Wait a Minute . . .

I have been going great guns for several weeks now because of school, my daughter's volleyball and the Electrical Engineering workshop I helped with. I finally have a chance to stop and take a breath. The workshop is over, daughter's volleyball team is on their way to the state tournament, and I will have some quiet study time this evening.

My oldest son, Aaron, is working on his Master's in Communication Studies here at UT. On his day off last week, he made the comment that when he finally had a day off and dropped out of warp speed, he realized how tired he was and how much he had to do. He is like me - we function best when we are moving at warp speed. Drop out of warp speed and the rest of the world catches up to us.

Aaron's comments made me realize that, as busy as we can get as nontrads, we need to take the time to drop out of warp speed every now again, we need to wait a minute. Wait a minute and take a deep breath. Wait a minute and watch the sunset. Wait a minute and hug your children or spouse for just a little longer. Wait a minute and share a laugh with a close friend. Wait a minute and just stop, close your eyes and listen to the birds singing in the trees.

It is good to stop and wait a minute. I have an Aaron Copland CD that I listen to when I am stressed. My favorite tune is in "Appalachian Spring". It's a piece called, "The Gift To Be Simple". I love to close my eyes and just let the music wash over my weary mind. What better gift can we give ourselves than the gift of waiting a minute . . . to experience the simple things in life? Stay tuned . . .

Study Group

Last night, I had two study groups to attend. They overlapped, so I stayed longer at the one for the class I had an exam in today. I believe it helped.

I put an announcement on the board on Tuesday in Cultural Geography. My prof walked in, saw it and said that's the kind of thing she wanted to see in her class. Today she asked me how many people attended the study group. Out of a class of 25, we had 8 people, so that's about 1/3 of the class? She thought that was pretty good.

I don't mind studying solo, but there's just something about the interaction back and forth with other people that helps me to retain information longer.

How about you? Do you so well in study groups? They are another tool that's good to have in your "Success in School" toolbox. Use it! Stay tuned . . .

An Interesting Observation

First off, I want to give a shout out to the Karns Lady Beavers volleyball team who beat the Farragut Lady Admirals tonight to take the Division 1, 2-A regional volleyball title. Great job, ladies! Jai-Ho!

That brings me to the reason for this post. I wore my Karns Beavers volleyball wear to school today - my royal blue t-shirt and matching sweatshirt. As I sat down in my History of Mexico class, the guy sitting behind me asked, "So, did you play volleyball at Karns?" I thought, "How old does he think I am?" I said, "No, but my daughter does." His eyes got wide. "How old is your daughter?" he asked. "Oh, she's a senior this year," I responded, smiling as I turned away. I thought he was going to fall out of his chair. I guess when you don't look like you're almost 50, people don't think you are.

That seems to be a common reaction when I tell people I have children - grown children. Their chins hit the floor. I guess I have been blessed with good genes. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

The observation is this - and it comes from a friend of mine: you are as young as you feel. There are some days when I feel very old. Those are the days when I don't feel good, have a ton of stuff to do, or realize my oldest will be 23 soon. Yikes!

One reason I enjoy being a student so much is that it keeps me young. There is a certain energy one picks up from being around younger people. I find myself saying "like" as a filler in my conversation. That's a bad habit I need to get rid of. I also find that life can be very exciting and full of promise. So what if I'm almost 50? From what I hear, 50 is the new 30. And 30 is the new . . . whatever. I appreciate a beautiful day, an umbrella without holes in it and a Grande Non-Fat Decaf Mocha Latte with a shot of raspberry.

I also appreciate it when a professor acknowledges my "profound" comment in class or the way I've crafted a point in a research paper. I appreciate it that the much younger students in my Geology class have included me in their study group. I plan to bribe/reward them with brownies the next time we get together. I appreciate it that my Environmental Geo prof from two years ago still remembers me!

I've heard it said that being young is not necessarily age, but it is the attitude of one's heart. Yup. Like, I am really starting to, like, get the hang of this full time student stuff, dude. :)

"You're as young as you feel." How do you feel today? Stay tuned . . .

What's YOUR Excuse?

I recently read a post by University Mama about how she uses homework as an excuse to get out of doing those things she really doesn't want to do. I laughed, because I have been there, too. My homework is such a convenient excuse! Most of the time, it's a legit excuse as well.

For the past two years, my backpack has been my constant companion. One friend of mine used to call it my "appendage". These days, however, my backpack isn't my only buddy. Larry the Laptop or Myrtle the Mini are also close at hand. I like Myrtle because she's small and doesn't say much, but she's very handy. Myrtle also doesn't weigh as much as Larry, so hauling her around is much easier on my back and shoulders.

My daughter is on her high school volleyball team and she has played club volleyball for the past two years as well. That means I (and Larry or Myrtle) go to lots of volleyball games and tournaments. The parents on the team have gotten used to seeing me with my "appendage". They know when I am holed up in a hotel room or in the corner of the gym at the top of the bleachers with my computer that I am studying and don't want to be bothered. I am only social when I want to be. I don't lolly-gag around making small talk, etc. I am a woman on a mission.

There have been many times when my husband has had to do the volleyball parent thing because I have had a paper due, an exam to study for or a project I had to work on. I, too, am wondering what life will be like without homework. What will I use for an excuse then?

I am not an academic stick in the mud, though. I have been known to break down and do fun stuff. It's just that I REEEAAAALLLLLYYY like being a student! Hmm - now there's a thought. Maybe I can become a professional student! How's THAT for an excuse??!! Stay tuned . . .

Fall Break

Campus looks like a ghost town! It's fall break here and campus is deserted. It's been cold and rainy. The wind is blowing the leaves around like tumbleweeds as the lone car on campus putters down Volunteer Boulevard. One can almost hear the theme from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" wafting through the hallways as the eagle screeches overhead.

Okay, so I've watched too many westerns. I grew up in Arizona, home of the original Old West ghost towns. There are still people and cars on campus, just not as many. I think there was more activity on campus during the summer than there is over fall break! I know Christmas break will be even worse! Such is life.

I am working over fall break because a) my counterpart decided to take off for three days, b) my boss is off on Fridays and needed me here and c) if I stayed home, I'd do absolutely nothing! This way, I get a chance to catch up on homework, work on Electrical Engineering workshop logistics and catch up on homework. Did I mention I was catching up on homework? Such is the life of a student.

It's good to have a break from classes. Everyone needs a little mental health time now and then. Come Monday, we jump right back into school and mid-terms. Yea! Stay tuned . . .