Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection

Okay. This week's introspection can be summed up in mostly two parts: A rude awakening, and a warm reminder.

But first, the summary:

- It's already May, and yet, there are still five weeks of remote teaching to do. I am so mentally fatigued, y'all. And so are my students.
- I finished reading Night with my students. I have never watched so many cute animal videos to help cleanse the palate after all the horror and sadness and pain.
- My freshmen read a sample short story of mine that I wrote in two days. They all said they'd give me A's. Phew! Guess my experience and degree are paying off.
- I got to do a reading of a play I had never heard of, written by the same woman who wrote Metamorphoses. It was something else. I loved it.
- I also got to cosplay as a human version of Espeon while my sister and brother-in-law and friends did all the other Eevee-lutions. I was very purple. And psychic. And adorable.
- People in my state are stupid. Stop going to beaches. That is all.
- Saw a picture of someone in an anti-SIP protest holding a sign that read, Arbeit macht frei. The exact same thing can be read at the gates of fucking Auschwitz. Boy, am I gonna have something to talk about with my sophomores on Monday.
- My wife is cute.
- My cat is cute.
- My family is missed.
- I WANT MORE IN PERSON CONTACT.
- DAMN THIS PANDEMIC AND EVERYONE ABETTING ITS SPREAD. GAH.

Ahem. Anyway.

Let's start with the warm reminder. Today, I drove up to the high school I work at, dressed in my high school gear and all masked up. Together, with multiple other faculty members, we waved signs and cheered as seniors drove up to safely retrieve their caps and gowns at the front of the school. It was so amazing to see the many (partially covered) faces of many of my former students. Some at first didn't recognize me, due to my now very purple hair and my mask. Others immediately roared my name, including my former TA, who bellowed, "Roddieeeeee!" in that beautiful baritone voice that he had always greeted me with every morning.

Being around my former students and fellow colleagues, though at least six feet away, reminded me of basic human interaction. I wasn't just looking at or listening to people through a screen; I was there, in the same physical environment as them. And we were all celebrating during these hugely difficult times. I am so proud of the students of mine who are graduating; they have come so, so far.

(See if you can find me. It's like Where's Waldo? But without the red, and less fun)

So. What was the rude awakening?

I continually stood for this procession of high school seniors in their cars for three hours. Once I drove home, folks: I was sore. Super sore. My thighs ached, my hips were stiff, and my back throbbed. It was like I had hiked twenty miles uphill without stopping. I lay down on my bed and almost conked out for a bit.

Here's the thing: I'm still consistently exercising. I take walks and ride my bike. However, I am doing so. Much. More. Sitting. And not just any sitting - I'm usually sitting on my living room couch. This had wreaked immense havoc on my lower muscles, to the point in which my chronic sciatica (which started last year after I worked too hard at the gym one day) flares up every time I do anything more than go up and down the stairs of my condo. It's bad. And I need to do something about it.

So my wife and I are doing a consistent regimen together to help out. Apart from making sure I stand up and move around while teaching my classes, we will be doing squats, stretches, and leg exercises every morning and night. We plan to walk at least fifteen minutes every day, maintaining social distance, or I'll ride my bike for at least 30-45 minutes while my wife plays DDR. My diet hasn't been stellar, but it hasn't been horrid, either - I'm been okay with portion control and managing my alcohol intake lately, but I just need to get more veggies and greens into my meals. I may flounder at times, and my anxiety and depression getting worse during this quarantine may get in the way; still, this sort of change is simple and helpful enough to hopefully make a difference.

So there ya go! Adapting to shelter-in-place is hard, y'all. You take care of yourself the best you can at this time, no matter what that looks like. I'll see you lovelies on the other side.

Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.