First Things First: A Vent About Feeling Old
Here we go again.
I take a mini retreat and don’t blog for 3 weeks, but when I return, everything is different. Yep, 6 months after forcing a new fangled way of creating blog posts–but keeping a Classic Editor function that we had the option of using once we figured out how to access it–WordPress has completely retired the old way of interfacing with the creation of blog posts and working within our websites. Oh, lordy! One more thing to adjust to. I admit, I teared up and started hosting a pity party, but then I read my post about Triggers that I wrote in early October after I first realized that WordPress was serious about making changes–about that first month of this crazy 2020-21 school year and all of the adapting I had done–and realized I’m not where I was in the Fall and life is much more manageable now. The fact that I was able to find that post rather quickly was an accomplishment in itself, which definitely helps.
It’s just that with all of the time I have spent online, on screen, and inside in lockdown this past year, one of the things that I have recognized is just how much I’ve jumped physically into my 50s! Where did all of these wrinkles come from? What is going on? It feels like I have aged a decade in a year!!! I am ‘feeling my age’ in a way I don’t think I have as consciously before and when I think about it, I feel old. So when I am frustrated with new technologies, feeling stuck in my ways and unable to adapt, and unwilling to change–all associated with an old person’s mindset–it’s a rude reminder that time is still marching on despite a year of living in quarantine.
Alas, I digressed there. Looks like I needed to air that grievance so that I could move on and write about what I wanted to write about in the first place.
Such as the fact that today is a beautiful March 21st here in Chicago, complete with sunshine and temps in the 60s.
I’ve been attending some amazing virtual history conferences, programs, and workshops this month, which I am loving!
I got my first vaccine shot on March 11th!
All of our snow has melted.
I went to pick up pizza at our favorite pizza place, Pizano’s, last night and they messed up our order. However, instead of being a bad thing, I was able to run to the grocery store while a new pizza was being made, they gave us a free pizza for our troubles, and I listened to this amazing interview with the writer poet Nikki Giovanni who I had never heard speak before, while I was driving around. I was truly blown away by her interview and inspired. Here is the link in case you would like to listen, as well:
Bullseye Interview with Nikki Giovanni
Despite the Obstacles, Early Spring Flowers Still Rise Up
A week passes by and I’m still not embracing this new fangled way to create blog posts. I could have called the writing above a wrap last Monday and published, but I just wasn’t feelin’ it. I’m still not sold on this alternative universe and am on the lookout for new options in regards to a website host for a new history website I want to create. However, I’m kinda vested in this Searching For EMWA blog–268 posts worth–and so I’m not going to stop writing and just throw it out because I’m being forced to learn new tools.
I was also pretty busy last week and didn’t have time to wrap it up the way I wanted. Which gave me time to be re-inspired (along with my students) by the writer Luvvie Ajayi Jones and her 2017 TedTalk about becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable–and embracing that which scares us or makes us uncomfortable. If you have the 11 minutes, I would highly recommend her talk.
I also attended two really cool workshops through the week that I will write another post about later, but they both reminded me of just how far I have come with adapting to new ideas, tech, and perspectives this year and so despite my disappointment, annoyance, and reluctance, I’m going to keep muddling through and plan to spend this Spring Break 2021 adapting to this new system and technology with a few new posts and reposts.
Can’t wait until this process feels ‘light’ again!
Searching for EMWA 
Mmmm, delicious pizanos’s pizza!!!! Speaking of feeling old, in the last two weeks, I have fallen down the last few stairs, mashing toes into wall, then yesterday fell up the last stair of basement , falling hard into both knees, Fiesta plates flying across the mud room. Hilarious. But Feeling old and clumsy as I create a blooper reel worthy of a tv show or tik tok video. Thankfully it is spring break! Knees can heal.
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Wish We could tell you that starting to feel old gets better but unfortunately We can’t. Being 23 and 25 years older than you We can only tell you it continues. It does sound like you are handling it very positively however! Trying to stay positive, persevering, and pushing forward are all good. Keep up the positive attitude baby!
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