Final Week of Classes

As it sit here tonight grading papers and creating some quizzes for the upcoming week, it is finally starting to sink in that classes are just about done. In fact, tomorrow starts the final week of classes and then final exams begin next week. I spent this weekend continuing to clean out the house, and showing the house to some prospective buyers. I didn't have much success at my yard sale on Saturday, but at least I was able to get rid of some more furniture. The weather for the sale was cold and rainy, so that made for an uneventful 4 hours of time. I believe I made about $60 from the sale.
I am still wondering how I am going to finish everything that still needs to be done before I head off to Finland! The anticipation is surely building. I was discussing Finland the other day with one of my former players here at Trinity. He is from Uganda and has spent a considerable amount of time in Europe. We were talking about some of the cultural differences between Europe and America. He said that he struggles to find people here his age that he can relate to. He indicated that most of his peers are ignorant of world politics, other cultures, and current events. He finds many Americans to be lazy and not very well read. Unfortunately, I have witnessed many of the same things that clearly frustrate him. We both agreed that reading more and opening oneself up to other cultures is vital to being more empathetic and understanding of the world we live in. It is harder to judge someone once you have walked a mile in their shoes. In my own life, I have found both reading and traveling to be necessary ingredients in establishing my world view. Consequently, we are trying to instill this in our own children.
I definitely have some clear goals in mind as I prepare to go overseas for the summer. I want to become a better coach and put everything I have into helping this team grow and improve their level of play. Also, I am excited to share this adventure with my family and I can't wait to hang out with them everyday and watch them grow through this experience. My schedule will allow us to have more quality time together, which is so key. Finally, I want to soak up everything that I see, feel, and do this summer. In short, I want to simplify life to the point that I will reprogram myself to live "in the moment." To me, this is the ultimate definition of freedom. I am going to strive to "be present" in everything that I do. This represents a huge paradigm shift from my current lifestyle. In this new life, I will take time to meditate, pray, and examine myself. I will shed many of my "to do lists" and instead devote more time to writing and personal reflection. Estalita and I have worked so hard and made so many sacrifices over the past 6 years, and now we are in a good place. 12 DAYS AND COUNTING!
Lights out.