Today, I wore capri pants! That is exciting not only because it meant a) the sun was shining all day and b) my legs are shaved, but also that I was in a peppy, pleasant mood. Somehow one cannot wear capri pants and be cranky, or even mildly grumpy. I imagine they just don't fit properly if one's disposition is less than perky; they probably get all bunchy is discomfiting places. And so went my first day of relative normalcy since last week's brush with the plague.
My blessed students (those are the ones who do actual work, when I request it, without grousing) remarked that I looked like I felt better; this is sweet because half the time I'm not certain they are 1) listening when I say how I feel or 2) aware I am the individual teaching class. Remarkable things happen when the teacher is feeling well (and wearing capris!): A group of three boys actually spent 50 entire minutes in the computer lab typing and discussing their short stories (I was sitting right across from them the whole time; not a single word about parties, smoking, or snowboarding the whole time). They announced to me a few weeks ago, giddily I might add, that they wanted to intertwine their stories so that characters and situations overlap. When I asked "Seriously?" because I hate to be taken for a dupe and thought they might just be baiting my geeky gullible self, they looked puzzled and said "Yeah! Is that okay?" Then I had to try not to be overenthusiastic about their attention to, um, school work lest I bring them back to reality and they decide what they've just revealed is extremely stupid.
More student behavior improved by my wellness: In Advocacy (like a homeroom class), it was 'check-in' day when I meet with individuals about how their classes are going. While they wait to meet with me, they can be working on other school work or playing different games I have. Today I let them know I found a Scrabble game in perfect condition at Goodwill - often, my excitement over such finds is met with either an "It's cute how she thinks we might care about something so dumb" attitude or bored silence. But this day, when I have brought my healthy self back to school? Five teenagers jockeying for position around the Scrabble board; one boy actually said (I should have caught it on tape), "Wow, I LOVE Scrabble, give me a spot in there!"
And then. At the grocery store. The elusive Dairy/Frozen Food guy, whom I have not seen for many months, was in the parking lot! I did a double-take; I stopped longer than necessary at the end of the lane; I craned to make sure it was him. He was on the phone, out of Wild Oats/Whole Foods attire. It is all so mysterious to me - why is he not working whenever I'm shopping? Does he do something away from the main floor now? Does he miss me and my coffee beans?
So anyway, this is all just to say, I'm feeling much more like myself again. Which may or may not be considered 'normal.'
