California, here we come...

...right back where we started from.

Tomorrow, we leave for California. This is a sad statement because it means going back to work. I like my job, of course, but I like being on vacation even more! It also means saying goodbye to green, luscious, beautiful Michigan and saying hello to congested, busy, dry, empty, California. I might feel better about going back if I could take all of my family with me, but I can't.

As I think back to all of my other summer vacations (as a student), I realize that I took them for granted. They were natural stops in the school year, not necessarily deserved or earned. In the Real World where people work for a living, only teachers get such extended time off in the summers. It would be unheard of to give doctors and lawyers and secretaries and cooks two months off during the year (at least in America). So I didn't take this summer for granted.... never before have I felt such an urgent need to have a complete break from everything about my job, never before have I felt I deserved so much time off. I'm grateful for summers. Even though teachers have stressful jobs, they/we are probably more healthy individuals for the breaks we are given.

Since I've had nearly two months to recuperate from my hectic first year, I should be ready to march back into my classroom ready to get my hands and knees dirty in preparing for another school year. Why is it, then, that every time I think about it I feel so unmotivated?? I can only hope that once I get started, I'll remember how much I like my job and why I chose this profession!