Wow! How the hell is it the end of June? We are halfway through the year and things are already so different to how the year began, way back in January! To think, in January, COVID-19 was something we knew next to nothing about, and life was going on as normal without thought for what was about to hit us not even 2 months later.
The situation, I have found can change in an instant, and if there was ever a reason to just live life, and do what YOU want to do, and not what you think others want you to do, this is most definitely it! I’m not going to lie, June has been really hard for me. The days have been filled with worry, self-doubt, and what ifs, and I really haven’t been following my own advice. But all I can say is I’m trying, and moving forward in the hopes that July is going to be a lot better!
I struggled this month to find the motivation to write, and find a blog idea that appealed to me for this month. I almost didn’t do one at all, and thought July would bring 2 new blogs instead. However, this brings me onto the theme of today’s blog; reviewing those New Year’s Resolutions I made way back in December, when lockdown was what we saw on TV, and mostly in Prison dramas, and not what we all know now as trying to slow down a nasty virus causing a pandemic worldwide by staying indoors, unless travel was absolutely necessary.
Here goes!
1. Leave work earlier- things can wait!
So yes… I started this one off terribly, as I was still finding my feet in Year 5, and burning the candle at both ends seems to be my go to approach. Saying this, I was leaving things and at work, and not always bringing them home to mark or sort out. However this just meant I was staying later than I hoped, to finish those last parts or books.
In a turn of events (and perhaps the only blessing in disguise), on February 22nd . I landed very awkwardly on the trampoline at training, and damaged my inner and outer ligaments in my right ankle, as well as gaining an avulsion fracture- massive ouch! This meant that driving was impossible, and so to get to work, and back again I needed to rely on others (who were absolutely amazing, lovely, and whom I will always be grateful for), to bring me to, and from work every day while recovering. This in the grand scheme of things meant that I had to be ready to leave when they were, hence I was working faster, more efficiently, and actually found that things being left to the next day, or over the weekend was not the end of the world. I have a great team behind me, and we always made it work, no matter what!
Nowadays, in the world we are living in right now, I am leaving later in the mornings (there’s no traffic!), and by 4:30pm at the latest I am packing my things ready to go, and having a chat on the way out. My weekends are now mine again and I am still working in the days, but in the evenings (unless there’s a big project needing doing) I am not doing anything work-related! Yes I am not in 5 days a week at the moment, but there are still things to be doing. The difference is I am not letting it all overtake me, and disrupt this new work/life balance I’ve managed to get (for the time being anyway). Yes the situation is not ideal, but it has made me re-evaluate, and surely that is no bad thing.
Progress? Yes!
2) Run, Run, Run- perhaps I will give myself a target…
I am back running! Granted I’m having to take it very slow, and I’m definitely not where I planned to be when I wrote my resolutions in December, but I am running again and this is making me very happy.
After injuring myself in February, all my training and progress, went from going quite well to literally zero. One minute I was preparing for the National Trampoline League, and the next I was struggling to walk, let alone run or even worse jump. The doctor at A&E said it would likely be 3-6 months before I could start doing light running and training again- absolute nightmare!
So here we are 19 weeks (4 and a half months later), and I have started running once again, and my God doesn’t it feel epic! Yes, my ankle hurts like nobody’s business, and I’m not really sure that running 4K this early on is the best idea, but being able to even do that is a great feeling. It makes me hopeful that with time I will return to running further, and perhaps even better than before, and eventually get back to Trampolining, where I am desperate to be.
One last point about running, I have gained a running partner during this time in lockdown in the form of Lisa. We get up early on the mornings I go into work, and we run. With her not needing to be in school physically, and remote learning taking place, we have managed to get into a good routine of doing this. We both agree, it sets us up for the day and gives us a chance to wake up, and prepare ourselves for the day ahead while running (or in my case) plodding along the pavements. On the days we don’t run, we walk and I love it!
All three of us all do a workout everyday for anything between 10-30 minutes and this gives us a chance to chat, catch up and have a laugh while (hopefully) getting fitter! This is fast becoming one of my favourite times of the day!
Progress? Most definitely!
3) Keep up chilling with the people closest- don’t become overwhelmed by the machine that is work and school.
Again, this is very much like my first resolution- leaving earlier from work. I have mixed progress on this one, purely because of the situation we have found ourselves in. Before lockdown, I was getting better at coming home, and switching off, but I knew really it wasn’t enough. So when lockdown came along, I embraced the chance to work at home, and then spend at least 1 weekday (if not 2), and the weekends off my laptop and away from major ‘work’ things, doing stuff with the family and making sure I kept up with friends. I would still be doing the smaller, more managable tasks on the weekdays but I haven’t been tied down to my laptop from 8 in the morning until 11 at night.
As lockdown has become slightly eased, and people have been able to meet albeit ‘socially distanced’ I have stood at the far door of my auntie’s house, and chatted to her, and I have walked with a work friend (otherwise known as my work mum) catching up with things we have missed. Something that would regularly happen at school in ‘normal time’, has become somewhat of a luxury now.
Despite lockdown being hard on everyone and making life just a little harder in terms of shopping, working and ‘socialising’ like we are used to, I have really loved just being at home and spending time as a family. Myself, Lisa, and Ciara are all cooking more, trying new things that before we would never have had time for, or even thought about. We are able to eat around the table more evenings of the week and chat. I have been able to finish a book I have been trying to finish for absolutely ages, and we have even taken to painting by numbers… for a little bit.
Yes times are strange, and unfamiliar right now but this too will pass, and as someone who needed to take a step back, I have been able to do this, and on the whole quite successfully.
Progress: So, so- we are getting there slowly and surely!
4) Finally, Write!
This one I was determined to stick to, and it is one I intend to continue to stick to for a long time to come. Every month I really enjoy talking about a new topic or life in general… (or let’s be honest, offloading into an abyss) and I am proud that 6 months down the line I am still completing this.
As I mentioned, this month I really did struggle to get myself moving to write this, hence it being the last day of June, and nothing has been posted yet. However, yesterday I received a gift from one of my students from this year. A Harry Potter book where the pages have been folded to form the word ‘Teacher’. She made it, and it’s honestly amazing; (look at the Featured image)! A note attached saying ‘Thank you so much!’. It really put the biggest smile on my face. Something like that can really change your outlook, and it gave me the push I needed just to get up, and keep it going. Everyone is finding it tough now, and everyone will have their up and down moments. This month has been my down, but next could be up again, so we have all just got to keep on moving!
I love teaching, and moments where you can see something, or someone, has made a difference somewhere is incomparable to anything else I have ever experienced. What a journey it has been already, and this year has been a massive one all by itself.
Progress: Doing good so far… fingers crossed it keeps going that way!
Again I have literally rambled for a long time; sorry! I hope something here makes sense, and see you next month when who knows what will have happened!?!
Stay safe x
What Am I Doing? 