Simply Sunshine!

Wow!  It’s been exactly one month since my last post!  I apologize for the delay… life has just been a little bit chaotic lately!  I must say, I am very jealous of those of you on Spring Break already… mine is still one week and two days away!  I’m counting down the days until I’ll be on the beach soaking up some much needed sunshine!  J 

Let me catch you up with a few details from this past month (I still can’t believe an entire month has already gone by - how time flies!)… 

Last week was truly an insane week!  I knew that when I uttered the words, “what else can go wrong?” I had made a serious mistake… I jinxed it!  Long story short, last week was awful, but I still found little things to smile about to help get me through the week (like when I leaned up against a sticky table…  and got milk spilled down the front of me… twice… in one 30 minute period… and had a very important meeting to attend after school that day!  (What are the odds?!?)  Let’s just say that I appeared nothing short of professional that day!  It was definitely something to giggle about (and had half the staff giggling too –haha).  J) … AND I learned that I will never utter that menacing phrase again… unless there is wood nearby to knock on!  J

After winding down on Friday night with a few glasses of wine and a good book, I knew that the next week could only get better!  My re-discovered positive attitude even had an effect on the weather (although it was probably the other way around J).  So far, every day this week, I’ve woken up to a beautiful sunny day, including a slight breeze and an expected high temperature of 75 degrees…  Absolutely gorgeous for a “springy” day in the middle of March in Colorado (usually one of our snowiest months)!  J 

Let me rewind a little bit to this past Sunday…   Sunday’s weather was just perfect!  I wanted to spend the day outside, so I thought to myself, “what better way to do this than a nice jog?”  I put on my new Experia running socks, double-knotted my shoe laces, and hit the pavement.  About halfway through my run, I encountered a dirt path that I had never seen before.  I continued on my planned route, but curiosity got the better of me, so I made a U-turn and traveled down the path.  At this point in my run, I was feeling pretty tired (especially due to the fact that this path turned out to be more like a steep hill instead), however, I decided to push through to see where this path could possibly lead.  Many times, I felt like giving up and going back to the “safe” route.  My muscles were screaming at me telling me to stop as I neared the peak, but I focused on my deep breathing and the scenery that surrounded me and pushed on.  Finally, I made it. 

 Where did this path lead, you might ask?  To a park!  A park that I never knew existed.  As I began my cool-down jog, I noticed two young girls leaving the volleyball court fanning me a quick wave hello.  I smiled, uttered an out-of-breath “hi,” and continued jogging around the park, noticing that the park was buzzing with people… families playing basketball, kids chasing each other on the playground, friends showing off their skateboarding tricks, etc.  The park - a great foundation to build relationships, share laughter, and create lasting memories... I took it all in.    

Being the reflective person that I am, I couldn’t help but relate this experience to teaching and to life.  Here’s what I’ve learned:  Life is an adventure!  Take the time to explore.  Sometimes we have to do things that are uncomfortable, but we become stronger for it.  Enjoy the journey and don’t be afraid to slow down and look around for awhile.  If you believe that something can happen, it can, you just have to put forth the effort and genuinely believe that it can.  Find the positives in every situation, build relationships, and do what inspires you most.  Never give up, know that anything is possible, and spread the sunshine everywhere you go! 

At times, teaching is a job that can be completely overwhelming, but it’s important to always remember your purpose as a teacher.  You are there to inspire, create, explore, embrace, teach, care, encourage, guide, instruct, praise, protect, mentor, think, believe, hope, dream, and learn.  Most importantly, you are there to make a difference.  Know that you hold the power to brighten the lives of each of the children that set foot into your classroom – use it!  Be the light that guides your children to places they never thought possible and shines on the endless opportunities that lie ahead. 

Anything really is possible when you believe. 

Shine on! 

~Chelsea