Friday, October 23, 2020

In a sea of online classes, a bit of happiness emerges...

Happy Friday everyone! This is the end of my busy stretch of teaching, and I have to say the result is a bit different than I expected. And shockingly...it's in a good way!


As I've mentioned before, working from home, and the way that the pandemic has oblitered my former happy life and routine has wrecked a bit of havoc on my mental health. I know that I'm not the only one in this boat, and so we've all just been coping as best we can. In terms of work, I miss my colleagues, I miss the students, I miss my office, I miss the contened hustle and bustle of the campus and the library.  I was not looking foward to teaching solely online.

BUT, I will say that I'm pleasantly surprised by how it all went now that I'm nearly at the end of this very busy two week stretch. The format does have some challenges, to be sure, and I maintain that it is incredibly difficult to connect with people via a screen, and impossible when they do not turn on their cameras (which is their right to do, to be sure). Overall though, despite expecting to feel overwhelmed and stiff from sitting in front of my laptop and teaching all of these assumedly demoralizing classes online, I found that I was...happy. Tired, but energized. I felt busy, but useful. This is the most like my old self I have felt since March. I'd still rather teach in person, but this exceeded my expectations (which were admittedly low, LOL!). And I got to watch Hallmark Channel during my short breaks between sessions, so win/win/

Going into the winter, at least where I live, which has a cold climate, I'm not dreading the long term work from home model like I was before. It feels a bit cozier to be inside and spending less time by myself with the weather turning. I'll take any little bit of hopefulness that I can get, so I'm pleased with this!

In novena news, I finished up the John Paul II novena (and I'm actually sneaking in St. Jude, I just can't help myself!), and tomorrow we will begin the Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory! If you'd like to join in, I created a page for it on the blog. :-)

How are you doing this week, dear reader? Are you looking forward to Halloween and the feasts of All Saints/All Souls? Also, feel free to leave novena intentions in the comments!

7 comments:

  1. Glad you are doing better. We have the house decorated for Fall and Halloween. We look forward to All Saints day. We have a collection of books on various Saints. We try to find books about our first,middle and Confirmation names. We hope to give more Saint books for Christmas. Have a good week. God Bless.
    Joan,Marion and Marilyn

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    1. Hi ladies! That sounds lovely, seasonal decor really lifts the spirits, yes? I look forward to All Saints Day too, and what a great idea on making it special with your patron saints! More saint books for Christmas is definitely something to look forward to!

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  2. Glad to hear you’re feeling positive, Tiffany! I’m starting an “election novena” that our diocese mailed out but I want to find a St. Elizabeth novena since she’s my patron and her feast day is approaching. Take care!

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    1. Hi Amy! I see the election novena available in my Pray app, and let me peek on St. Elizabeth...Hum. Depends on the St. Elizabeth, I would imagine. I see St. Elizabeth Ann Seton that begins on Christmas in my app, is that your St. Elizabeth?

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    2. Actually, St. Elizabeth of Hungary! She is very dear to my heart.

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  3. So glad to know that you found something good and uplifting in your teaching this fall, in spite of the many challenges of online teaching :-) Even better that you can now look forward to the next term with optimism instead of utter dread.

    Happy to know that you've been praying the St. Jude novena along with me. Looking forward to the feasts at the beginning of November as well.

    I've been filling up a good chunk of my (involuntarily-unemployed) time with volunteering at St. Anne's Shrine here in my new home town. Besides giving me a reason to get out of bed and shower in the morning, it's been so good to meet the people who come in to buy candles and pray at the shrine, and I've been feeling so much more at peace with life than I had been. Have to remember that God has a plan and that it may well not include my getting a job right now.

    Hope you and your family have a wonderful week!

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    1. Hi Dianne! You've really been on my mind and heart. *hugging* What a BEAUTIFUL story about your shifts at the St. Anne shrine! Yes, we all need a reason to get out of bed in the morning, I relate to this more than I can express. At the beginning of the pandemic, I remember waking up and forgetting for a few minutes, but knowing that there was something terribly wrong. And then the recollection hit me like a ton of bricks and it was a struggle to get up and be strong for the kids when I felt absolutely adrift and untethered. Encountering people at the shrine, being admidst the candles and the prayers, that sounds so incredibly peaceful and soothing, I am SO glad that God has brought this lovely opportunity into your life!

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