It’s Back-to-School Time, lovelies.
My favorite time of the year.
It’s a time for new sneakers, fresh notebooks, and all of the sharpened pencils a girl can dream of.
I suppose as a teacher, it’s in my blood to feel this way. My internal clock seems to tick according to unit plans, projects, and semesters.
Yet while this euphoric New-School-Year-feel inevitably fades, I remind myself that its positive message should not be forgotten.
As students, as teachers, as parents, neighbors, and friends, we are constantly planting seeds, Dear Reader.
In all that we do.
A new school year brings hope. It oozes possibility from its pores. It tells us that we have another chance to learn.
Another chance for good.
As a teacher, I aim to plant seeds of positivity. I may never directly experience the sweet fragrance of their blossoms, but I choose to believe they will one day thrive beneath a bold and brilliant sun.
It’s in the little things: listening patiently; celebrating small victories; admitting I was wrong; giving a genuine laugh.
I want others to feel valued, no matter how they make me feel.
Some days this is hard to remember. In an effort to make a difference I give it all I have, and sometimes that leaves me feeling whipped and worthless. Is anyone even listening?
But you’ve gotta keep digging, Snap. Keep planting. Keep believing.
Because otherwise we’ve let the dry and seemingly-barren soil win. We abandon possibility because it seems futile.
It feels meaningless.
But it is not, love.
Everyday, each of us has a choice.
In the classroom, at the workplace, at the dinner table or coffee shop, the only thing we can control is ourselves.
Will we offer a smile, even when we’re feeling beat?
Will we show compassion, even when faced with belligerence?
Will we greet each day as another opportunity for love, forgiveness, and the pursuit of knowledge?
I hope so, Dear Reader.
I hope.
. . .
What are some of your favorite ways to spread positivity, Dear Reader?
How do you stay positive when negativity seems to be around every corner?
