A Fellow Traveller

Walking has been difficult this past week with a layer of ice under everything. I thought the worst was the first morning after the warm weather and quick freeze made everything slick. Now that I have more experience, I'm realizing that was only the beginning. When I could see the ice, I could tread carefully, taking small measured steps. The problem comes when that ice is hidden. Today there is lots of snow everywhere. The ice is visible where the ploughs and shovels have cleared the snow away, but it is mostly a hazard when you are not thinking about it. The worst situation by far was the morning that a light dusting of snow covered the ice layer. Although everything sparkled in the streetlight and looked peaceful, that was the day I actually fell twice. Ice was everywhere, not allowing me to use my familiar stride to just get the job done. Life seems to be like that as well, with icy patches that wait to trip us up. When I am aware of difficult situations, I tread more ca...

With the busyness of exams for the girls, oral surgery for my husband and the picking up of university kids Friday night, the week's flyers did not get delivered. Choosing to go to a friend's house after exams before the job was done did not help either. Now with the Saturday paper needing to be delivered, the job seemed overwhelming. Add to that the warming and then quick drop of temperature last evening, solid ice covered most driveways and sidewalks. Where do you even start? I knew I had to find a way to tackle it first in my mind. In the past, I might have given up before even starting. It is tempting to let the recycle box lighten the load at bit. As I worked through various strategies in my head, I realized how planning could eliminate extra work. I realized that we needed to use the car trunk because we couldn't carry everything with us. There was just too much to keep straight. By dividing up the route in "bite-sized" sections to do bit by bit, and d...

Yesterday I picked up an elastic band and at first stretching, it snapped right across the room. My first thought was, "That could be me". Rubber bands are made to be stretched out and re-stretched but not to be continually at their max. When they lose their suppleness and resiliency, they just snap. I have now finished an extremely busy week with 3 full afternoons of meetings away from the classroom, each with their own workload to follow up on. Evenings also had their share of "Mommy, can you...?" with one night away from home to practice music. Although the week was busy and overloaded, I found that I was not to the point of breaking emotionally or physically. What was keeping me soft and ready to be stretched out so much? One thing I do intentionally is to let some things go at home so that time can go to relaxing in the evenings. I also look forward to my Sundays as a "day of rest", a time to recharge my batteries and refocus my thinking. Some ...

When the Weather Channel warns of an upcoming storm, you are being prudent to take notice and possibly change your travel plans. With two children needing to get back to University after the Christmas Break, there are no options but to travel despite the weather. Rather than leaving after lunch on Sunday, we had them pack up in the morning and were on the road before noon, traveling ahead of most of the bad weather. When the freezing rain came, the highways were made safer because of the salt and sand already there. I found myself sliding most in the Restaurant parking lot and on unshovelled steps that had packed snow already slick to walk on. The location where I came the closest to actually falling down was on an ice patch from a drain spout outside my son's house. What made it the most dangerous was the fact that I didn't even notice it. By preparing for the freezing rain as we did, the trip was not stressful, as we took the time needed for safety and were home before t...

It's been nine years since my son first began delivering the Welland Tribune in the mornings. Initially I woke him when he slept through his alarm and drove him around during rain and thunder storms but he was left to become quite independent on the job. Over the years he became proficient on roller-blades but never enjoyed delivering or collecting from customers over in a new subdivision. Being separated from our street by undeveloped land, it took an additional fifteen minutes of walking to get around the block and back. Since I did not enjoy being the nagging voice, "Just get up earlier," I finally offered to start walking over with those few papers. Little did I know what would become of that simple decision. I am discovering that I actually enjoy the quiet of the morning and the fresh air of a new day. I have learned the importance of dressing for the weather and having sturdy footwear. I've grown to appreciate my neightbours as I have collected and converse...

I have a friend who has been encouraging me all year long with cards and small gifts, always accompanied by a short note "Thinking of You". As a retired teacher herself, she remembers the pressures and expectations daily in the workplace. She also understands about a voice that gives out regularly and has been giving me simple things like throat lozenges and herbal tea. When I opened a gift of a small book last night, I felt overwhelmed by her kindness once again. I have done nothing to deserve such gifts. My first thought it, "What can I give back to her?" but then I realize this gifting is much bigger than that! Out of the love that I keep receiving from her comes the strength and desire to give to others in unexpected ways. I find myself looking for encouraging words and smiles to give in the workplace. I think of things to write to encourage parents in what's really important for children and I find creative ideas coming for the teaching task at hand. ...

Walking after a fresh snowfall this morning, I felt like I was the first out to enjoy the morning until I came upon interesting tracks. It didn't take me long to picture who had been out before me, as a zig zag pathway intersected with straight footprints along the sidewalk. I pictured a dog wandering off to each side as new things caught his eye, while the leash kept pulling him back to the sidewalk. It reminded me of an interesting conversation at school last week. It you were to walk into our school during the month of December, the hall would be solely lit by outdoor coloured lights that have been suspended from the ceiling in a continuous zig zag pathway end to end. The first time the Grade one's walked under the lights, I challenged them to see if they could walk in a straight line while looking at the lights in the zig zag path on the ceiling. As I looked behind, most children were wandering as they walked. The second time we tried it, interesting conversation resu...