Being Prepared

In my career as a teacher, I always wanted to be prepared for the lesson of the day, the homework I assigned and/or planned to return. I believed that my students and I had a much better relationship if I followed my rules. That meant they had to reciprocate.

For most of my career as an English teacher, I worked hard to captivate student interest. Did I always succeed? Probably not, but I tried.

Often reading literature and responding was easier because evoking feelings and expressing thinking was provided through the literature. Writing about it was less provocative, but giving options captured the motivational factors exponentially. Even now, I know the real value of that practice. I have been preparing for major surgery since early December.

What have I been doing? I’ve been doing exercises to strengthen the muscles in my right hip and leg. I’ve had a physical from my regular doctor, CAT scan, MRI, and whatever else they scheduled. In addition, I’ve been drinking lots of water, taking iron pills, finding a walker, breathing deeply, drinking Gatorade, and arranging for someone to accompany me to the surgery.

Hopefully, the high value I’ve placed on being prepared will get me through major surgery successfully. Of course, my guardian angel is ever on my shoulder.

Mary Jane Berger, OSB

Photo by Hush Naidoo Jade Photography