Flexibility

With all my moans and groans and introspective obsessions, I sometimes miss noting the wonderful things about life in academia.

This semester I'm teaching one class online, doing administrative work, and spending time at Waite High School, working with teachers and students there with tech integration ideas. Despite all my on campus meetings and administrative responsibilities, I have A LOT of flexibility.

True, I put in 40-60 hours of work each week, but I have plenty of choice in when and where I complete this work. This week, for example, my husband is having surgery. I've been able to be home with him and at the hospital (after resecheduling 6 meetings!), while checking emails from my iPhone, grading papers on my laptop, and corresponding with my online students via wireless connections at the hospital and at home.

Not many have a job with this kind of freedom and flexibility. Guess I should stop my fretting and complaining!