I’m sitting here on an esplanade at the Coronado Springs Resort, grading research outlines. I’m trying to forget about the manufactured nature of the whole Disney experience and just enjoy the sunshine, 70 degree weather, and cool breeze. There is a lake to my right, and occasionally a snapping turtle swims by. Looking straight ahead I see clusters of palm trees. And even though my arms are starting to burn a little bit from the sun, I don’t really want to move.
I’m surprised that I have been able to grade quite a bit; perhaps the lack of focus on all the other pieces of my life enables me to blitz through papers faster. Who knows. At any rate, I’m here, I’m happier than ever that I bought a Macbook, and so grateful that the sun is shining.
Last night as I stood on the jetway in St. Louis waiting to board the flight to Orlando, I realized just how much I’ve done this year. I stopped sending Christmas Cards a long time ago, because nothing really changed in my life. Teach, grade, sleep. And that still is my life, but this year I took some giant steps out of my comfort zone—almost to the point where my comfort zone has actually expanded. And possibly, people I meet and sessions I attend will continue to push me right out of my comfort zone, until I no longer see my life in a dichotomy of what is comfortable and what is uncomfortable. That would not be a bad place to be.
In the words of my favorite place to buy the most comfortable t-shirts, life is good.
