Back to school. . .

I know the new year is supposed to start on January 1st but being a part of a large family, and a large family of teachers, the new year always starts on the first day of school.  As always, I am looking forward to the new year, a fresh start, clean classroom, mostly smiling faces.  This year will be a bit different though because this year I am working half time.  I made a difficult decision a couple of years ago to leave my position as an elementary school principal and go back to the classroom.  The main impetus for this move was to make more time for fun in my life.  More time to pursue my creative side and to slow life down a little.  I love being back in the classroom.  But as the year went on last school year I still felt like work ruled too much of my life. I am now working half time at school and half time at home.  My new hobby/business is statue-making and I am absolutely loving the freedom I have to create, contemplate, vegetate and just plain daydream.  I know this is putting a stress on our finances and our plans to retire but I will have to live with those choices and feel so glad that I have a husband that supports my every move and trust me, there are many of them!  On to a new adventure!  Stay tuned. . . .

Middle of the night - again;)

Well, it's the middle of the night and I'm wide awake!  Thank heavens tomorrow is a work at home day.  Things are moving along  in the reno and I'm hoping most of the work will be done by Friday.  The downstairs will make a great classroom area and having the extra storage/office/work room is ideal.  I can't wait!  When the kids were here last weekend I mentioned maybe trying some yoga statues and with their wholehearted support I have started a new line of statues.  I am motivated by a calendar I bought at a yoga shop on 4th in Vancouver.  The calendar was created in the memory of a young woman whose life was too short.  The photographs are beautiful and I have chosen a couple to start with.  I would like to find a way to add the quotes to the bases of the statues so that will be my task for tomorrow.  Always so much on my mind:)

The bathtub drain. . .

A few years ago an elderly neighbor (in age, not in spirit) told me that life was like a bathtub when the plug had been pulled.  At first, you can hardly notice the water going down the drain but the closer it gets to the end, the more swirling and gurgling you notice as the water quickly diminishes.  This is how life IS starting to feel!  I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel at 55 but I feel like I have so little time left to do all the things I want to do in life.  I have recently reduced my out of home work to half time so that I could pursue life as a teaching artist.  Now, if you knew me at all growing up you'd be shocked by this.  I was ALL tomboy.  I was at my best with some kind of sports equipment in my hands.  I lived and breathed fastball for about 40 years and I loved every moment of the game and my teammates.  But ART!  No such thing in my growing up years.  In fact, it wasn't until I turned 40'ish that I had any thoughts at all about investigating this side of my nature.  I now spend my days scouring the roads and paths looking for the perfect rock or piece of wood to hold the statues I make.  I took my instructor's course this summer and am now trying to set up classes, sales and work half time at my teaching job as well.  Every day is so full.  It seems to be bedtime before I've done half of what I wanted.  I love the pace - working at the school and working on my art.

Last week at a showing of my work I met a young girl named Kate and her family.  Kate is 9 years old.  Kate is the CEO of her own company.  That company did over $240 000.00 worth of sales last year.  I'm not a "what-if" kind of person generally.  Meeting Kate energized me in one way and yet, in another, it made me wish so much that I had noticed this artistic thing in my childhood.  Maybe then I wouldn't feel like I was running out of time.  Or. . . maybe I still would.  If you want to check out Kate's company and how it got started, her website is http://www.freetoes.com/.  If you want to check out a late bloomer and the work she is doing, check out my website at http://www.tellmeagain.ca/. 

The aftermath. . .

It is SUCH a quiet morning at our house.  We've been doing renos to the basement in preparation for my first statue class, which took place last night.  We've had plumbers, electricians, drywallers, flooring guys in and out over the last two weeks.  Along with that was our local fall fair weekend.  This is a time for family!  We had a full house for three days including two of our three daughters and their families, our son and his family, our daughter in law's two sisters and our brother and sister in law.  I love the business, the noise, the laughter. . . but I also love the quiet that follows those busy times in our life.

I taught my first statue class last night and thought it went very well.  I need to work on the timing a bit but the statues that were made turned out beautifully.  It was a very social evening as well as creative and everyone seemed to enjoy the process.  Today will be spent hauling "stuff" from my craft room upstairs down to my new workspace.  I can't wait to get it all organized.  I may even use that new labeller that my oh-so-organized daughter talked me into buying:)

Our dog has been lonely the last couple of days.  With the pouring rain and the house full of company he's been a bit left out.  It is one of those beautiful, crisp fall days so I'll probably pop him in the back of the truck and take him for a long walk along the river where he'll get a chance to have a real run.  Soooooooo nice having this early morning to myself and to plan a very relaxing day.  Can't say enough about what a great decision it was for me to work half time this year and take on some new pursuits while recharging my batteries.  Hope your day is as wonderful as mine!

As Summer Winds Down

I read my daughter's new blog this morning "Life As Me" and like her, I always go to bed with so many things swirling in my head.  So if this can work for her, as busy as she is, maybe it can work for me as well.  I chose the title, Transformer Gramma, because ONCE AGAIN, I have chosen to transform what I do with my life.  Perhaps it's my military "roots" that don't allow me to go more than two or three years without change.  Perhaps it's just who I am.  At any rate, I am looking forward to this year of teaching half time and starting a new business.  The new business is really just an excuse to stay home, play with my creative side and then get together with amazing women to share it.  I didn't discover that side until I was in my 40's.  I don't know why I didn't discover it, maybe it was because of my busy life as a working, studying, sports-playing wife and mother of four.  Maybe it was because my brother was always the "artistic one" and we all know we have our roles to play in our growing-up families.  at 55 though I think it is time to take charge of my life so stay tuned as I begin this new adventure.