Post by ELLEN ELIZABETH WATSON on Oct 15, 2012 1:03:42 GMT -5
It was quite a blessing to be able and get some fresh air away from the school. That was one flaw in Ellen's profession, being stuck in an office all day long. From time to time the middle aged woman wondered what it would have been like to have a more 'active' occupation. Then she reminded herself how much she loved history and how much she loved being able to teach youth all that she knew about it. That alone was enough for her to look past some of the more 'boring' parts of her job. After all, all jobs had undesirable parts to them. Plus there were also many perks that were included in her job. Ellen got home at around the same time as her children, had the same vacations as them, and could comfortably live without the child support her husband seemed to neglect. No, Elle wouldn't trade a thing for her life; everything was wonderful as it was.
On this lovely Saturday afternoon, Ellen decided to go for a walk in the park. The fall air was relatively brisk which made her opt for a light jacket, but for an autumn afternoon it was an absolutely gorgeous day. Ellen could recall the long walks she used to take at college with her friends and occasionally with her ex husband. It scared her a bit to recall those days because it aged her considerably. Back then she never thought she'd graduate, and there were plenty of times when she thought she was going to flunk out. Yale's curriculum was definitely not the easiest, but she had been told that going in. In the end, it allowed her to grow insurmountably, in many ways.
As Ellen walked along the pathway she reminisced over her life and sort of 'meditated' while walking. There was something calming about walking in solitude. Sure, she liked to have company, but from time to time it was nice to just be alone and think. By nature, she was a very pensive person, and constantly talking didn't allow her to develop her own ideas. There were things to learn from others, but there were also things to learn just by sitting and thinking to oneself.
Eventually, Ellen decided to sit down. She could still walk a could few miles without any problems, but she wasn't as 'youthful' as she used to be. She decided on an empty bench under a rather large tree. She sat and took out some papers to grade. As a teacher, Ellen understood she was allowed time to grade things, but she hated handing things back late. When she was a student that was her pet peeve. Looking at it now, she realized how much work grading actually was, but that didn't give her permission to put it off. If a student didn't do their homework they were reprimanded, so Ellen had to do her work because that was what she was paid for. As she graded the assignments she felt someone sit beside her. Slowly, she lifted her head to see who it was.