I found out that I have an infertility symptom called endometriosis. I am trying to take all of the medication that are necessary at specific points in my cycle. It is a lot to take in at times, but I am learning about routines and disciplines. I am eating healthy food, reading different recipes, and books about healthy living with endometriosis. My doctor gave me a list of resources about what listen to and read due to the stress that it can put on a couple, which I will make another post about.
Right now, I am learning about productivity and reading a book called “Getting Things Done, the art of stress-free productivity” by David Allen. I am going to start a new category about productivity. I think as a teacher it is important to build systems, routines and discipline in life for personal and work life.
I hope this will be a site to help navigate to new life challenges that arise in life.
Since moving to my new location for the past year, I have had to change jobs three times in order to find my home job. It is about 10 minutes away from home in bus, and I get back at home about 2:40 pm. I work for 6 hours a day. The people that I have met are a joy to work with. Yes, miscommunication happens but I am quick to make things right.
My husband and I made a list entitled “How to Keep Your Job”.
Don’t be late
Do what they tell you
Be polite, have manners
Be careful what you say/interact with people
See and observe
Don’t complain until you get to know people at least for a few months
Don’t compare yourself to others
Ask those experienced for help and guidance
Seek advice from teachers on paperwork, and teamwork
Be gentle and calm when there is pressure, deadlines, and stress
Silence is gold
Look into the good of others rather than complaining.
Pray to God for strength, and courage
This list is to remind me to always be above any negativity. Being a teacher, one is pulled in different directions. I added more to this list because I realize that I need help from others because this type of job will always require teamwork. One cannot be a lonely ranger.
Talking about loneliness, I realized about a few weeks that I needed to meet and join a group so I can build new friendships. So far, I joined on a performing arts group where I am an usher. I get to help people find their seats in the theater.
I also am going to start a new hobby next month which is ice skating. I need to buy myself a pair of ice skates.
In a couple of week, I will be on vacation in Columbia. I can’t wait to meet my family there as well as my dad. It is going to be fun and relaxing. I think 2021-2022 has been a bit of an adjustment since marrying and moving into a new home, with three different job changes. I pray to God that this job will be more lasting than my previous ones. Jesus and Mary, please keep me gentle, meek and humble. May I have the courage to be strong and find strength when I am weak. May I continue to evolve and find good company and friendship.
I picked this book out of my hubby’s former apartment (in the hallway library). It is written by Eve Rodksy, who researched the lives of mothers who handle so much task when it comes to domestic work.
I am not a mother yet, and so far, I am fortunate to have a hubby who participates in cooking, laundry, finances and cleaning. What I have seen in most households’ is that men are working, and women having two jobs (work and domestic). Women become frustrated when they have to deal with the second shift for the most part. Women become tired and exhausted which impacts marriages, womanhood, partnering and parenting.
There has to be a better way of dealing with domestic work when it comes to gender equity. Women are completing invisible work which it is not appreciated and often undervalued. It is assumed that this is what woman that become mothers have to do. There needs to be a change, which is what Eve Rodsky’s book does.
She has researched about gender inequity, women’s stories of imbalance work, and mistakes on systems and society’s expectations. Home is the most important fundamental foundation in our society. She talks about new rules and new ways of thinking of women’s values, and home life.
This book has impacted on my thoughts as a woman and spouse as well as when I become a mother in the future. It brings about better communication and systems in the home and between partners.
I was homeschooling the summer of 2020 till the end of the summer of 2021. During the beginning of that year (the start of the pandemic), we really couldn’t go outside. It was like breathing in the outside air, the virus could be found there and then you had Covid-19 (at least this was how fearful it was at the time, and how many people thought). It was a scary time.
Starting March 2020, I was unemployed for about 2 months, then my position became from full time to part time. Due to the fact that I had to stay home, I had family members guarding and judging about my outside activities. It became a bit worse once I got the position for homeschooling due to the fact that I wasn’t allowed to walk in the park.
I gained 30 pounds due to the fear and anxiety about going outside. I had to fight for the sake of my health in terms of physical, emotional and mental.
