It's been a while!

So much has happened since I last checked in. Christmas, New Year, my Grandma died, Britney went crazy and I went back to work. But what did I learn?
I must listen to people. I need to stand, or sit, or slouch and turn off the inner voice and simply listen. For instance, this Christmas I hosted my family and my husband's parents at my house. The only way I coped with this potentially disastrous situation is that I disconnected. I just let everyone do what they needed to do and stayed out of their way, which is the same thing I do every Christmas regardless of location. Lots of people, in cowboy parlance, put me off my feed but I should have listened to their stories nevertheless. My boys have so much to talk about and I don't listen, my husband, my students; I tell them what to think or do.
On the other hand, I rocked the eulogy I wrote for Grandma's service and my students this semester are this close to falling under my spell.