Having time to think is a wonderful gift.
Being able to observe what's going on around one without the bustle and stress of full-time work and expectations means one gets to see some things more clearly. Or just to see them!
Having time, I have discovered, also means plenty of time for procrastination and genuine time-wasting, and so a little of the self-discipline honed over 39 years as a teacher and educational administrator is needed to come into play. But not always, because there is a delicious pleasure in knowing that really, you've done nothing of importance all day.
I still find it difficult to make time to do all the reading I would like to do (and thought I would do), but, I'm not worried about it.
Having time also leads to a change in perspective; and that's a good thing.
reflection...
From my late teens (in the mid-70s) I suffered from reflux. At first I didn't know what it was, and I recall the first time I had a serious episode. I was trying to sleep on the floor of a friend's place. If I remember correctly, this came after a pretty big night, and while I wasn't drunk, I wouldn't have wanted to try and drive a car. The burn began soon after I lay down, and wouldn't go away.
As a young man in various shared houses, I had friends make comment about the way I ate Quick-eze and guzzled Mylanta from a bottle.
I learned that drinking and certain foods could bring an attack on, and so could stress. One of the things that many people don't know about teaching is how stressful the job can be.
But it wasn't until many years later that a doctor queried my heartburn, and was surprised at the regularity with which it was occurring. After suggesting I probably was suffering from GERD, she sent me off for a gastroscopy, which came back indicating I had Barrett's Esophagus . On my third 'scope that became Esophageal Cancer.
Here's something I have learned: being diagnosed with cancer changes your perspective on a lot of things.
Being able to observe what's going on around one without the bustle and stress of full-time work and expectations means one gets to see some things more clearly. Or just to see them!
Having time, I have discovered, also means plenty of time for procrastination and genuine time-wasting, and so a little of the self-discipline honed over 39 years as a teacher and educational administrator is needed to come into play. But not always, because there is a delicious pleasure in knowing that really, you've done nothing of importance all day.
I still find it difficult to make time to do all the reading I would like to do (and thought I would do), but, I'm not worried about it.
Having time also leads to a change in perspective; and that's a good thing.
reflection...
From my late teens (in the mid-70s) I suffered from reflux. At first I didn't know what it was, and I recall the first time I had a serious episode. I was trying to sleep on the floor of a friend's place. If I remember correctly, this came after a pretty big night, and while I wasn't drunk, I wouldn't have wanted to try and drive a car. The burn began soon after I lay down, and wouldn't go away.
As a young man in various shared houses, I had friends make comment about the way I ate Quick-eze and guzzled Mylanta from a bottle.
I learned that drinking and certain foods could bring an attack on, and so could stress. One of the things that many people don't know about teaching is how stressful the job can be.
But it wasn't until many years later that a doctor queried my heartburn, and was surprised at the regularity with which it was occurring. After suggesting I probably was suffering from GERD, she sent me off for a gastroscopy, which came back indicating I had Barrett's Esophagus . On my third 'scope that became Esophageal Cancer.
Here's something I have learned: being diagnosed with cancer changes your perspective on a lot of things.
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