Seasons

Have you ever gone through a season that was so busy that you kept having “If I make it to _______, I’ll make it through” moments? When around every corner was something else keeping you up at night and causing your suitcase never to quite be unpacked?

'When we've made it through September, we'll know if we're doing okay.'

'Once I get back from the US, things will get back to normal.'

'If I can survive January, I can survive anything.'

That has been the last...hmmm...six months for me.  Six months of something else just around the corner to not necessarily be worried about, but to be thinking of and planning for. The school year is far from over and there are so many things I probably should be doing right now, but taking the time to reflect on six months of crazy seems more important right now...

...and I have a cup of chai made out of Indian tea and Kenyan masala within reach, so that of course makes thinking all the more exciting.

The first semester of school as a principal was so much better than I could have imagined and so much more exhausting than I thought possible. It was filled with new challenges and adventures, trying to find enough time each day to get everything (or just something) on my to do list done, and redefining relationships as I transitioned from teacher to principal and from colleague to boss. Not everything changed, but so many of the "normal" aspects of my life were totally abnormal all of a sudden, and that transition was so much harder than I thought it would be.  It wasn't bad, it was just different and a wee bit difficult.

And then there was the travel.

Every month from September to January I was away from home for at least 5 days, sometimes more. As I packed for my trip to India over the Chinese New Year break back in January, I discovered a suitcase from my October trip to the US that I had never bothered to unpack. October! What on earth! My carry-on was never empty and my passport didn't get a break. Usually I have 4 or so stamps next to my Chinese visa in my passport (which is renewed each spring). Right now I have 10...and that just represents the trips out of the country from May to January this year.

Now don't get me wrong, I love traveling. Since returning to China last July, I've explored southern France with my parents and brother, wandered around Hong Kong twice, prepared for transitions in Beijing with our seniors, gotten caught in a downpour on a coffee plantation in India, and so much more. I've slept through two 7+ hour flights (thank you Jesus for making me someone who can sleep anywhere) and taken one too many of my 'traditional' Starbucks airport pictures. After years of trying and failing, I've gotten to the point where I can actually pack for a week in a small carry-on suitcase. If that isn't a life goal achieved, I don't know what is.

And now, like the calm before a storm, I wait patiently for normal to finally become a reality. My hope is that in February I will cook at home more and worry about what is not getting done less.

And I hope that I can rest.

My word for 2016 was trust, and boy oh boy was that a doozy to meditate on. I was stretched and poked and prodded with that word and the heaviness of actually doing it time and time again, and I think that sometimes I forgot that I can take a deep breath and trust even while doing nothing.

So my word for 2017 is rest, and besides taking more naps, I hope that I can learn to turn off all of the noise around me figure out what rest really is...

And with that, I should probably get back to my homework and lesson planning so that I can get some rest. :)