Oh, Monday Me! – Thoughts About Little Things
Dogwood tree in bloom – in Pennsylvania.
May 3, 2021
Oh, Monday Me!
Walking by Inner Vision Blog
“It’s About the Little Things”
by
Lynda McKinney Lambert
pink Dogwood petals
wistful memories trickle
timely morning rain
It must be the soft rainfall this morning that brings nostalgic thoughts of the little things I miss since I retired in the late summer of 2008. It is nearly thirteen years since a shiny golden sign on my office door announced:
Prof. Lynda Lambert
Fine Arts and Humanities
Retirement is something most people plan for well in advance. Most settle into it slowly and anticipate all the things you want to do during retirement years. They are usually little things we never have time to do because of our intense working schedule. I looked forward to retirement because I envisioned a life with a lot more time to work on various new projects. At the age of sixty-four, I believed I would be in the classroom for at least one more decade.
I did not plan to retire early because I had so much that I still wanted to do in my career at a private Christian college. I taught courses in Humanities, English Literature, and Fine Art at Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA.
Besides, this was the first time in eleven years of working as a full-time tenured professor that I would take a Sabbatical. I looked forward to an entire semester when I could do research and study the life and work of an eleventh-century nun, Hildegard of Bingen.
My plans changed quickly when I was struck by Ischemic Optic Neuropathy.
On New Year’s Day, 2007 – the sight in my right eye disappeared. Ten months later, the vision in my left eye vanished, too. There is no warning about this destructive event, and once it happens, nothing can fix it. The following year in my life is a blur of rehabilitation and personal adjustment to blindness training. It would be two hard years of work to even begin to use a computer again or learn to read by using machines and adjusting to knowing just about everything using adaptive technologies for the blind.
I retired from teaching in the late summer of 2008. My retirement was nothing I had planned to do because I was on Sabbatical for the first time in my career at the college.
My Sabbatical project was an investigation of the life and work of Hildegard of Bingen. I gathered copies of her writings and began to read her books. I was particularly interested in her visions and dream imagery in her artwork. I was curious about how a woman at this time in history could have flourished as she did in areas of religion, music, language, writing, art, and the creation of a monastic order in Germany.
Hildegard was a Benedictine nun who lived from 1098 – 17 September 1179.
This caused me to think about what I miss in the years since I retired from teaching.
Leaving academia caused an enormous void in my life. The absence caused me to realize that it is the tiny things that make life most satisfying.
I miss the rich and deep conversations I enjoyed with dedicated students and colleagues dedicated to life-long learning.
I miss the short and warm conversations on the stairways as we went up and down and stopped to chat about something fascinating.
I miss the inside jokes that only an English professor would think is funny.
I miss staying up most nights to prepare for rigorous discussions the next day.
I miss spending most weekends in my recliner, reading student papers, and sipping from a pot of tea.
I often long for short conversations like those we sometimes had in the copy room while waiting our turn to make copies of our handouts for the next class. Colleagues discussed subtle nuances of literature, favorite philosophers, art history, music performances,
theater engagements, history, and more.
I miss all the little conversations that took place throughout the day with students and others on campus.
I miss collegiality – a common bond that we had together across disciplines.
I walked outside this morning with my grey umbrella and my two dogs. This is our morning ritual. I turned back to have another look at the flowering Dogwood tree. This tree is magnificent today. My husband and I planted this tree about fifty years ago. It has grown to be a handsome tree, and it is covered with soft pink blossoms in early May.
Photos taken in the rain this morning . May 3, 2021. by Lynda McKinney Lambert.
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Learn more about Hildegard: Here
Lynda McKinney Lambert is a retired college professor of fine arts and humanities. Retirement from teaching in 2008 opened the door for her to write full-time. Lynda explores the themes of landscape, mythology, time, pilgrimage, fine arts and literature .
Lynda has five published books. Her work appears in international anthologies and literary magazines . She was nominated for the Skirt Best-of-the-Net Award. Her most recent award is “Special Mention for a body of work (six poems)” by Proverse (Hong Kong) in Mingled Voices5, Anthology, published in April 2021.
New – Songs for the Pilgrimage
Published April 13, 2021.
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Read more about the Asian lily named, Forever Susan Lily Here
Published:
This article is Courtesy of Lynda McKinney Lambert. Copyright 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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BREAKING NEWS:
Listen to Lynda read her poem at the Spring Reception in Hong Kong. Listen now!
Published:
Mingled Voices 5: International Proverse Poetry Prize Anthology 2020 
Lynda received
Special Mention for a Body of Work
Listen to Lynda read her poem at the Spring Reception in Hong Kong. Listen now!
Spring Reception – Here