Brunch with the Budgies

I had it all planned out: the first day the kids were in school and I wasn't: I was going to take my camera and go to the zoo to take photos. There would be no kids and it would be a nice celebration of another first in the series that is retirement. When I got up this morning I didn't feel like getting dressed right away so I put on a pair of sweats and read my email. Then the familiar 'shoulds' started to kick in. I should be getting ready if I'm going to the zoo. I'd better have something to eat and get moving. I must remember to put on my sunscreen.

In the middle of one of these thoughts I stopped myself. I don't have to go to the zoo if I don't want to. It's true that weather is beautiful and taking photos would be fun but I feel like nesting today. The nest is quite a mess and I've been out so much lately that I haven't had a chance to clean it up. So I decided to let myself off the hook regarding the zoo. I have an annual pass and it will be there tomorrow.

I realized that this is also what I liked best about teaching, a chunk of time in which I could decide which tasks got done in which order. There certainly were more restrictions in teaching than there are now. I have a few phone calls I want to make and there are a few dust bunnies taunting me from the sidelines but it is quiet and peaceful in the house and I get to decide what I do and when I do it. No bells, no supervision, no marking.


I got my brunch ready and sat down in the dining room with the birds and a book on scroll sawing. I read and munched and talked to the birds. Bailey was quiet and enjoyed the piece of orange I put in her cage. The budgies regarded the piece of orange as some alien life form and stayed away from it. Manx, the more vocal of the two, carried on his usual commentary on life. One of the wonderful things about budgies is that, even at their loudest, they aren't all that loud. The burbles, and peeps and squeaks and whistles never cease to amuse me.

Now, as I sip my tea and do a little 'blogging,' the house is quiet except for the fan in my computer and the ticking of various clocks. That is yet another thing to appreciate. I encouraged talk in my classroom and so it was hardly ever quiet. The halls were always noisy with loud talk, laughter and sometimes screeches of surprise when somebody poked somebody else. Most of the noise was good natured but in the last couple of years I began to find it wearing. I don't think my hearing is as good as it used to be and it becomes more of an effort to filter out the various sounds and to understand what people are saying. So, as I sit here, I am at ease in the relative silence. I may listen to the radio later or put on my iPod and continue the latest novel I'm listening to but, here again, there is no obligation and that is truly a gift.

It is interesting now that I'm away from teaching how I'm starting to be able to articulate some of what I liked about and to appreciate the years I spent in the classroom in a new way. Life is good.