Don't Poke the Bear - Dior Tidwell

DON’T POKE THE BEAR.

She needs to hibernate. For a week at least. The bear is tired so incredibly tired. The exhaustion is felt behind the eyes and does not disappear after a nights rest. She might growl at you and a shifty side glance let’s you know you better watch out. The bear is at her limit and she is not to be crossed. She holds herself together by a thread and sometimes that thread snaps. I’m sorry. I am the bear. Hear me roar…don’t worry you can’t miss it.

May. It is the hardest month of the year for a teacher. Every day you spend every ounce trying to keep your class in line, and working, and on task but alas…Summer is in the air. It is exhausting. There are end of the year activities to organize and attend on top of the regular duties. Class parties to organize and for some really weird reason all of a sudden parents really need you…like all of them at once. Oh and that GREAT idea of the Oh, The Places You’ll Go book that every parent puts in your teacher box at the end of the year to write a special note in for their child when your to-do list is insurmountable……I have one request for all parents…Please send those books in April. I love writing special notes! I send each of my students a hand written note in the mail each year. BUT PLEASE OH PLEASE SEND THOSE BOOKS ANY OTHER TIME THAN THE LAST WEEK OF THE YEAR!!!!

I went with T to his family reunion for Memorial Day, we had a lot of fun but I could not shake the heaviness of the exhaustion that weighed on me. I tried to do some self care and go run. I walked out of the cabin to the street and looked to my right and my left. Hills. Hills and more hills. It was ok though I ran the hills and enjoyed the warmth and the clear blue sky and fresh air.

We saw so many elk which was super cool and some mule deer. We visited a lake and T won $50 at the casino! We visited the Snowflake Temple and then drove to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. I won’t tell you what I thought of that…..I’ll just say the Yelp rating of four stars was AWFULLY high in my opinion. I guess at least I can say I went and really, it was fun to be with T he loved it. It was good to get away, I am not sure I would have made it through the next week of trainings had I not had that little respite. It was like the walking “teacher” dead during that last week of meetings. EVERYONE was tired. We did get a lot of work done and the truth is I sure love my job and the people that work there.

At the end of the school year, I just feel pulled in every direction. Everyone needs my time and attention and sometimes I just can’t. do. it. any. more. I get super testy. So I apologize to all who came in contact with me not at school with my happy smile but after hours to the Grizzly. Literally, the next three days after work got out I slept. I slept, and slept, and growled at people, and slept. Friday I slept. Saturday I slept. Sunday I slept. The Bear had begun hibernation.

Sunday night my new baby niece was born. We just love her. Welcome to the world Pippa! All of us are so happy you are here. She is a sweetie pie. My handsome Aydan boy with sweet baby girl.

Early Monday morning I headed out to my happy place with Ellie, Heather, and Livy. Mexico…..here we come. Our annual girl’s trip had commenced. Here is what we do on the girls trip: we sleep, we read, we sit and stare at the ocean, we lay in the sun, sometimes get in the water if we get hot, we play games, and we watch movies, we eat tacos and we repeat. Every day until Friday.