Back to the living

I'm actually out of the house at the moment, a rarity for me of late (setting aside the time we were away and I was just lying in a hotel room). It feels good, but very unsettling. So is the prospect of returning to school. I have a close emotional attachment to the place, and to have been separated from it for a week and a half, including 4 school days, is upsetting. Even when I broke my hand and had surgery, I was back in 2 days- not totally functional, but back nonetheless. This time, however, I had felt unwell for at least a week before I got really sick, so it's been two weeks since I've really been myself. And I'm still not. The coughing is not quite as severe and scary, but it's very much still there and I'm concerned it's going to frighten someone.

So I sit here on Saturday feeling almost like I do the day before school starts, expectant but a bit nervous. But the world is big and the sky is bright today and I'm looking forward to seeing Rennie Harris tonight and the Oscars tomorrow and being back in the classroom Monday. It's all of a piece. As the Tralfamadorians would tell me, it's just part of a continuum and my life goes on, so it goes. It would be nice if I'd learned something profound from this experience, but I haven't. Just remember to wash your hands and don't always try to keep pushing yourself when your body tells you not too. Nothing you're doing is so important that you can't miss it. I kind of knew that already, but this was a pretty powerful reminder.