And so it goes... And life goes on!

Here I am again trying to write something on this blog, which most of the time I neglect due to my work responsibilities and the many distractions we have today. I love "wasting" time using Facebook, creating fun exercises for my students (I teach two Graphic Design classes now), creating digital art, reading, taking care of our very old dog Lucy (17 years old) and our other pets (an old cockatiel and an old lop-ear bunny), doing things with my family, gardening, etc. And to me now, more than ever, time flies! 

[I cannot believe the last time I wrote here was back in 2012 (even when I have many blogs, it's hard to believe). Which really tells me that sometimes I tend to do, or try to do, too much and then I cannot keep up! Creating my Spanish Blogs for my Spanish classes (Spanish I and II) the previous two years, was very time-consuming; as it was teaching the language (I truly have great admiration for language teachers now!). What a job it is! I had also previously created blogs for all my other classes, Computer Applications and Digital Applications. Now I have a blog for my Graphic Design Classes, never a dull moment!]

Why is it that as I get older time seems to go faster and faster? Who knows? I think we simply get too busy at times. One thing I always noticed, particularly in this country (this doesn't happen in Latin America as much), is that people -in general- work very hard. People work long hours, some with crazy schedules, and are always rushing. I keep telling myself "life is not a race" and yet, I have done this too. As a teacher, you not only work in school, you also work from home, and being a perfectionist is a problem - I tend to overdo it. There is nothing wrong with working very hard for a period of time, let's say a period of 20 years (or 30 years, depending on your preferences), but after that, we must learn to shift our priorities, in my opinion, and concentrate on other things that have special meaning to us, things we always wanted to accomplish but didn't have the time to do. Maybe volunteering in an Animal Rescue place, maybe writing or pursuing artistic endeavors, maybe traveling and photography, etc. (the list is endless...).

And so, life goes on! And life, to me anyway, seems to fly pretty fast, and I'm on a stage in my life where I want to SLOW DOWN and simplify my life, as much as possible. I don't want to worry about pleasing people anymore, about going out of my way to make things "perfect" or as "close to perfect" as possible. Who cares? It's okay to make mistakes! It's okay to do less!

I have to admit I was disappointed when after working so hard for 11 years, in a school that I loved, I was let go (with five other people), just like that! It's been a struggle to come to grips with the reality that sometimes people don't care how loyal you are, how dedicated and hard you work, if they have another agenda -you do become "dispensable."

I used to believe and still believe that WE ARE ALL INDISPENSABLE (in one way or another)! It's just that some people don't truly appreciate our work, or they worry about their company's/organization's/school's financial situation too much (many times unnecessarily) and rush to fire people that don't deserve it. While other employees that are not productive, loyal, deserving and caring remain in their positions. It is an irony in so many ways, mind-blowing, but we must move on! “Let bygones be bygones,” like people say.

So here I am at another crossroad in my life, trying to decide what to do in my future. Besides teaching digital art, I would like to find more time to do the many things I love, and "work" less. We don't have to prove to anyone how productive we are, how much we can do, and get so busy that we don’t find time to do the “ordinary” things that are also important in our lives. Life is not a race!

Let’s simplify our lives and find time to enjoy nature, our families, a hobby, learning something new, helping others, and doing the things that have meaning to us. Let’s do what makes us happy and what gives us life!

"Do the things that you know give you life! Don't feel bad to leave, when you know you MUST do the things that give you life." ~ Barbara Brown Taylor

According to Barbara Brown Taylor, who wrote the book "Learning to Walk in the Dark" - we must ask ourselves: "What is giving us life? What is saving our life?" Important questions indeed! Let's reflect on this.  And so it goes... and life goes on!