School Dreams

God gave me a gift this morning.  It was a dream.  I woke up in the middle of it when my alarm went off.  As a retired school teacher, I usually start having dreams about working in a classroom around this time of year, and that's what this was, except, my daughter was with me.  She and I were trying to have a conversation.  I could see her smiling, and it felt so good to be with her, but then hoards of students invaded our space.  I heard the number 51, and thought that was way too many children to take care of by myself.  

The layout of the room was also strange in that it was actually three rooms, each with a corner attached to a common area in the middle, like petals of a daisy around its center.  I was able to calm the crowd of kids down in one room, but as soon as I left to greet students in the other rooms, those in the first one were out of control.  The whole time this was happening, I just wanted to be with my daughter.  Finally, when I was awakened by my alarm, I remember that we were eating together while someone else was in charge of my students.  I woke up exhausted!  

Whether you're a retired teacher, or are still teaching, I'm pretty sure that as soon as you see the first back-to-school commercial, your dreams begin.  It's a sign that summer vacation is almost done, and your heart will once again belong to someone else's kids.  You bring your job home with you.  You breathe it, sleep it, and can't get it off your mind.  

Now that I've been retired for seven years, school dreams take on a whole new meaning for me.  I'm in the process of trying to decide what to let go of in order to make my life less busy.  I'm learning how to say, "No".  This morning's dream was a reminder of how much my family means to me, and has cemented some decisions I've been struggling with.  What a gift!  After all, I retired to spend more time with my loved ones, not less, and certainly not just in my dreams. 

The above photo is called, "Under Water II, with Ink Line Filter".  I paired it with this post because it has a bit of a dreamy look .