Well, it happened! I crashed. No, not with my vehicle, but with my life. I was stressed to the max this past week. I guess I felt more like being caught up in a tree with no way to get down.

I love my family, my job, my new dog(yes, that's another story), and even my BGSU classes. However, everything just became too much at once. Every time I turned around, there was another deadline to meet. I couldn't get ahead, but was hoping to at least keep up. I finally realized that I'm not Wonder Woman.

Although, I wouldn't mind having a lasso of truth for my classroom. I needed a break. Today, before I wrote this blog, I went four-wheeling with my husband. I had rode on the back of his before, but I found myself just trying to hang on. He bought another one, only smaller ( yes, that's another story, too), and I rode it for the first time. I really enjoyed myself. It isn't the same feeling that I get when I ride my motorcycle, but it was fun nonetheless. So when you crash, find yourself up a tree, and realize you aren't that super hero you'd like to be, try riding a four-wheeler. It worked for me.

Patience is a virtue I have always been working on. My mother was pretty patient with my sisters, brother, and myself- four of us total. She would always remind me of the verse from the Bible-"A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." (Proverbs 19:11)I am constantly learning this over and over again. My students are good overall, hardworking, wanting to please, kind, and usually do their best. However, like most children will do, they can try your patience, and if you have students who are ADHD, they can try your patience a lot. I have one such student who definitely has been trying my patience lately. However, I like this little motto on patience, and I realize my attitude needs a little adjustment. It's all about attitude.

Merry-Go-Round of Life My favorite ride at the fairs, carnivals, or amusement parks has always been the merry-go-round. I like the slow ride and the up and down of the ponies. However, some of the parks have a faster merry-go-round. I've been on those a couple of times but don't really enjoy them.Lately, I feel as though I am on one of those merry-go-rounds. It's going faster and faster and I am not enjoying it. I feel as though I am just hanging on or I'll be thrown from the ride. Am I getting too old to enjoy the ride anymore? Has it lost its glitter and appeal? I love teaching, but the ride is speeding up. I can't seem to keep up with the pace anymore. I'm going around and around and around. I'm not getting anywhere and I wonder if its time to get off the ride. I recently went to Ohio's Annual Statewide Education Conference. I went to the session on The Third Grade Reading Guarantee. It was very informative and yet, left us all with more questions. The problem is, the state is like the person who is running the merry-go-round. They keep speeding it up, just a little bit at first, and then slowly, and gradually they make it go a little faster until you don't realize it.If you don't strap in, you'll be thrown from the ride. They keep changing the rules like kids will do on a playground to ensure they are the winners. I don't know if I can keep up. I've only got 16 years invested in teaching. I figured I'd be 65 when I retired. However, I don't want to be one of those teachers that just hangs around for a job. I've always said that when I don't enjoy teaching, I hope I'll have the courage to stop. I still enjoy teaching, my students, and colleagues. I just get tired of the obstacles in the way. If the ride doesn't slow down soon, I'm going to have to jump.