Day #341 Writing Through COVID-19: Self-Care

I'm not into self-care.

That is, I don't think self-care should be one more thing we pencil into our already packed lives. If we have to set aside special time to stop beating ourselves up, if our miserable lives need to schedule a few minutes to soak our feet, we are doing something terribly wrong. 

I prefer to live in an ongoing state of self-care. Call it selfish. Call it 61-year-old wise. But if what I'm doing is causing me distress and exhaustion, I change what I'm doing. 
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Teaching in a pandemic is challenging, to be sure. I've redesigned countless lessons to keep kids masked, distanced, and connected online. But when things get hairy, I am this year tapping gently on the brakes, which I find preferable to revving my entire classroom's engines into burnout.
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Then.

Our district scheduled a Self-Care day today for all staff. Students stayed home while teachers were on contract from 8-3:30 with the directive to Care For Ourselves.

At first thought, I wanted only to stay home (which was not an option). Waking at 6 to plow through unplowed roads felt like the antithesis of Self-Care.

But as the day unfolded, my attitude shifted.
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I spent the first 20 minutes of the day having coffee with a co-worker who I knew needed to unload some recent frustrations. While education gives lip service to the value of teamwork among colleagues, the reality of our jam-packed schedules leaves only fleeting minutes to listen to each other. 

Next, I worked in my classroom before heading to the YMCA for an all-teacher yoga class, followed by an invigorating cycling workout. These were the most public activities I've engaged in since March 2020. I wore a mask and distanced myself, wiped the mats and the bike with disinfectant, used a tissue (per the posted instructions) to press the water-fountain button. 

I think I was pretty COVID safe. 
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Upon my return to school, I ate a delicious salad catered by a local restaurant, paid for by (??school funds??) not me!

Since August, I have sacrificed the colleague camaraderie of lunchtime in the teacher workroom for the hyper-vigilant COVID precaution demanded by my children.

Again today I picked up my lunch and returned to my room to eat alone. 

But I'd no sooner opened my styrofoam box when Rebecca knocked at my door. "Can I join you?"
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Rebecca is young enough to be my daughter. She teaches Family Consumer Science while I teach English. Yet we recognize in each other passions and humor. To have her join me (distanced!) for lunch was delicious self-care. 
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I squeezed in a little more school work before meeting up in Brandon's classroom to watch a film Randall worked on in 2010. Before becoming a teacher, Randall worked in film. He joined our staff three years ago, and we've said again and again that we'd like to watch one of "his" movies. 

Today--Atlantic Community School District Self-Care Day--finally allowed us time and space to do it! The film was a psychological thriller, made even more interesting as Randall explained camera shots, production decisions, and anecdotes of working with the cast.
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Today I felt productive, relaxed, strong, sated, engaged, stimulated, and appreciated. 

I didn't realize how much I needed self-care.

Enough.
Be well.
Write.

Allison