Stress, What?

The last few weeks have held a lot of transitions for me... and everyone in Tembo House, which is the name of the house where I live.  My parents left for their real lives in the States :(, Marie and I got two new roommates :), school training happened, and school with a whole new set of grade three-ers has begun.  Not to mention other details that have caused reason to cry, worry, wonder, cringe, laugh, and mostly just feel like I was losing my mind!

One of the surest signs of stress - or emotional exhaustion - for me is watching and acknowledging a change in my behavior.  My roommates all know that Friday nights are NOT my prime time - cooking in the kitchen with me is dangerous as I drop everything I lay hands on, and I can't clearly communicate my thoughts if my life depends on it.  But lately, it seems that this "Friday night" syndrome has extended to "everyday life."

So when I saw the comic above of Jeremy losing his father's car keys, I had to laugh.  I can totally relate.  Between losing keys that a friend had given me to keep... to forgetting where I put the cash I just got out of the ATM... to automatically giving my roommate Marie any important piece of paper (I used to be the responsible one among my friends... till I moved to Africa!), it seems like losing things - or losing my mind - has become common place.  Stress definitely goes along with transitions, even if I'm living in the same place and teaching the same grade.  The only good news is that with the start of school, things seem to be settling down just a wee bit (can you tell I've been hanging out with some Irish folk lately?).  Somehow the routine of putting the date on the board, following a schedule, reminding kids to stand two-feet-behind-two-feet, hands behind their back, with a quiet smile on their face in queue (or "line" as we Americans say)... is helping to pull in some of the craziness that has been plaguing me the past few weeks. 

Now the question remains - how long will it take to get used to teaching school again?  I know teachers who will not commit to any outside activities the first three weeks of school - and I'm starting to agree with that philosophy.  It seems a summer off has made me forget JUST HOW MUCH ENERGY - emotional, physical, and here, Spiritual - I give out daily.  And while it is truly a joy, I've already started my falling-asleep-before-dinner-and-not-waking-up-till-morning routine.  Hopefully this is a quick refresher session and will get better as I head into the new year!