>Rainy Day Reflections

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DSC_0051, originally uploaded by jshannon331.

I am sick of the rain. Generally speaking, I'm not a sunshiny kind of girl. I hate the heat. I hate-gasp-the jersey shore with the sticky sand, creepy mullets and all kinds of inedible confections, that, combined with too much sun and insecure beachwear turns my tummy into a squirmy mess. However, this rainy streak may be too much for even this rainy day girl, so, I've decided that on my second day of summer vacation I would curtail the stormy feelings by dreaming and planning how I'll be spending the next two and a half months I have free of teenage angst and quick thinking in the classroom. I've made a list of all of the things that I am thrilled to be doing to inspire me to think sunny thoughts.

1. Lose 10 lbs. ( Warning: teachers, in celebratory enthusiasm during the entire last month of school, place fresh donuts in the teacher's room. Stay away.)

2. Finish 30 pages each in the two manuscripts I've been working on for what feels like forever, never getting past the first two chapters.

3. Finish the composition of and iron out the kinks of the 12 songs that I've written...and run them by a great friend during my visit to Nashville!

4. Take some sweet Portuguese lessons from my favorite Brazilian.

5. Close on my house (!) and spend all of August elbow deep in paint, my vernacular limited to words like "crown molding" and "wainscoating".

I've kept my list to 5 things- I've learned a few things about being overly ambitious during the period of time given to teachers to perhaps learn to breath again and stop waiting anxiously to hear the first period bell in their sleep. I have to say, however, even for those who aren't teachers, the summer seems to be a great time to re-evaluate, learn something new, try something fun and reconnect. So, embrace this damp day, light a few candles, say a quick prayer of thanks for an opportunity to reflect and get started on your list. Then, tell me all about it! ( I need some reading material if I'm going to be stuck on the treadmill:)