Cocooning

While I was in the garage this morning, I checked on the cocoon. It's been there since October when I brought home the silk moth caterpillar to take pictures of it. It could be a Luna or a Polyphemus moth. I wrote about it in my blog here. Every so often, I look in on it, careful not to disturb it. From what I've read, the moth will emerge in the spring.

I feel like I've been cocooning all week. I've stayed home for the most part, surrounding myself by activities that quiet me, support me, comfort me, and protect me. I don't know why I needed to feel this way, but I did by the time we broke for the Holidays. It has to do with the amount of energy, both physical, mental, and emotional that goes into my work each day.

I want to continue being involved with my work, to be passionate about it, to be used up over it because it's too important to give any less. Creating time and space at home where I can cocoon and be nurtured, wrapped in softness and gentleness, enables me to return to the world to provide the necessary support, guidance, and leadership to those with and for whom I work. 

I work with some pretty amazing teachers and staff at my school, and only hope that they have their own sanctuary to return to at the end of each day.

I think a teacher's worst enemy is getting sick, so it's very important that she makes sure she doesn't get so stressed that she becomes susceptible to all the bugs that come to school with the children. Missing even one day of class can disrupt one's peace of mind.

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I mentioned in a previous entry yesterday that I had told Steve I needed another table across the back of my work space ... it would turn this L-shaped area into a C or U-shaped area, with my chair in the middle space.

Today, he carried up an old table or desk top from the garage, something he's had sitting around forseveral years. It had been discarded at his work place, and he thought "someday I can use this." It's about 30" wide by five feet long, and is very heavy. It used to be a desk.

After we tried out several ideas on how to support it (it was only a desk top, not the legs), we settled on using two, two-drawer metal file cabinets. We pulled out the drawers all the way, he turned the file cabinets upside down, carefully lined them up where they needed to be so we could still open the drawers on the back side, and screwed the table onto the underside of the desk top. It took him all of ten minutes to get all the screws in place and turn the whole thing right side up.

I replaced the drawers, and voila, I had a magnificent table/desk to complete my work area! I was so thrilled. I cleaned it up real good with wood cleaner and conditioner, and by the time I was through with it, it looked shiny and smooth like a brand new desk. Total cost: zip. We used all materials we had on hand.

And to think I was eyeing a real nice desk, assembly required, at Office Depot yesterday. It cost $159.00. But my table top and two used file cabinets is much wider and nicer than the one in the store, and it did not cost anything except human energy and eight screws and washers. I love saving money!

And I love my new "office"... it feels like a sanctuary in here, a great space to think, to work, to write, to read, to reflect, to get away.

I've had such a great week ... reading like a writer ... journal hopping, leaving comments, reading e-mails from the journalers, and rearranging this room. My new year's resolution was to be more organized, and today, I made some progress in that direction. Thanks to my husband!

By the way, if you are a moth or butterfly enthusiast, maybe you can look at the pictures and tell me what kind of moth it is. Polyphemus or Luna?