Friday, January 3, 2014

Five Minute Friday: Fight

Joining up with Lisa-Jo Baker and a slew of amazing writers for Five Minute Friday.  We write for five minutes on a given prompt.  This week's prompt:  Fight.
Go.
Ah, the start of the new year.  A time of hope, promise, possibilities.  A time to look at things from a new perspective, see things with "fresh eyes."
So why am I fighting myself on this?
I am struggling with heading back to work after an almost 2-week break.  It's similar to how I felt at the beginning of the year.
For the most part, I enjoy my job.  It challenges me.  It frustrates me.  It energizes me.
We've gone through a lot of changes with procedures since the beginning of the year, so it has been somewhat overwhelming at times.  Yet, there's been a sense of unity as we've all traipsed through it all together.  THAT has been nice.
Part of my job involves working with middle school students with a program called 8 to Great.  This is the highlight of my day.  I love this program, and I love seeing how students grasp these concepts and are so eager to apply the power of this program to their lives.
So why am I fighting going back?
Perhaps it's a feeling of isolation I feel at times.  Which is ironic, I only have about 35 minutes all day long when I am not surrounded by others.  But that feeling of unity I mentioned earlier?  I don't always feel that.
Perhaps it's a sense of limitation.  There are so many areas I would like to explore: blogging, independent business, volunteer, speaker.  With my job, I feel like I'm limited in how and when I can pursue these things.  Not to mention quilting, papercrafting, crocheting!
Yet, I know I'm blessed and incredibly fortunate to have my job.  And as I said earlier, I do enjoy the challenges it presents, and I enjoy working with the students.
So while I struggle to stay out of my own way and not fight myself so much, my OneWord comes back to me: OPEN.  I need to remember to stay open to how I can best serve others through my job, and remain open to possibilities of pursuing my other interests and opportunities as well.
STOP.

4 comments:

  1. Oh, I can relate so much to this. My job really does challenge me and interests me, but I feel like it holds me back from all of the personal creative things I could do and want to do by just sapping the energy (and time) I have available.

    I hope that you'll be able to find the balance this year between them. Happy New Year!

    - Melissa (via five minute friday)
    http://www.measi.net/measiblog/

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    1. Hi Melissa! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Balance truly is the key, isn't it? It's an ongoing prayer for me, and I will pray for you as well to find this delicate balance. Happy 2014!

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  2. As a fellow teacher I can relate to what you are feeling. I am hoping, though, that there comes a time when things will settle down and I have the time to follow my creative pursuits. And in the meantime, I will focus on the wonderful children I am working with and enjoy my time with them.
    (Colline from FMF)

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    1. Oh Colline - our ministry really can be in the classroom, huh? I really do learn so much from my kids at school. Praying for you for an easy "re-entry" into the second semester for you! Thanks for sharing your thoughts here!

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