Catch-up post: This season of life

In real life I'm a librarian for a university. This time of year I'm run ragged teaching endless sessions on how to do research (which students ignore for the most part) and how to avoid plagiarism (ditto). I also spend time "embedded" in online courses doing the same thing. The students online tend to ask more questions than the students sitting in a classroom. Go figure.



That said, I do still have what passes for a life! This fall it's meant Saturdays at high school cheerleading competitions and Sunday afternoons cooking for our week. I find the grind is harder this year than the last 3 years on this job--probably because the kids are both in high school, are testing their independence in normal ways that add stress for me as a mom. They have more homework and for once are actually talking about it a little. That's great and I love it, but it does mean less "down time."

I don't blog much about P and B anymore because they are teenagers and they don't want me to. I respect that. Friends and school are their world--not me as it was when they were little. That makes me both happy and sad. I'm happy they are growing up and in daily life need less from me. Sad because peers have so much influence and not all of it is desirable.


http://www.google.com/imgres?q=compass&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=595&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=ME75ZImqg5TCFM:&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass&docid=wXUS0cajQaBVpM&w=220&h=220&ei=WlV7TtGBBvDD0AHq1MjnAg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=254&page=1&tbnh=111&tbnw=111&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=42&ty=60


The other thing happening at this Season of my life is I'm exploring. Mostly looking at possible second income ideas that can eventually carry over into retirement. So many people are doing that that I've a ready peer group for encouragement and ideas. I don't know what will come of all this yet. My brother and sister-in-law have a mobile BBQ business and a shop in a flea market to help fuel their retirement and pay for the horses they love. Other friends have started "hobby" businesses--a small retail "niche" somewhere on the web or a small service company.

http://www.progressivereadingseries.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Business-plan-this-year-150x150.jpg


I find myself reevaluating most of my life right now--what do I want to keep? What do I want to change? Typical of reaching 50 I find. With the both P and B eligible for independence in only 3 years I try to think through how that could look. Will either go to college? Will they move out? What kind of work could they find--especially in our very rural area. Lots of changes coming up.