes, but I promised myself that I wouldn't work over spring break (meaning I'll do them Sunday). Tuesday and Wednesday pretty much fell into the same routine. Oh and who can forget the lovely banter I've been having with the insurance man about getting my car fixed? (Barring any other disasters.. it will be in the shop tomorrow and hopefully as good as new very soon.)
While I loved a little bit of me time, I think I'm over it for a while. Yesterday I started thinking about what everyone else was doing, started comparing my life to theirs... and we all know that's probably not the most productive train of thought. On a general day, I LOVE the life I'm living. On a day when I have way too much time to compare... I think that everyone is living this exciting life, and I'm a little (okay a lot) on the boring side. Guess that's what happens when you have smart friends. The majority of my best friends from college are either in grad school, or off working in DC, or New York. And it seems like they're off living these fun, glamorous lives. Now I know that coming home covered in paint and boogers is quite glamorous as well, but I can't help feeling the slightest twinge of jealousy. I'm not even really sure why. I already did the grad school thing, I've got a Masters (although it's still in the envelope because I've yet to buy a frame... but that's another story). Maybe it's the nerd in me that misses school, or maybe it's the perfectionist in me that thinks "you should be doing something more", as if teaching my adorable little friends isn't enough.
Which leads me to the thought I had last night.... I want to start volunteering again. The kids that I work with every day are the type of kids I used to volunteer with back in Austin, but now that's my job. I want to do something outside of my job, make even more of a difference. I was looking through Houston Family magazine (yes, I don't have kids yet but I still love that magazine), and they mentioned Camp for All in the summer camp section. In looking through their website, I saw that they have this Young Professionals group...
..."a premier service and social organization comprised of young men and women who support the camp’s mission of enhancing the lives of people with special needs. Through exciting fundraising events, service projects and social gatherings, members strive to increase awareness of Camp For All among Houston’s young adult community, while raising needed funds for the camp and its programs. Members enjoy the benefits of social and peer networking and have an opportunity to develop or enhance leadership skills through committee or board service"...
...and I think that maybe this is just what I've been looking for. I've been needing to make new friends here in Houston, and this seems like a way to make new friends who have some of the same beliefs/values/interests as me, while making a difference at the same time. Maybe, I could even help connect some of the parents in our district with the camp, scholarships... (and the wheels begin to turn).
I'd also LOVE to start dancing again... but that's a post for another day. Off to the gym for now.
I'd also LOVE to start dancing again... but that's a post for another day. Off to the gym for now.
