2013 was quite a year full of many personal and professional ups and downs. Like most previous years there were wonderful moments of overwhelming joy, a few gut wrenching moments of total sadness, and a whole lot of every other emotion thrown into this mix we call life. It was not until I sat down to write this, and reflect on the year that was that I realized I had not posted anything here since last February. This is funny because one of my resolutions for 2013 was to write and post a blog at least once or twice a month....so that didn't exactly work out. A major reason for this resolution not panning out the way I intended is because I fell in love with another outlet to help relieve my stresses. The outlet = running. I'll begin looking back at the year that was by starting with my personal life, and what better way to begin than to talking about running.
2013 Personal Reflection -
Anyone who has spent any amount of time with me through middle and high school, and over the past 14 years or so know that working out (lifting weights, running, playing basketball) are all things I love doing. For awhile life got in the way and my workouts were not keeping up with my eating, and I ballooned to a lovely 276 lbs. As my doctor once affectionately told me, "You look like a pile of mashed potatoes with a peanut (my head) sitting on top of it." or as one of my 8th grade students once said after seeing a picture of me beside pictures of his other teachers, "Mr. Styron, how come you got the biggest body, but the smallest head?". Go ahead...laugh it up! Anyway, roughly 2 years ago I decided to recommit myself to working out and running. It became and has remained an obsession. It is a permanent part of my days, weeks, and life. In fact, I often over train because I become incredibly uncomfortable taking a day off even though the sane part of my brain knows it is necessary. Not to brag, but I dropped to a lovely 226 lbs. and actually changed the formation of my entire body thanks to doing a ton of muscle confusion workouts via crossfit, completely changing how I lift weights, and last but not least got serious about my running. Now the comments I get from my doctor and students are more along the lines of, "You really don't need to lose anymore weight" or "Why is your head so big?".
Near the end of 2012 is when I had really upped my running game, and I began to realize I missed the competitiveness of sports that I used to get playing basketball. One of my resolutions for 2013 was to run and compete in at least four 5K races. I ended up racing in 8 or 9. Running is awesome. Running is painfully beautiful, and it is often the best part of my day. One of my resolutions for 2014 will be to try out some 10K's and continue to improve.
Aside from those changes, which I mentioned first, because so much about me getting in better shape physically has led to me being in better shape in other aspects of my life...particularly mentally and emotionally. Some of the more memorable 'good' moments of 2013 include buying and settling into a house that is beyond what I could have ever imagined possible when I was growing up, and reuniting with a long lost stepsister from my dad's second marriage. From the age of 5 to the time I was nearly 11 my stepsister and I were incredibly close. That time of my life was as close as I would ever get to knowing what a 'real family' was supposed to be. I had thought of her many times over the years wondering what ever happened to her, her other sister, and their mom. Did she (or they) ever wonder what happened to my sister and I after we were literally moved overnight from Georgia to North Carolina? What had happened in their lives over the years? Unbelievably, I was able to get the answers to some of these questions and more this past summer when we were reunited after 26 years apart thanks to Facebook. We're slowly trying to rebuild or build a new relationship.
Some of the 'bad' moments of 2013 were the deaths of our 2 cats, Callie and Tuna. Callie had been in our lives since before my wife and I were married, and Big Tuna had been with us for 8 years or so. Both of their deaths were surprisingly difficult to deal with, but paled in comparison to the death of my beloved Lu Lu. Our Boston Terrier, and my dream dog, that was given to me as a 6 week old puppy during Christmas of 2000. She passed away in late June of this year, and I'll freely admit it destroyed me to the core. She was the best. There were of course many other events that occurred in 2013 on a personal level that were good, bad, and everything in between, but those are for other posts.
2013 Professional Reflection -
Professionally 2013 has been good. I'm still doing what I feel like I was born to do which of course is teaching. I've taken on more responsibilities at the middle school where I teach, and I'm trying like hell to adjust to the major changes that continue to disrupt and alter public education in North Carolina. My other job at the community college teaching 'adults' has been an interesting experience to say the least, but I enjoy it for the most part. With all that said there have definitely been times throughout 2013 in which I felt that I wasn't fully using what I consider my strengths as a teacher. At times I have felt that I was not reaching my potential as an educator, that I could and should be doing more as an educator, and trying to decide if what I can and want to do can even occur in a public school in North Carolina with all the changes that have been made. Time will tell.
Once again I'm resolving to get this blog back to it's former glory by writing and posting more about my life as a teacher and life in general. Please become a follower if you are not already, and look forward to as many laughs as I can provide for you in the future. All the best that life has to offer to you and yours in 2014.
-Sty
