This was my first day with students for the 2016-17 school year. It’s my 12th year teaching so I’m used to the “First Day of School” hype but I was tired! Exhausted even! I think Nick could sence it so he helped me onto the table immediately when I stood from my chair. I laid back and Nick stretched me out and I did some PNFs. The stretching and the PNFs made me even more tired and I started to, “glisten.”
It didn’t take very long for this, “glistening” to turn in to all-out sweating. Like A LOT! I put my nose in my shirt collar and wiped it off just as I felt the sweat changing from, “glisten” to sweat and then I constantly had to wipe the bridge of my nose as I felt sweat beading on my forehead and the roots of my hair became damp. As Nick was working, he glanced over to me and commented that I was really sweating and I agreed.
I thought back to conversations I had with Parker years ago. He told me that tears and sweat were two forms of the body’s natural way of cleansing itself. I always think of that when I am a sissy, cry-face baby and cry. Sweating doesn’t come very easily to me anymore so I welcome it more now. It makes me feel that I’m working REALLY hard and something athletic. It feels good and I hear Parker telling me that it’s a good thing; that it’s a cleanse so I continued to wipe the bridge of my nose in my shirt and thought of Parker with fondness. I miss him.
I continued to “cleanse” but my legs loosened up really nicely. I got into my car easily because my legs were so relaxed and I closed my eyes IMMEDIATELY! My Mom made a comment as we were backing out of the space behind Barwis about me being a, “Sleeping Princess.” I slept the entire way home until I was in my driveway with the exception of this moment, when the car had backed up enough to change direction and head left out of the parking lot.
I opened my eyes for the briefest of moments where I could see the dumpster as the car changed directions. I thought of Phil. I thought of Mike Rhoades. The thoughts of them forced me to open my eyes. Just like I corrected both of them, I had to open my eyes and interrupt my sleep and correct my Mother. I just needed to set her straight, state a fact before I went back to sleep. Just like I told Phil and Michael, I simply stated before closing my eyes again; “I am a queen.”