I had a weird day at work today. Each day is weird in its own way because my job is ever changing. But that's a story for another time.
As I was getting ready for work, I was informed that we had no heat in our building. I was also told to dress warmly and to have a Happy Monday. I tried my darndest to follow all instructions and started out with wool socks, wool lined boots, jeans a long sleeve shirt and hoodie. I also got my warmest coat out and got my gloves ready by the door. I wasn't sure about the Happy Monday part. In truth, I was worried about the kids being cold in their classrooms all day, but I set out to greet them and put on my best face. Once at work, I found out a couple of isolated areas were receiving heat, and that gave me comfort. I planned on doling out the comfort I felt as I greeted the children outside before school.
I have been very blessed to be able to be one of the people the children interact with as they arrive at school. It is one of my favorite parts of the day. I love that time before school when the sun is just climbing over the mountains and the whole school day is in front of me. I love greeting the kids as they get off the bus or out of the car. Some days there are just "hellos". Other days there are hugs and exclamations. Sometimes tears. Some days I get to hear entire novels from the mouths of babes-everything from "what I did last night" to "my birthday is in two days!" to "my mom yelled at me this morning" to belly aches and coughs. I hear about new video games, church, parties, friend drama, family angst, baptisms, good books, leveling up, new clothes, sports, pets, losing loved ones, trips to the park, cruises, and hopscotch. The variety is exciting and dizzying! I LOVE IT. I love that 15 minutes of golden opportunity before school to get a glimpse of each child I interact with, and what they may be celebrating or dealing with that day. Some need encouragement, and some are raring to go. I try to give what they need each day. I ask to be there. It makes me happy.
The day went off well. Not much to complain about, except my fingers not working from time to time, but after warming them up by tucking them in my sleeves I was good to go. I work with amazing people and get to see the progress of our amazing students. We test this time of the year and I love the one on one I get with the children. I like to see their progress, but just as much, I love visiting with each one of them. Not a single child complained about the cold. Even when they were shivering! All in all, (because of our amazing custodian and everyone else working behind the scenes on the boiler) I'd say it was a good day. Still, I worried about the kids coming outside as human popsicles.
When it was time for my recess duty, I got bundled up to "warm up" outside. My coat had been hanging in the corner, and putting it on actually made me colder! Luckily, I have some awesome heated gear that pretty much saved me. I was so grateful for the blue sky and especially the sunshine we had. Our state is not getting the snow pack we need this winter, but today a dose of sunshine is just what the doctor ordered. I was anxious to see how the kids had been faring, ready to point out the bright side in the coldness of the day. A little kindergartener came up and asked me to let her in to use the bathroom. She was wearing the brightest pink snow pants I've ever seen, and I told her they looked wonderful on her. She smiled and said, "I know!", as she skipped ahead of me. She went on, "I'm so happy I get to wear my pretty snow pants in my classroom all day! It's so exciting!" Her exuberance was contagious, and her happy spin on our situation made my day. She warmed my heart and soul as much as the sun had. To have such joy about what could be a miserable situation gave me pause, and made me want to see life that very way-even the difficult and hard parts of it. She made me want to find joy in the little things, and happy things in the hard stuff. She made me want to wear my own "pink pants", and be giddy about it. She made me see the good. She made me see the silver lining. She tickled my heart. And I am grateful.
#dinosaursinthemud
