Looong Day Hurrah

I didn't plan it. It just evolved on its own. I didn't even realize the magnitude of my calendar commitments until the day before. Suddenly I realized that I am working from 7 am to open the library until 10 pm to assist with a field trip to Sibley Music Library. In between, I get to teach 2 classes, attend another class, work at the circulation desk, and attend a meeting about creating a survey for alumni.

Hey! This sounds like a normal day pre-cancer! Can it be that I am back to some sort of normal schedule? Can I actually handle it? I don't know, but I am going to try. No taking extra caffeine to propel me forward. No, this is by the book. Let's see what condition the old chassis is in! I don't have to be to work tomorrow until after noon, so if I collapse, I have time to recover. Besides, its just one day.

And so it unwinds little by little. I decide to take a bit more time during my 3 pm lunch to hedge my bets for the evening session. Will I make it? I am not flagging and drooping at 5. This might work. I so love helping students find resources at my old stomping grounds. I circulate from student to student answering questions, directing to the floor with that call number. I am having a ball.

A gentleman who has been sitting nearby, not with our group, asks me to help him too. I don't even bother to tell him that I don't work there, I just answer his question - turns out he is from Philadelphia, a faculty on break and absorbing the wonders of Eastman Library. It feels good to connect him with what he needs. Perhaps I haven't lost my touch after all.

By 10 pm as we head for home, I am tired but not weary. It has been a wonderful day filled with joyous, fulfilling work. Yes, I am starting to be able to do more, to tire less, to think clearly, to feel productive. It is good. It is very good. And I am confident that I will sleep well and not be a rag tomorrow. I may not be entirely back to snuff, but I sure am getting there.