New Tennis Shoes

So, I bought a new pair of tennis shoes from Amazon.com. Like most people, I really prefer to try on shoes before I buy them, but this has proven to be rather unrealistic. See...I have short, fat feet. When you live in New Scandinavia, aka Minnesota, you learn to accept certain things. The white liquid stuff is "melk." Asking someone if they want to "go with" is perfectly acceptable...even coming from a grammar teacher. Pickled fish, "lutefisk," enjoys almost sainted status. And the women are descended from the Amazon. They are tall, have large frames, and big, narrow feet.

Fabulous.

Can it be? Another post?

...and you thought you'd have to wait another two years! O, ye of little faith... So, things have not been all perfect and peaceful at our house lately. The problem? Me. I'm the problem. I have a mountain of lofty goals and a modicum of time in which to reach them. Why? I can't seem to turn people down. I hate to disappoint people. There, I said it. I'm a people-pleaser. Somebody please direct me to my 12-step program so I can be "healed" of this "disease." Hopefully, I'm already on my way. I'm giving myself a year's sabbatical. I'm gonna' take a break from several of my duties at church and at my homeschool co-op. I think I rotate off of the board of my community chorale this year. I'm going to take NEXT summer off from the summer youth theatre program. If the county board member who appointed me to the planning commission doesn't get re-elected this year, I might even be off the hook for that one. The stated purpose of this sabbatical is to really get organized in our homeschool and actually do it the way I planned, envisioned, dreamed... Why, then, am I adding more time-consumers to my schedule? Why did I take on 2 voice students (after successfully getting rid of all of them for about a year)? Why did I volunteer to answer call center calls for my friend's ticket-sales business? Okay, both are income generators...but, seriously, is that extra few bucks a week worth my sanity? What was I thinking? Oh yeah, I was thinking, "I really don't want to disappoint these people." "No, I'm sorry, I just can't." "No, I'm unable to help with that." "I'm afraid I won't be able to do that." Shhhhhh...I'm practicing...