1. What are 3 items you can’t live without on a daily basis (water, food, shelter, and clothes don’t count)
- My glasses - On days when I don't have to work I stumble around until about noon, which is when I admit defeat. I have become majorly nearsighted since I started teaching and have gone from only having to wear glasses to drive or see the blackboard, to having to wear them all the time to be able to watch television or to see what's happening across the street when I'm walking around town.
- My cell phone - I don't actually make a lot of phone calls, but I text on a daily basis and love that I can check Instagram, Facebook, and news and weather sites from anywhere, as well as listen to my Amazon music library.
- My rings - I wear my college class ring, engagement rings and wedding band daily and my hands feel naked without them. Those three little rings hold all the significance in the world to me because they represent the most important parts of my life - my family and my education.
2. What is your all time favorite book? Why?
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- The Time-Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It was one of the first "adult" books I read in college that wasn't a classic, and I've read it many times since then. I experience a whole range of emotions while reading Claire and Henry's tale - surprise, heartbreak, and hope. Even though the plot contains a huge science fiction element, the characters feel very much like real people and their voices ring true. And at the end of the day, it's an incredible love story. I even used my favorite page from the book as the table number for our wedding sweetheart table.
3. What is something you’d like to accomplish before the end of 2013?
- Good question! I'd like for my students to achieve a higher pass rate on the new state writing and reading tests - because their scores are actually my scores and represent 40% of my overall evaluation. I just want to feel like I've beaten this test and know how to effectively prepare students for it - which is not how I felt at the end of last year, unfortunately.
4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life which year would it be?
- I wouldn't! There are definitely moments that I'd love to experience again - being with my dad and my grandmothers, for sure - but I think I'd be to tempted to change the way I did things, knowing what I know now, and it might have some weird butterfly effect on my present life. I love my life right now and wouldn't want it any other way.
5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?
- To get a little deep on you, I wish people knew that I deal with clinical depression and anxiety and that it is a medical condition. I think sometimes people who don't know think I'm moody or even bipolar, and a lot of people just lack understanding about depression and think people can "snap out of it". or pray it away. I wish those people knew you can't snap out of depression any more than you can snap out of diabetes or asthma. I've often wished I could tell my bosses at school so that they would understand why I make a really big deal out of things sometimes, but in Virginia I could actually be fired for having a medical condition that could interfere with my job, so I have to keep it a secret.
- In the same vein, I wish people knew my father had passed away because I can't stand that awkward moment when we're all describing our family's plans for a weekend or holiday and someone asks, "What about your dad?" or when someone I haven't seen since I was a teenager asks "How are your parents doing?"
I loved The Time Traveler's Wife! It was incredibly well-written and very moving.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has struggled with depression, I truly hope that your good days far outweigh your bad days, and that you have a strong support system. *hugs*
Thanks for stopping by Meredith! Have you seen the movie version of The Time-Traveler's Wife with Rachel McAdams? I thought it was really well done.
DeleteI have an AWESOME support system, and my husband in particular is great at recognizing when I'm showing signs of depression and helping me understand that the negative thoughts I experience during those times aren't 100% realistic.
I have! I loved the casting of Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. They were perfect for the roles. :)
DeleteI'm so glad to hear that!
I love your answers, they are sincere and I can tell you put a lot of thought into them. I live with anxiety and depression too, but I work in the mental health field so I don't mention it a lot to my coworkers, at least not until they know me better! I get you sister!
ReplyDeleteThis post ended up getting really deep for me - either the questions were quite thought-provoking, or I was just in a reflective mood. I can imagine talking about your own struggles while working in mental health would be quite a challenge but I'm also sure you aren't the only one in your office who deals with anxiety and depression. They are so much more common than I think society conditions us to believe.
DeleteI know exactly what you mean about your dad. I hate how questions so simple like, "How often do you go home to visit your parents," take are far more meaning than they should. I hate just answering, because it feels like I'm lying in a way. But hate how awkward it can make a conversation if I bring up the fact it's just my dad now.
ReplyDeleteI recently ran into my kindergarten teacher who works part-time at the mall and she asked, "how are your parents doing?" which was just her being a considerate person. I just said, "fine" because there was no way I wanted to go into the whole cancer story in Eddie Bauer, or upset a sweet old lady.
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