Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Begin Again


But what if I fail of my purpose here?
It is but to keep the nerves at strain,
To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall,
And, baffled, get up and begin again,—
So the chase takes up one's life, that's all.
-Robert Browning, from "Life in a Love"

This morning I did what I always do on the first day of school: I carefully pack my bags and begin again. I like the slow puttering of packing a bag, checking to see I have everything I need (and really, much that I don't). I like the addition of new notebooks and pens, balls made completely of sea green rubber bands, binder clips, granola bars, a coffee mug that's bumpy exterior reminds me of Mr. Peanut. I like the "everything in its place" moment of packing a bag because with me, that only lasts a short bit as the frazzled days of mid and late quarter offer bags crammed, stuffed, and jumbled. Tomorrow I'll pack carefully again, this time for the first day of teaching in the new quarter, and it will be just as exciting, and I will be just as forgetful, arriving at school with my "perfect" bag, slightly imperfect, as I always, no matter how detailed the list, forget something important. Whatever the case, I'm slowing down a bit to enjoy the beginning, to breathe deeply, to try to remember that it's just the start, and in the start of it, anything is possible.

6 comments:

K A R I™ said...

Can't wait to hear about your new students!

Caitlin said...

!!! I wanted to tell you that your mug reminded me of Mr. Peanut all through 510, but I thought you might think I was crazy.

I missed an opportunity.

Unknown said...

It's my first real day back at work after a long holiday, and I'm enjoying my lunchtime routine of a frozen Amy's meal and 30 minutes of unstructured playtime on the internet. What a treat to find so many entries to slowly peruse & a promise of one to read every day!

Hope you and Andrew had a great holiday break.

Frida said...

oops. I'm not really Robert, I just sometimes play him on the computer when I forget to log him out.

Brandi and Chelle's mom said...

How exciting!

Chelsea said...

I love the start of a new quarter! I hope your first day of classes, and now of teaching, was amazing!