Springing Forward

A few weeks ago I posted about how I was down in the dull, wintery dumps. Bummed about being away from my husband, frustrated by bratty teens at work, losing interest in things that I used to enjoy, and sleeping away most of my free time. It was the first time in my life that I found myself seriously considering if I was depressed. But now it’s time for an update, because hey—spring has sprung!
I talked before about how the dark, rainy days kept me feeling down, so now that our dear friend Daylight Savings Time has come around again, it’s no wonder that my spirits have started to lift. It’s actually light out most mornings when I leave for work AND when I get home, and everywhere I look there are buds on trees, flowers springing out of the ground, and evidence of, well, life!
I’ve forced myself to get out of the house a bit more recently, though I haven’t completely given up on my afternoon naps. In the last three weeks I’ve been to visit an aunt in Oregon, as well as my in-laws and friends in Seattle, and next weekend I embark on a road-trip to visit an old friend and her husband. And this weekend I’ll get to see a bunch of fun people at a friend’s bachelorette party and wedding.
As far as work goes, there have been some positive moments, although they’re always mixed in with plenty of teenage angst and the annoyances that inevitable accompany trying to teach lazy potheads to write essays…I had my third official evaluation of this student teaching process and scored well. AND, I received some big news: I’ve officially been hired for next school year at a brand-new school opening up back in the Sandbox. So when I feel a negative mood coming on, I just try to remind myself how incredibly blessed I am to have a job lined up—yay for things to look forward to!
This time of living apart from my husband and powering through a professional challenge has been tough, but I can officially see the light at the end of the tunnel. As of tomorrow I have only four weeks left of teaching, and 46 days until I hop a plane back to my old life. I’m stoked! And in the meantime I’m going to do my best to make the most of all those days, focusing on the positive as much as possible. I know I’ll look back on this someday and know it was definitely not the hardest thing I ever had to do—there are probably much more intense and potentially depressing challenges somewhere in my future. Isn’t it all kind of a matter of perspective, anyway?