An End to Another Year

 

Lately I´ve been questioning why on Earth are people in such a hurry these days. It seems like they are running wild across the clock. Crazy people stuck in traffic jams, driving wild and causing accidents, being trapped at the exit of malls due to Christmas shopping. It is total madness. It´s as if the world is coming to an end and no stone should be left unturned because you won´t have the time to do it in 2025.

As you may well know from previous texts, I am a high school teacher and here in Brazil the school year starts in February and ends in December. Therefore, my colleagues and I are struggling to finish grading papers, closing grades and just getting class plans done each day. (reminder: students are tired too and dealing with a tired adolescent is not an easy task). Not to mention the evening presentations which shorten our sleep and recharging time.

I must stop here and write about the cases of burnout which hit teachers around the end of October. I have been hit. I´ve been dealing with leg issues and cannot climb up or down the stairs, nor drive (my car is not automatic). Taking a cab to and from work every day can be expensive. Getting up from a chair is an activity within itself. All due to the fact that, I ´ve been trying to get all my dues in and have left out the most important thing: exercise and sleep.

Money and exhaustion are the downsides. The good aspects are that I have been asking a cab driver I know to become my personal driver, and we have been bonding. (He is the best friend of my “son” – a close friend´s son whom I consider as my son). I’ve known this driver for the past 12 years, however, now we talk all the way to and from places. It makes being stuck in traffic easier to bear. I help him financially and he helps me by having someone I can trust pick me up at odd hours and feel safe.

Not only do I teach. I have also joined a few groups of writers. They keep me occupied with meetings, contests, reading and writing. Gatherings for book launching or debates. It is a lot of work that brings me pleasure, nonetheless.

This month I´ll be launching two new books for children in Portuguese. I will also be part of a collection of poetry. To be honest, not just one, around five of them. I have also been interviewed by a journalist from the South of Brazil which can be viewed on YouTube. It was a wonderful experience and am proud of everything I have accomplished in the world of writing. The interview lasted around 90 minutes. Rewatching it, I thought that it was natural, as if I were talking to a friend about the literary side of me.

Some stress throughout the year, has come from other people. People who you depend on to get the work done, mostly from the groups I belong to. If everyone did their part, it would be smooth sailing. But I guess that life is full of obstacles that you need to face. Life carries on.

It thrills me to be counting down for the first day of vacation. I feel like a child waiting for Christmas morning to look under the tree and see what Santa has left me. So, as of now, 13 days to go and counting to slowing down and recharging my battery.

 

Written: December 5, 2024

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