Have you ever had a week when you intended to reach a goal and just didn’t?

Or, have you had such an awful week that you even forgot to set goals?

That was my week.

I think for faculty, in particular, it’s difficult to admit our human failings and frailties. In some ways, we’re encouraged (by each other? by comparison?) to act super-human. We are non-stop teachers, graders, committee members, writers, presenters. Somewhere in there, we may be partners, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons. We play this faculty role almost continually. Or I do. Every other role of my life is informed by my faculty identity.

So that means that when I hurt my back and can’t do  much more than recline in bed and cry, I feel guilty for not fulfilling my role.

But this is life. And it’s not unique to the faculty member. It’s something that cadets will experience too. Sometimes, we’re human, and our humanity makes it difficult or impossible to set, much less meet, our goals.

And I’m here to tell you that it’s okay when that happens.

When that happens, when you literally can’t, let the people around you know. Talk to your faculty. Talk to your friends. Propose new deadlines when you ask for extensions. It’s okay. Your faculty are human too, and sometimes, that makes us sympathetic to your struggles.

So this week, all I could do was come to campus by Wednesday. I wrote my lesson plans for Thursday. I created worksheets and handouts. I taught and smiled while I did it. And for this week, that’s enough.

Next week, I’ll go back to my article on the National World War II Museum. This week, I’m just regular Deidre, not Super Deidre. And regular Deidre is just fine.

What do you do when you can’t even? Let me know in the comments!