settling down

Home for the summer. . .wanting to settle into a routine now before fall quarter starts and I have to settle into a new routine. Such is the life of the teacher--but I love it! Tonight is Paint the Park Purple at the Rainiers--looking forward to that. It's always a blast to see folks from school, eat some great burgers, drink a brewsky, watch some baseball. And the weather is spectacular! Oh yeah, gotta love summer in the great PNW. My birthday is Monday--I'll be 53. I think sometimes my real age is 10. or sometimes it's 5. But that's okay I guess. I want to always stay "young at heart"--ready to live life to its fullest. That means staying healthy, keeping a grateful attitude. When I was in Atlanta last week, Dad exhorted Greg, Raney, Keith and I to "go fort it"--he actually pumped his arm back and forth. I was amazed at him. And very moved by what he said. He is a remarkable man. I hope to live up to his expectations of me. But also to be a success for myself. I am so competitive--sometimes not in a good way, but measuring myself by those I admire keeps me motivated, I think, to be the best I can be at whatever I do. And most of the time, it's not a matter of competing, but of being inspired to reach for the highest. Susan Cowsill is a great inspiration to me, for example, in music. Well, in life as well, actually. I am inspired by my husband to achieve in my career--my friend, Beth, inspires me as well. I look for inspiration in nature as well--in books, in art, in relationships. It is so vital to living a good life to have HOPE--to always LOOK UP. When we were in Turkey, we went on a balloon ride over Cappadocia--an amazing experience--that buoyant feeling is what I mean by being UP. Seeing the big picture--looking out to the horizon with expectation of the good things to come, the good times to be had. . . .