Live From Joy

Some might recognize this quote from the movie Pollyanna. I recently rewatched this movie and was deeply inspired by the way Pollyanna looked for the good in every situation and especially in every person. The people in the town were transformed by her perspective. Our thoughts and expectations can be more powerful than we realize. What struck me is that it wasn't merely positive thinking. Pollyanna genuine looked for the good in each situation, even if she needed to stretch a bit and she felt the benefit of that effort. Then gradually those around her began to feel the effects as well. They weren't instantly won over but with a bit of persistence, they began to see and feel the benefit of the "glad game" as she called it. I still remember taking the first course in Education for Life through the online training program . The instructor gave us our homework assignment the first week: look for the light. We were to look for moment of lightness and childlikeness, moment...

At beginning of the year I participated in an art workshop where we each chose a word for the year. Rather than creating specific resolutions we chose one word as our focus or inspiration for the year. The word I chose was patience. Now, as we wade through the unknown and find ourselves ending every conversation with "let's wait and see," I'm wondering, what does it really mean to be patient? Is it simply a matter of waiting, of timing? Or is it an inner calmness you bring as you forge ahead anyways? Patience typically seems like a passive quality but I'm wondering how to practice it more dynamically, with greater energy and intention. A large part of patience is accepting things as they are. As Swami Kriyananda says in his book Affirmations for Self-Healing: Patience means also adjusting to whatever is in life, rather than wishing it were something else. ... For it is when we work with things as they are that we can change them to whatever we might like them to b...

I don't usually engage much with the news or politics but I think what is happening right now in our world is beyond politics. It is about justice and truth, about reclaiming our humanity and standing up for what matters most. We can talk about and criticize how others are acting but in the end, what example are we setting by what we do, by the choices we make? If we want harmony or peace, are we at peace within ourselves and the people in our lives? If we want clarity and truth, how honest are we being with ourselves and others? Everything we do has a ripple effect and while we usually won't change someone with a lecture, we can subtlety influence them with our actions and attitudes. People, especially children, learn more from what you do and how you act then from what you say.  I came across this incredible talk from Trevor Noah that touches on recent events and people's reactions and the power and responsibility of those in leadership to lead by example, not by force o...

Taking yourself too seriously? Get ready for a curve ball being thrown in your direction! A little bit of "bizarre" will help you work through what you need to work through. -Coyote I saw a coyote yesterday at dusk and looked up the symbolism. Animals that cross our paths have messages for us. Well I'm definitely ready for a curve ball these days, something to shake things up. Which might sound surprising considering the current state of things seems to be one curve ball after another. I think what I'm really ready for is an "inner curve ball," something to help shift my way of seeing and relating to the circumstances at hand. In a conversation with a friend I commented a bit on this and the need to find ways to redirect current energy going into well worn grooves of habit (mostly thought habits right now). I can see energy going in certain directions and instead of trying to simply STOP that from happening, I'd like to find ways to apply or direct that ...

I could easily make a long list of all the things that make distance learning frustrating and impossible but it wouldn't really change things except maybe to make me feel crankier and more annoyed. A friend of mine was recently commenting on a project he was assigned to at work. Being perfectly honest he said "I don't really like it... but I realize I don't like being unhappy even more." Wise words. Wiser perhaps than he even realized.  We have a choice. There are many things we can't control. This may seem more true now that ever before. Or maybe we're just realizing how little control we've always have. Either way there is always one thing you can control - your attitude. How easy, how seemingly rational, even how socially acceptable it is to blame our state of mind and our emotions on the current circumstances. But as Yogananda says, "Conditions are always neutral, it is how we react to them that makes them seem good or bad." This is a dee...

Last year I ended the year with a special project. We all contributed to a list of different things we would remember about our school year together and then I created a little book and gave one to each child. It's a way for us to think back on the year and end on a high note, thinking of the things we will miss but reframing it as things we want to remember.  We worked on our list today in our class call and it was a wonderful reminder of all the awesome learning and fun that was had the first 6 months of school. Despite the last 2 plus months of craziness it really was a great school year and I'm going to really miss this class. In fact I have been missing them already!  I really enjoyed writing up the awards I will give each of them this year. In the past it's been a bit challenging to give it time and energy in the midst of all the other end-of-the-year activities. I think having this distance has made it a bit easier to get perspective on each of them and focus more on...

Today I worked on writing up the awards for each of my students. This is yearly school tradition where every student in the school is honored for some quality they have shown or developed through the school year. Normally we have this awards ceremony on the last day of school. We call each student up and present them with their award and tell a little story about how they've shown this quality. This year we'll be recording our presentation (teachers only) and then live streaming the recording for students and families to watch.  At first I was worried about trying to think of an award for each child since we haven't been together in so long and we rely so much on observation to help us. However, it has been really special to think back on our first 6 months of the year together and contemplate the qualities I saw shining in each student. This process is the highlight of my year as a teacher. No student can shine in every way, every day. It can be an exhausting job and I oft...