Now that I have been retired from teaching for a little over a week, I have been thinking back nostalgically on my career, my college days, my high school era and my childhood.  Well, if you know me at all, you will know that it was less a nostalgic trip down memory lane and more of a comedic reflection. This is what caused me to write today’s blog, “What was I thinking?”

    I’m going all the way back to childhood this time! When I was a little kid, there were some things that I absolutely hated that now, as an adult, I love!  Take a look at some of the ridiculous things that were on my “hate list.”

1. Napping. I absolutely adore a good nap! There is nothing better than falling asleep on the sofa in front of a perfectly good movie or even climbing in bed on a Sunday afternoon for the real deal with pillows and blankets. Napping on a raft in the pool is great and even on the lounge chairs on the pool deck. I now have an awesome new option, and that is the hammock that my school gave me for my retirement! Naps are the best. What was wrong with me as a child when I would resist napping?!
2. Eating Veggies.  As a child, I can remember absolutely detesting any vegetable that crossed my plate. I tried swallowing them whole, hiding them, begging my brother to help me eat them…but actually ingesting them was the last thing I wanted. Flash forward to 2018. I’ve been participating in the Weight Watchers Freestyle program and now I only want to eat the vegetables because they are NO POINTS on the plan!!! (Okay, so that’s a white lie….I still love all the other food groups, but veggies are Freestyle gold!)
3. Reading. I did like reading as a child, but when summer rolled around I always got a chip on my shoulder about the assigned reading that our English teachers thought we would enjoy doing. I would grumble and complain, but then after reading the books, I found myself in love with each and every one of them.  During my adulthood, I found that I couldn’t wait for summer break from teaching so that I could actually read books that were NOT education related. I start every summer with no less than 10 books on my Nook or in my hands and can’t get enough reading time in! My middle school self would be in shock that my adult self reads because I adore it!
4. Working in the garden. My parents had a huge garden every year during my life under their roof. My brother and I would have to take time weeding the garden or picking all sorts of vegetables every day. This was an agonizing punishment for me then. I was so annoyed and hated sweating and crawling around in the dirt. However, my grown-up self would love nothing more than to work in a beautiful garden. I’ve tried my hand unsuccessfully many years to reproduce a garden the fraction of the size that my parents had. My grown-up debit card would love the satisfaction of NOT PAYING for vegetables. Oh, what was I thinking when I complained and whined to my parents back then?
5. Taking a shower.  Most kids hate to come in from playing outside to get a shower or a bath! It’s a total waste of playtime. Living in the south, however, has really made me appreciate the shower as an adult! In fact, with heat indices in the 100’s most of the summer and humidity nearing 100%, I often take 2 showers a day and on some occassions, I can even manage 3 showers in the same day. I’m sure my parents never let me run around being the stinky kid, but I do remember fighting them about bath time.  As a 6-year-old, I never would have imagined loving the shower so much!

    I’m sure that if I thought for even five more minutes that I could come up with many more things to add to my list, however, I’m feeling like a short nap would be a much better use of my time. I’ll let you all add to the list for yourselves!

Listfully yours,

Vicki