Life just has this way of going up and down, doesn't it? We can one moment of laugh until your stomach cramps happiness, followed by feeling like you're on the verge of tears. I feel like this past year has been a lot like that-full of ups, downs, and everything in between.
Bellezza wrote a post on Tuesday that addresses this feeling, like one year is coming to an end and another is beginning. I always seen the summer ending and school beginning as the start. And this year has been a lot like the previous. School is starting soon (two weeks). Kids will be returning to their classrooms, teachers prepping classrooms and lessons. The leaves will begin to turn colors, the cider mills will open.
And funnily enough, I am approaching this new beginning on a very "up" feeling. Over the course of this last summer and year, I have just learned to appreciate where I am and what I do have. Of course, I have had moments of complete and total frustration (you were all privy to that a couple weeks ago). I think that's normal. But for the first fall in a few years...I feel okay with where I am. I am completely optimistic. I am ready.
I am ready to put this past year behind me as one of the hardest I have experienced. But it is now firmly in the past and I am looking forward to the excitement of the next couple of weeks. I have one week until I have to be at school prepping for another long-term assignment. I am strangely okay with being in someone else's classroom again. At least I will be teaching (and I am teaching some wonderful literature again).
I am also looking forward to the celebration I will be hosting here. August 31/September 1 marks two years since beginning this process. I have learned a great deal, and while sometimes I wonder why I am still doing this, I know that I have grown exponentially in doing so. Who would have guessed that this place has saved me?
Anyway, I have a lot of plans for my little celebration, including giving away a lot of books to you guys-you people who have stuck by me, inspired me, and pushed me. A few months ago, I told everyone on Twitter that if I ever won the lottery, I would buy all of you a book. By giving away what I can, I am trying to reach that goal. :) That's probably silly, but I really enjoy sharing my love of reading and literature with all of you. In short, look forward to a lot of little giveaways and some reflections. Most likely some of it will be corny, but I think you expect that from me by now.
I also have some great books waiting for their reviews to be posted on the blog. In the last ten books I've read, there has only been one I really didn't like. I seem to be on a good streak, where everything I read completely absorbs me. It is definitely a great feeling, and I haven't had it in awhile. In any case, I have lots of posts drafted and queued for the next couple of weeks. And in the meantime, I am still reading up a storm. I don't know if I am going to hit my "end-of-summer" goal, but I am getting pretty close!
Well, I do believe I have rambled long enough. I should mention that I went book shopping with my mom on Friday and spent WAY too much on books...but really, that's just silly. You all know that I am a book-shopping-aholic, so I can't really hide it. But I have promised my husband that I am on a ban for the next few weeks...and I can't really blame him-his eyes bugged out of his head when he saw the bags (okay, okay, I bought 29 books (at Borders, so they were cheap) but 3 are for giveaways, and I culled books to pass on as well, so really, we're okay. And only 26 books found their way onto my shelves. And now that I typed it out, it does sound bad, doesn't it? Oh well.)
I hope you all have a wonderful week of reading!
I have to admit, one good thing that has really happened to me this year is that I'm no longer tempted to just buy and collect books. I've never been a big hoarder, and I tend to purge just as often as collect, but for a few years there I started buying up everything until I'd completely overwhelmed myself. Now I don't really have any desire for books in general, and if I want some, i can always get them from the library. I originally put myself on a year-long ban with some rewards if I made it each quarter, and so far I haven't even used the rewards, though two or three times I've picked up a book or two for cheap at thrift stores/library sales. I think that balances out. I've bought almost nothing this year and I feel good about that.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're feeling more positive and upbeat these days!!
I'm happy to hear that you are feeling much more upbeat right now, and that your reading has been going so well. On that second item, I might be a little jealous, as it's been a while since I've really been able to sink into my reading. Soon...
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you on the book buying thing. I bought way too many books at Borders over the last few weeks. I haven't even begun to figure out where to put them! (Although my dad's temporarily helping me out by borrowing a couple.)
I hope you have another wonderful week of reading, too!
Pre-congratulations on the blogoversary! Spell check really didn't like that sentence... :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with teaching! It's such a frustrating and rewarding experience.
*and while sometimes I wonder why I am still doing this* -
ReplyDeleteI wonder about my blog, too. But I always come back to the idea that, years from now, I'll have a written record of my first several classics. Something to pass on (in printed form), or even just to read through in half a century, when I'm sitting by a window thinking, "What did I think of Jane Austen, when I tried her? I can't remember anymore."
Glad you're feeling better! ;-)
I'm glad you're still blogging, even when it gets rough. I'm also glad you've really enjoyed your last few books. Sometimes you really just need a good streak when it comes to reading. You can't plan it, but it's wonderful when it happens.
ReplyDeleteHooray for feeling more up!
ReplyDeleteAnd don't look at it like buying too many books...think of it as giving those books a much needed home!
Agree with the other posters: one can never have too many books. (It's like having too much chocolate - impossible.) :-)
ReplyDeleteYou and your blog have influenced me to read more classics... It's been a good way to add more varied reading to my list.
Have you seen that op-ed from CNN.com about reading? Here is the link in case:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/08/21/greene.books/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
Happy reading and happy going back to school!
liz in texas