Cleaning and New Year's Resolutions

So, it's nearly a month after the New Year and I am finally making some resolutions. I realized that without a formal resolution I am forcing myself to be cleaner and more organized. I bought a crap-load (highly technical terminology here) of stuff to organize and file school work. Gone are the days of endless piles of papers or so much stuff on my desk that you can't tell it is made of wood. Four of my students and I also spent 4 hours this evening cleaning my classrooms. Apparently the janitorial staff has forgotten that my room exists because the dust, crap, and randomness on my floor was enough to swallow a small puppy. We cleared out all the desks and literally scrubbed the floor - as in on our hands and knees. My room now smells like a combination of lemon-scented cleaner and the liquid cancer we used to scour the floor. God I love my students. It does make me feel better about the fact that my peers are in grad school or making it big elsewhere that I have two or three students who chose to like, and maybe even love, me enough to give me all their free time. I guess this is why I am a teacher. No - that's wrong - this is a perk to being a teacher. I am a teacher because sometime, long ago, God knows where or when, I decided that what I could do best in the world was help, and the best way to help was to teach. I guess maybe in a small way I was right. Professors and administrator always preach not to get too close - and maybe they are right - but how can I help if I'm not close enough to touch? Have they been out of it so long they have forgotten the need to be touched? Not necessarily in the physical sense, but what about the emotional, intellectual, dare I even hope spiritual? I get so frustrated sometimes with my chosen profession, and then moment like today happen where you realize that maybe it isn't all for naught - maybe you do matter in the tiniest bit.

Okay, wow that came out of nowhere. Okay enough blog therapy for today. So back to resolutions. I hereby resolve to stay organized and even clean. I could resolve to lose weight, but I'm just too tired to do workout videos after I get home from a 12-hour day. It does depress me to remember how thin and in shape I was when I went to Drake. I weighed 140 pounds and could run a mile without wheezing, gasping, or collapsing. I looked good in clothing and could turn guys' head when all dolled up. Jesus what the hell went wrong? Okay, I hereby also resolve to eat more healthy, not give in to emotional eating or hormonal cravings, and *gasp, cringe* exercise 3 times a weeks. I am adding the caveat that by exercising I mean doing one 8 minute Abs, Buns, Thighs, or Arms video.

Okay that is enough life altering decisions for one day. Now that I've bared my soul and resolutions all of you have to do the same.