A week ago, I tripped on campus and was about to take a hard fall.  As the ground was coming up to meet me, I had three aha moments, in swift succession  –  turn your face, protect your wrist and teach from home.  These may be fairly meaningless to you, but to me they were flashbulbs.  

I brushed myself off, smiled at the traumatized witness and made my way to the student hub closest to my venue.  Over coffee and a forbidden muffin, I regained some composure and made my way to teach a wonderful group of young students.  i launched into my lecture and then workshop , loved every minute of it and only winced once, when i moved my arm unexpectedly. We laughed and chatted afterwards and then went our separate ways.  

On the way home, it dawned on me that I may have  broken my arm for the second time in under a year.  A doc’s visit and an xray confirmed my suspicion and although the break is not nearly as serious as it was the first time, it is significant enough for me to reassess my life. 

A sudden and emotional decision to retire from lecturing and teach a little from home, was met with such grace and warmth by my boss and colleagues, that I cried fresh tears. With their blessing, I am venturing into a new phase of my life next semester.  It wasn’t planned that way, but hey, life happens.  

I have a novel to finish and a bucket list so long, its kinda scary.  There’ll be a little space for a few extra English lessons, once I’ve done my Pilates for the day and written a thousand words…

33 years of teaching all over the peninsula, is good enough, don’t you think?  And as an old university friend always used to say,

“You should leave while you are still enjoying yourself.”