Sobering Thoughts

Give Peace A Chance: J. Lennon
I usually dread much of my Tuesday, not for what I have to do, but in worrying about all that could go wrong. I need to have Stefan to a sitter, get my butt to work on time, make sure all the lessons there run smoothly, get Stef, get us fed, him napped, me prepared for afternoon lessons, get the sitter, teach and hope I don't do anything tragically wrong, some nights return the sitter, and get home close to 8 PM where Stef. is basically fed and put to bed. I have no reason to worry about any of this, it has never gone wrong. Just my silly anxieties.

After a long Tuesday last week, I had on some NPR news. I heard a story much like this one...could have even been the same man, as the Stef was wailing his head off and I was catching news in between screams.
Libyan frightened for family safety.
I don't know why every time I hear news about Libya I can't change the station. I sit and listen, mouth agape to the atrocities innocent people are suffering, imagining what life would be like if I was there. I feel "fear" of my work day not gong smoothly...a far cry from fearing that a couple of words will destroy my whole family.

Maybe it is because I remember the news from a child of all the unrest in Libya, or that they have been under their current dictator almost as long as I have been alive...gotta suck. Maybe I have a better concept of how important children are to their parents, and I get it, that they'd do anything for them.

Close Calls
Shielding a 3 month old from gun fire?
Yikes. My high school spanish teacher was on one of the last planes to leave Cuba right before it was "closed". Anthony Bourdain almost encountered tradgedy in Beirut with their civil unrest. In my sheltered American life, I can't imagine having any close calls of this nature.

It puts so much into perspective when I get my head out of CT, teaching, and the "troubles" of having to balance work and a baby. It all doesn't seem so hard when I hear their stories.