I played a theme song. I chose Album Done, by Nas. I know it’s corny (not the song–Nas is truth) but I’ve accepted the corny. I’ve leaned into it. There are things about life that you can change and things that you ought to change and things that, once changed, fundamentally unbalance the self, so I decided that my corny was and is acceptable. I even made a dad joke or seven. So, I played a theme song in the car to mark the moment I recognized the vacation was and is officially over and I have to find my way back to a place of work/life balance.
It’s the work part that makes it difficult.
I don’t want to act like I don’t love my job. I do. I love the idea of my job far more than the day to day and the emotional baggage of the workplace. I might have mentioned several times my desire to be a better teacher in the classroom, and I feel like if I can ignore the rest of the cacophony then I have a decent chance of achieving that goal this semester in some small way.
So now I move back to a life where I cannot veg out on Minecraft and audiobooks (as of late I’ve been binge-watching Travelers as I craft mindlessly) for four to six hours a day. I must limit myself to an hour or less of time on that task (perfect for imbibing single episodes of Travelers) and renew my focus on bettering myself as both a writer, teacher, and father.
Somewhere in the back of my psyche the inner coach is asking, “What about me?!!” You might be dead, Coach T. The signs look very bad for being able to be a relevant OC next season. If forced to wait over a year to coach in that capacity I might burst.. or give it up entirely in order to avoid bursting.
I’m back. Sort of. I’m coming back. Vacation over.
Some Thoughts:
- I’ve come to the assumption that this house of mine is cursed. The power output numbers (electric meter readings) are way out of hack and the heated elements seem to work far too well. All my clothing shrinks in the dryer (even the polyester) and food burns in the oven on lower heat and shorter times than advertised. More research is required…