As demonstrated by Kermit, today will be my last day at the store as I prepare to move into my new teaching position on Monday. The store manager did encourage me to come back, so I will very likely return on a part time basis over the summer.

I was going to be a waterer at Lowe’s, but that’s really a terrible, monotonous, exceedingly low-paying job with the heat and the sun burns and the bugs. I think I’ll be much better off staying where I am.

For the most part, I like working freight. The only thing I can’t do is top stock the big, heavy boxes. I wish I could, but presently, I’m only able to lift 40 pounds at the gym, so…

And my coworkers are nice. Helpful. Even the one who is sometimes a pain in the neck is usually okay. I have no major conflicts with anyone.

I am nervous about my new gig. Will the kids like me? Will they try to take advantage?

Will the other teachers like me? What will they expect me to know?

How hot is my classroom going to get? It’s already a sauna in February.

Who will mentor me? When?

How long after contract hours will I be expected to stay? I peter out so early. This looks like a job for caffeine.

Don’t get me wrong. There are some definite perks to this non-special education opportunity:

• No paperwork
• No running IEP meetings
• No writing IEPs
• No legally binding deadlines
• No compliance issues
• No direct supervision of paraprofessionals

No meeting facilitation is huge for me. I am very weak in that area because I lack self confidence and come off extremely socially awkward.

No para supervision is also a big one. Having myself started off as a para in my first five years in education, I know what it’s like and I usually get along well with my support staff. But there have been occasions (three) where amicable relationships were not possible, and that sucks up way too much of my time and energy.

And if I do have a problem with a para, I can go to the case manager and have her deal with it. Although it would probably be best to speak to the para directly in a tactful way. At least initially.

But I’m already anticipating disaster where there may be none. It sounds like it’s the kids that need some reigning in.

Maybe it will be fine. Maybe I’ll even be good at it. Maybe this is the subject matter I need and the age group I need to show my competence.

I guess pretty soon we’re going to find out.

In other news, I’ve lost 23 pounds since surgery. I think I could be doing better, but I’m going slightly over my daily calorie limit. Going to try harder to stay inside the lines.

Excellent non-scale victory (NSV) last night: I had to try on a bunch of tops from my dresser and upstairs closet that I haven’t been able to wear in over a year, and guess what? Most of them fit again. Many of them are just regular size larges. In fact, there are a couple of XLs that are slightly roomy.

Closet shopping is my favorite part of weight loss. Heard from Leah’s closet:

• I forgot I had this!
• It looks better now than it did when I bought it!
• I thought I threw that away!

Of course, I experience weight loss pretty evenly, not just concentrated in one or two areas of my body. So everything is getting smaller. I knew this was going to happen. It’s okay.

That’s it. You’re up to date. Have a super sweet Sunday, thanks for reading, and see you soon!