As I think about travelling to teach, I can only sigh. So many things I will miss when I stop; so many things that I won't.
I will miss very much meeting people across the country who are as 'warped' as I am. I will miss talking to them about our shared passion. I will miss the light going on in their eyes as they grasp a new concept.
I will not miss many other things. The 6 am flights, meaning I have to get up at 4 am. Or earlier. With the new, more stringent security requirements, our little airport also requires people to check in an hour ahead of the flight instead of 30 minutes. I will not miss trying to fit several topics into just one suitcase, trying to keep the weight well below the 50 pound maximum. Not just for the airline workers, but for the sake of my own back, which is also aging. I will not miss the up to two days of prep for each workshop, trying to find boxes to use to mail out yarns/drafts. Or buying yet more padded envelopes. I will not miss standing in line at the post office with a fistful of forms for the parcels, which I try to fill out at home (which saves time at the counter). I will not miss the stress of travel, wondering which of the many flights I take will be late, causing a domino effect for all the rest.
I will not miss sleeping in multiple 'strange' beds. I will not miss having to explain over and over again about my dietary requirements. No, a little bit is not acceptable, if people want me to function at any sort of level.
I will miss the income. Of course I will. On the other hand, I won't miss paying for all the expenses of travel up front, waiting for reimbursement until I arrive.
I won't miss trying to dig up additional dates around one guild's inquiry in order to keep my travel expenses more affordable. And then having one or more cancel, leaving the rest of the 'tour' a mess for me to deal with in terms of finding somewhere to stay and how to get from point A to point C, because B has pulled out.
I won't miss the time and effort it takes to make all these arrangements when I could be weaving.
After 40 plus years of weaving, teaching and writing about weaving, I am now in a position where I can pick and choose what I do. That gives me a lot more freedom, even if it does mean I miss a lot in the process.
Currently reading A Dark Anatomy by Robin Blake
2 comments:
Life is all about the trade offs, isn't it? And about change. Two constants we have to deal with. Repeatedly. Whether we want to or not. It's always better when we get to make the decisions than when they are thrust upon us.
I have recently had opportunity to discover that I can make my own Tyvek envelopes out of Tyvek house wrap. My sister had some left over from her construction. I cut out an envelope, zigzagged around the edges, and sealed the flap with clear tape. Works great! And Uber cheap. Since you're doing house construction......or, they do sell it in small rolls at my local home improvement store. Sure beats paying over $1.00 an envelope at the store.
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