Another Reality of the Work I Do - Living in my Office To Do the Work I Do. At Least I Made Philly Steak

I learned while finishing my dissertation during my first year at Fairfield University that my office is my friend. It is a home away from and where I can go to concentrate, to revise, to rethink, to reorganize, and to meet deadlines. Unfortunately, my schedule never allows me to do this in a traditional Monday-Friday work week.

I spent last Thursday cleaning my office out of nerves during Abu's interview on campus, so I knew if I went to work yesterday I'd be able to concentrate on the tasks at hand without distractions of cleaning, feeling overly cluttered (yes, I allow my office to be packed), and having the Glamster licking every part of my skin that is exposed to her. I also knew I needed to rethink a writing project that has been in the works for over three years - writing with Somali youth who relocated as refugee background students. The task is important to me, but the everyday world of institutes, literacy labs, professional development, committee meetings, home life, emails, and other projects sometimes throws roadblocks at getting the work done (okay, I admit it...I procrastinated on this one by meeting two other deadlines, which I didn't think I'd be able to do).

Exhale. All in the hopes that the writing will be published.

I came home last night around 8 pm and made myself Philly steak with onions and peppers. I didn't have a hoagie roll, but I did have good bread so the meal wasn't a complete dud. I also made time to walk the dog in the morning (while catching up on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and even managed a 45-minute run). But then it was devotion time, which is also true of today. The work needs to be tuned so I can go into classes this week with a concentration on my students.

No one told me the reality of doing the work that I do. I admit that I love it, but lordy lordy it does a number on the brain. Sometimes I feel confident with what I have to say from the research I do, but other times I simply feel overwhelmed by the volumes of everything needed to know.

We can only do what we can do given the context with how we've been able to do it. And with that I enter the day of rest with ambition to check another box on my to-do list.