Hello there, readers! So this week I’ve been on spring break… My LAST spring break as a college student--- HOLLA! Anyways... This time off has been the perfect opportunity to turn my brain off of autopilot and get back to me. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE teaching. But teaching isn’t just planning fun lessons and encouraging your students to be the best students they can be. Teaching is making a million tiny decisions for 18 little humans ALL DAY LONG while mustering the energy to be friendly and enthusiastic from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. As rewarding as it is, it’s much more exhausting than it seems and before long, your brain switches to autopilot. You go through the motions, you make basic survival decisions for yourself (when to eat, when to sleep, etc.), but you unintentionally neglect your own bliss. Well, not this week. This week has been all about doing the little things that make me happy and getting recharged for the final stretch before graduation. I enjoyed a couple of days at our local Strawberry Festival, painted my nails, got my hair cut, went shopping, read a WHOLE book that wasn’t meant for ages 8-12, and enjoyed a spontaneous day of fun with a lovely friend of mine whose blog can be found here.
After driving out to Tampa to meet her, we sat down to decide what we wanted to do. It seemed terrible waste of a sunshiny day to stay inside, so we racked our brains for an outdoor activity. Finally, I had a light bulb moment and, after doing a little bit of online research, we set out on our little adventure--- a trip to the USF Botanical Gardens. Even though both of us have been attending the university for at least 3 years, neither of us had even taken the time to explore this local gem. However, after learning that it was just $1 for students, it was very hard to pass up and we were excited to enjoy the fabulous Florida weather… 80 degrees and nothing but friendly clouds in the blue, blue sky.
We spent a good two hours following dirt trails and traipsing through lush greenery, bamboo clusters, and bold-colored blooms. The gardens were quiet and peaceful with nothing but the sound of birds chirping and our own conversation to interrupt the silence. Here’s a little of what we saw…
After leaving the gardens, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for a refreshing salad and a bottomless glass of sweet tea. Then we continued our day of sun-kissed spontaneity sitting by the pool of her apartment complex, enjoying some much needed catching up. Needless to say, I headed home with rosy cheeks and an even rosier outlook on the upcoming weeks. I think that some of the best days are those that are totally unplanned... I’d love to hear what you did over spring break! Did you have any free-spirited, spontaneous adventures?
Always, Amy
