Awareness

It is nearly impossible to escape the latest monthly awareness campaign. January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. February is National Heart Month. March is National Colorectal Month. May is Stroke Awareness Month and my personal favorite is October with Home Eye Safety Awareness. Apparently, little kids are still running with scissors and it’s time to put a stop to such shenanigans.

   

Embedded within each month are awareness weeks and days such as the third week of March being devoted to Root Canal Awareness. Boy howdy, that’s one I want to add to my calendar of celebrations. August 4 is National Kid’s Day, just in case the little peeps are feeling slighted with no day of their own.  And September 18 is National School Backpack Day. Time to check out whether there’s room for the Smartphone and IPod, I guess.

Certainly it is good to be informed about health and safety issues. But at my age, many of the awareness ads scream at me like a parade of ticking time bombs. Having trouble remembering what day it is? You could be stroking as we speak. Not seeing as well as you did at 25? Glaucoma or Macular Degeneration, take your pick. Feeling achy in the morning? Could be arthritis or psoriasis.

Perhaps it’s time to add a little more joy to the list of awarenesses. The upcoming summer months are a little light on specialty days so I’m going to make up a few of my own to add to the list.

June is now National Picnic Month. Let’s promote fun food and good times. It can be as simple as a baguette, cheese, grapes and a good friend. Or, gather a crowd, a grill and a tray full of barbecue goodies. The theme should always be easy and low key. No stuffiness or washing dishes allowed.

July is Iced Tea Month. Play around with different teas and brewing methods. Add lemons and mint. Experiment with basil and tarragon. Use tea bags or loose tea. Serve it up in fun glasses with fancy umbrellas. Enjoy it in the sun by a lake or in a comfy chair with a good book. (I’ll take the latter).

August is Tomato Awareness Month. Sponsor a neighborhood Crazy Looking Tomato contest. Taste test as many different kinds of tomatoes as you can procure—Roma, Big Boy, Early Girl, Brandywine, Cherry and Green Zebra. Eat one fresh off the vine, roast them, sauce them, slice them and stuff them. Wear red so you won’t notice the juice drizzles that slip off your chin. Serve them with sandwiches, in salads or simply as the star of the show.

So, here is my summer challenge to you. Plan at least one picnic for folks you really enjoy being with. Try one iced tea drink that is new to you. Research and prepare a tomato recipe that sounds delicious.

 And, of course, enjoy a little fun awareness.

To help you get started with your challenge, here is one of my favorite fresh tomato recipes. Simple, but oh so tasty.

Tomato Mozzarella Delight

2-3 ripe tomatoes

Fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into slices

Fresh basil leaves

Arrange tomatoes, cheese slices and basil leaves on a plate and drizzle with the following dressing:

¼ c. rice vinegar

1 Tbs. honey

½ c. olive oil

¼ c. chopped basil leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Summertime

Summer vacation is just around the corner for the school kids in my town. And, if you are a teacher like me, you are ready to breathe a big sigh of relief. Love my job as I do, I must admit the final days are like slaying dragons as we face classrooms full of little peeps, itchy for anything but the final course objectives. But, we will put our armor on, grab our shields and get the job done.

There are certainly a few things I will not miss once the calendar is blinking at me a little less relentlessly. One of them is the incessant queuing up of e-mails each day. Just when I think I've gotten them culled and under control, another round of neediness starts marching across the screen. Some of my favorites are the following.

1) From a parent: “Lester is out of medication for the rest of the week. I told him he needs to do his best to keep things under control.”

Time for me to up my medication and hang on for the ride

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2) From the counselor’s office: “You will be getting a new student today. She will be in your 5^th period class.”

Goodie. That’s the largest and naughtiest class with one seat open next to Pat who has the social skills of a porcupine. Time for a new seating arrangement.

3) From the lead secretary: “The district is short of substitutes today. Please let us know which of the following classes you can cover.”

Hmmm. I guess I’ll hire the elves to correct my papers, set up my lab and plan next week’s lessons.

4) From the administration: “Today’s practice fire drills have been cancelled due to inclement weather. They will be rescheduled for a later date.”

Good news. We won’t have to stand outside in the sleet. Bad news. It will probably be rescheduled to the only day I have the computer lab. Be flexible.

5) From the district’s main office: “This year’s extra snow days will need to be made up by more inservice time at the end of the school year for teachers.”

We survived three days of a declared state of emergency when the ice storm hit, I guess we can survive three days of professional development. More coffee, please.

There are a few things I will miss now that the school year is coming to a close. Just like the kids, I will miss starting my day with my friends. There is nothing like having a cup of coffee with folks who share the same trials and triumphs that you do. Together we always make the challenges of the day a little less daunting and of course, we aren't afraid to solve the world’s problems, either.

I will also miss the funny things kids do. And nothing says fun and drama like an adolescent trying to figure out how to become an adult. On second thought, maybe I won’t miss that part.

Yes, it is time to say goodbye to the kids, turn off the alarm clock, dig out a pair of flip-flops and kick back with a good book.

Hello, summer.

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