If you try, sometimes...you get what you need (The Rolling Stones)

The view of the bridge - halfway point on our ascent to the hut.

Well, that was certainly a full on, weird, unsettling, adventurous, reassuring, challenging, demanding, adrenaline charged week.

• Monday - at Hastings' Campus , went for eye test at OPSM Napier - all good, 'see you in two years' she said. 
• Tuesday - drove to Rangiwahia (2 and a half hour drive), went on an excursion in the Ruahine ranges on Deadman's Track with the Year 7 to 13s. Climbed to the hut and back. Drove back to Takapau via Paihiatua Track (3 hour drive)
• Wednesday - at Hastings' Campus - early morning meeting with Campus Administrators, excellent zoom meeting with my Principals, terrific PD session on restorative practices, haircut during lunch (world record time for Cheryl to get me back to school for duty and meetings).
• Thursday - drove to Palmerston North, flew to Auckland, drove to Maungaturoto Campus for periods 3 to 6 (two and half hour drive). Drove back to Wellsford for the night.
• Friday - drove from Wellsford to Maungaturoto Campus for periods 1 to 4; drove back to Auckland, flew back to Palmerston North and then, finally, drove home to Takapau.

During all that stuff happening I had plenty of time to think and reflect.

You know the drill, hardy perennials like - who am I? What is life? Why am I doing this? Why did my mother have to die so young?

The highlights were many: being mindful while traversing the land - thinking how lucky I was to be out in nature and being paid for it; being welcomed so warmly by the students at Maungaturoto, thinking I should never have left the campus to go to England; sitting in the Wellsford Subway, gazing at the cars, the signs, the people; looking across at Mount Taranaki from the plane ride north, thinking about my start at NPBHS; sitting with the Maungaturoto Principal and enjoying discussing the state of the union; watching the students play during their morning tea break while sitting in the Kaipara sunshine...and on and on. 

It was an exhausting but deeply rewarding week. I'd just prefer that it was spread out a bit more, but hey - you can't always get what you want.