Since marrying, I’ve expressed to my hubby recently how I wanted to be healthy starting this year, and onward. I also informed him how I want to enroll to a marathon. He expressed that he thought one mile would be good where there won’t be any knee injuries, and how it would be realistic for us. Right now, I’m also adding to view two YouTube workout video. Hey, I’m trying to save money from gym membership.
As a beginner in marathon, my hubby wants be to walk fast for one mile as a practice first. He thinks that we should see the amount of time we do, and as time goes by to see if we could speed it up by going faster.
I feel better when I jogged/walked fast as well as exercising with YouTube. I feel strong and my strength gives me a positive attitude of beauty, and perseverance. I have an “I can” attitude.
I hope to continue to practice walking fast and jogging. I hope that I can be a part of a marathon for one-mile next year. I hope that I can exercise two time with a YouTube fitness video. I can do it.
I went to a school for women, where it mentioned about different goals for different themes in one’s life. It was a different perceptive in life, where I have been accustomed to work, friends and family only. One of them was marriage/intimacy goals. I haven’t thought about going on dates to meet my future husband in a long time.
But then the pandemic happened. I went though a rollercoaster of emotions. All of a sudden, I went from full time to no job to part time. Precovid, I had been throwing my energy to work, and friends. All of a sudden, everything stopped and changed. I couldn’t continue with life that was limited anymore. I had to do something.
I signed up to two online dating sites. I talked through the phone, wrote and had video conferences with other men. I went on a couple of dates but nothing manifested. I went through tears, laughter, frustration and acceptance.
I received a message from a Catholic dating site. The person reached out to me since I wrote to him first a couple of months ago. We lived in the same neighborhood. We met at my favorite Spanish food restaurant. We got to know one another. Ever since then, we talked over the phone and met every weekend.
We got engaged over the weekend of my birthday. It was special and meaningful. At the same time, we talked about our future together.
2020 was a very traumatic year but at the same time, it made me question my life. As Socrates mentioned “The unexamined life is not worth living“. I thought to myself how as a child, I wanted to marry and have children. I haven’t thought about that dream since a couple of failed boyfriends/dates, family dysfunction, my parent’s divorce, emotional rollercoaster ride, and other dreams. For years, I had to find healing and help through retreats, counseling, relationships, guidance, advice and prayers.
I realized why not give it a try again. I thought it might/might not happen but why not give it a chance to see what’s out there.
I pray that you try something new and that you heal from any wound holding you back. Look back to childhood dreams and manifest them. Live life.
Since the pandemic, I’ve been visiting once a week my local library (just to take out the books). I took a book entitled “The Home Edit Life” by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin. This is their second book, which today I browsed my local library online to request the first book that they have written. The pictures, colorful pages, witty sense of humor made me a big fan of these two hilarious women. I couldn’t contain my enjoyment and laughter while reading this delightful book. I even organized my phone apps to their colorful rainbow suggestions along with the emojis to match with it. I truly want to watch their Netflix show so I can continue to see their organizational ideas. It is a must read especially since we all want our home to be our castle.
Today, I wasn’t feeling so well. I cried. I called my friends. I didn’t feel like calling any of my family members. I didn’t want them to be concerned.
My friends lifted me up with their prayers and comfort. Right now, I want to learn and start with a passion project on creating lessons and worksheets so teachers could use for children (special needs and ESL). I want to give a depth of knowledge and wisdom, where they can be literate in terms of knowing how to read and write.
I want to create, teach, and learn. To give children that thirst of knowledge. Today, is the day.
I have been watching the violence, looting, crimes, vandalism from the riots and chaos. This has been dividing our nation within family, and friends. The blame game has begun within political parities, and religious groups. I have deep grief and sorrow over the lives loss, and businesses destroyed as well as the division it is creating.
There is so much fear from Covid-19 to the riots that are destroying cities. Fear to going outside to hugging and kissing your loved ones. Fear of uniting with others.
I can’t think of a better time to pray to Our Lady of Sorrow then now. She has gone and continues to go to grow in deep sorrow over humanity. She is my consolation and my comfort. She is our mother. She has appeared here on earth, with different clothing customs, and languages to spread her message of prayer, peace and love.
Lupe y Vida 