Going Back To Work

Going back to work was something I had anxiety about.  My goal was to have my 2nd drain out before I went back so that I could at least "look" normal on the outside, no matter how I felt.  Well, that didn't happen.  I was also anxious about how I would get everything done, while still keeping true to my current restrictions. 

There were a couple of things that made my going back easier.  First, my boss allowed me to get in my room the week before.  Every day, once Jay got off of work, we would go over to school for a couple of hours and knock off items on my to do list.  I'm not going to lie, I didn't do much outside of point and move the occasional light pile, but I would be EXHAUSTED by the end of a couple of hours.  Thanks to the hard work of my husband, my room was pretty well set up before preplanning even started.

Also, I decided to post the beginning posts of my blog before we went back to school.  I started blogging then, because I felt in a good mind frame to do it, but it also was good timing with school.  It let many of my school friends know what was going on without me really having to talk about it. 

I didn't sleep much the night before the first day of preplanning.  I had spent some time picking out an outfit for grade level pictures so that I wouldn't look weird with my drain, but still had soo many things running through my head.  It was all for nothing.  My first day back was so nice.  It was nice to see many of my friends and it was incredibly nice to feel all of the love they shared with me.  Many warm hugs, knowing smiles, and pop ins to my room to check on me.  It was also nice to have other things to focus my mind and attention on.

We always start the morning of the first day with a staff breakfast and some kind of "Hello, My name is..."  This year, tables were arranged in a circle and our principal asked us to introduce ourselves and share our "big memory" of the summer.  I instantly let out a little chuckle when she said this.  I had joked with my PS that I would have one hell of a "What I did on my summer break" story.  No, I did not stand up and say "Hi, I'm Kristin, I teach 3rd grade, and this summer I got a mastectomy."  I shared about my trip to Curacao. :)

I tell you what, though, preplanning and the first week back to school took a lot out of me.  I sat often (I never sit), was uncomfortable frequently, and completely exhausted by the end of the day.  But each day got better than the day before, and that's all I need.