Mixed Bag

I knew it couldn't last. Yesterday I was floating on air, I don't remember being so supremely happy in a long time. The glorious summer weather, Hannah and Luke here with me, no school pressures, old friends coming to visit today, on and on. Then it started sometime after 4 am this morning when I swung my legs over and stepped flatly on my glasses that the cats knocked onto the floor. I tried to twist them back into place but they are not right and I have to strain to see. I got some animals fed, walked dogs, talked to Luke when he woke up and put on his favorite cartoons. I thought I better get dressed, which means exercises first. My routine consists of going into the bathroom where I am free from cats, dogs, kids, and other distractions, starting the bath tub (trickling water calms me and helps me with the yoga/ballet component of my beauty regimen) putting the little fan on, and generally calming myself. The high window sill is just right to put my leg up and I can see the tops of the pines and sky. I go into my "alternate state" and stretch those muscles. When I'm done I sink into the water. After some time I thought I should check my water and it was ice cold. With my funky electric I have to flip a lever every time I dry clothes in the dryer or sparks fly. That turns off the hot water heater, and I have to remember to flip it back or - ice cold water. Guess who forgot to flip the lever last night. Then the phone rang. It is my Commanding Officer from school. "We want you to come upstairs and work your magic," or something like that. I loved my room, I loved my routine, I thought I had finally arrived at the perfect schedule and position for me, in a lovely far-end classroom where I had my teacher-friends down the hall, and everybody left me alone. Now it's a whole new bag. Thankfully she is letting me keep The Amazing Robin, my trusty aide, or I would be psychotic myself. I try to look at my job as a military post, where you know it won't last so you enjoy it and do your best, and if it's not working out you just wait for a better post to come along, but I really liked what I had. Maybe the water is hot and I can get my beauty routine done and end it with my soak in the big old claw-foot tub. Summer might as well be over as I'll worry about my new job, with a psychologist in the room at all times for the very troubled kids, with no Grooveshark and where everyone can see what I'm showing the kids on the Smart Screen. Okay just deal with it.