When you teach, you have to think. You have to look at things in new ways. I like thinking new things, but I don’t always like acting in new ways.

I have been teaching more than usual lately. Last week I led a seminar on Writing Your Spiritual Autobiography at New York Theological Seminary.

In the fall, I taught a weekly creative writing class for middle school kids.

When you teach, you can’t multitask. You know, there’s no schmoozing by the water cooler or reading the paper with your feet on the desk as a teacher. You have to be on — prepared and smart.

I like that. And I like being in the zone of teaching. It’s a change. And today, I don’t necessarily think I can make any big life changes. While my marriage is hard, due to Chris’s Parkinson’s, we all still love each other. And besides that, the kids (and Chris? and I?) need stability.

And so to get out of my rut, I teach. I am grateful for the opportunities to indulge in this happy and meaningful pursuit (distraction from my real life).