'I'm Losing My Perspicacity!'

I've often identified with Lisa Simpson, her curiosity, frustration, humor, alienation, rebellion and identity crises. (Some people have also suggested that I sound a bit like her, too.)

I thought of Lisa today and "The Simpsons" season six episode ("The PTA Disbands") when Springfield Elementary School closes temporarily because of a teachers' strike. Away from the comforts of the controlled classroom environment, no longer being measured, rated, critiqued or praised, Lisa starts to break down.

"Grade me...look at me...evaluate and rank me! Oh, I'm good, good, good, and oh so smart! Grade me!" she implores mother Marge, who frantically scribbles an "A" on a piece of paper and hands it to her daughter, trying to calm her down.

Being out of work, away from the sometimes comforting, sometimes inspiring, sometimes maddening production cycle, I'm feeling like Lisa Simpson. I don't see myself as a person who needs constant reassurance, but I do appreciate feedback, constructive criticism, instruction and, yes, praise. I'm not getting any of that now and I feel less than because of it.

During the teachers' strike, Lisa turned to various plans to satisfy her intellectual and emotional needs, from drafting her own curriculum to shadowing her teacher in the hopes of learning something, anything. I've made plans to keep my mind and skills as sharp as possible during this sabbatical, but whatever the project, no matter how grand or complicated, doesn't give me the same things that a full-time job would.

By the end of the episode, the teachers and the school district came to an agreement, and the kids returned to school. For Lisa Simpson, all was once again right with the world. I know I'll have my happy resolution, too, I just want to be on my "A" game when it happens.