Catchin' Up

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted, and so many things in the world have changed. I occupy such a tiny space in the global scheme, so I am trying to not worry excessively by revisiting the concept of "circle of influence and circle of control." Basically, I can influence my community and work within that realm to better the world, but truly the only circle I can control is myself and the events within my home. Simple. I did what I could to influence society outside my community by voting, but my candidate did not become the President-elect. Admittedly, I am concerned about the future, but there is little or nothing my influence will effect, so I am actively pursuing improvements to my tiny world.

I am substitute teaching per diem in my local school district. While I had hoped for a full-time job with benefits post college, none were offered. I was very discouraged for a time, but the upside of this position is that I can determine my own schedule, work at different schools and teach different grades. In retrospect, I am not certain an office job would have been a good fit for me anyway, since I enjoy variety, but oh, the health insurance would have been greatly appreciated.

A few days before Thanksgiving, I was looking out my kitchen window and saw a cluster of blooms on one of my lilac bushes! Remember, this is NOVEMBER, and we haven't even had a hard frost yet. Not that I doubt climate change, but the plants and environment are certainly demonstrating oddities that cannot be explained any other way. It was 80 for a few days a couple weeks ago, then rainy and 40's within 48 hours of the heat. This week's high was 65F/18C, but the temps have dropped to 45F/7C and there may be snow on Saturday. I continue to be concerned about the environment and have done many things garden-wise, and conservation-wise to lessen my family's impact: rain barrels, LED lightbulbs, insulation, recycling, composting & mulching, trying to purchase food and merchandise responsibly, and minimizing waste. Tiny steps yes, but within my circle of control.