All the way from Melonie over at The Joy of Being Melonie.
How does one handle work, home and family (or a combination thereof) without having a nervous breakdown?
Gosh! Well you see, Melonie's got quite a juggling job going on :o) She has 6 children from 11 down and has recently gone back to college ~ it makes me wonder what I should be complaining about. I have no kids, a supportive husband and a fabulous job. But sometimes the daily grind is exhausting.
I realise that Joe Bloggs on the street still thinks that teachers work from 9am until 3.15, have an hour for lunch, have weekends off and take 14 weeks holiday a year ~ this is a slightly out of date and jaded picture. Most weekdays I leave the house by 7.15 and am rarely home before 6pm. This past week I had a staff meeting on Monday (home at 6.10), a Governing Body meeting on Wednesday (home at 8.45) and an IT twilight meeting on Thursday (home at 6.30).
However, the biggest bug bear I have is the daily commute along the A2 to work. The A2 is the main road from London to Dover and originally followed a major Roman Road ~ the famous Watling Street ~ which in itself followed an ancient Celtic trackway. It's traffic problems are never mentioned on the radio in the morning because they are always there! Sometimes the 15 mile drive takes me 20 minutes ~ what a joy that is! Other mornings it takes an hour. And the longest ever was a 3 & a 1/2 hour commute ... luckily I had a book in the glove compartment and had wee'd before I left.
The journey home is similar but at least I can leave early / late and try to miss the bulk of the rush. On both journeys I listen to music to keep me going ~ Radio 2 and the woderful Terry Wogan in the morning. Not only the music but the jokes, poems and witiscms of his readers help me along the way. Whatever CD falls to hand in the evenings ~ currently a great deal of Snow Patrol, the Feeling and of course Michel Thomas ~ the Spanish king!
So that's how I do it ... the bit that could cause me a nervous breakdown, the travelling. I listen to music, try to relax, keep a book in the glove compartment, carry bottled water and ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS wee before I leave.
3 comments:
They say traffic jams are a wonderful opportunity for contemplation. I'm not entirely sure I believe "them".
I was touched by your comments about teaching since you described my 30 years of teaching in elementary school! Teachers are teachers wherever we live! I live in a small town,so I didn't have to face a commute each day. What got me through it? The children in my classes and my fantastic husband and children.
:)
I live in a massive city and as I do not own a car I rely on public transport. I leave home just after 6AM (I am a teacher also), and what could be 15 mins journey by car especially at that time in the morning is actualy over an hour long by bus, I arrive at work around 7:20am. The home journey can be ast fast as 45 mins and as long as 1 hr 30mins. Occaisionally, and I mean occiasionally and especially if I am carrying loads and loads of stuff I will ring a taxi. Last time I did A work collegue called me frivolous. Of course that collegue has a car and does not have to carry a ruckscak, handbag and laptop on two buses twice a day!
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