Enjoy Life

My goal is to be happy.

Ok, so it’s one of my goals, but it’s a big one. I want to be happy. I want to enjoy life… as it comes.

It’s easy to enjoy life at Disney World, at the beach, on vacation, or at your favorite restaurant… and I love those moments, but I want to enjoy all of life. The big parts, the small parts, the adventurous parts, and the mundane.

I don’t want to be one of those people always waiting for the weekend, for the next break, for the next holiday. I want to enjoy every day of life.

I’m better at this some days than others. Some days I smile at everyone, notice the little things that matter, soak in every hug and snuggle, comment on every sunrise and sunset, the clouds, the weather, enjoy talking with my friends, and hearing what my students have to say. I look forward to gymnastics with my daughter and watching a favorite show at night. I find a way to get excited about each day.

Other days, it’s just hard. The beginning of this school year has been hard. Really hard. I love my students already, but it’s… hard. There are a lot of needs and not a lot of me to go around. Every single moment, I have to be ON, teaching and reteaching, redirecting and prompting, and sometimes preventing. Not to mention keeping an eye on my student who has already had two seizures so far this year. I love these little humans but I leave every day so wiped out, so drained, and so frustrated that I wasn’t able to do more or that it didn’t go better.

I am only human. I can only do so much… but that’s a hard one for me to accept. I spent awhile after work yesterday coming up with new strategies to implement in class today to hopefully quell some of the things that are really frustrating me.

And then this morning, I am compelled to write about enjoying life… all of it. These little humans come to school every day and their face lights up when they see me. That is a privilege. To be be so loved.

Yes, the job is hard, but I can rise above the difficult parts. I can focus on their successes, their smiles, their wins. I have to handle the other parts, but my focus can be on the good. There is good in every day.

A visualization strategy I learned during meditation is to set whatever is troubling your mind on a little cloud and let it float away. I actually really like and have used this technique. So perhaps I can apply it to enjoying life. Handle the hard parts, then set them afloat and let them go away. Dwell on the good parts. Hold onto the good things that have already happened and keep your mind on the good things still to come in the day.

This is easier said than done. It takes practice. It will take practice. And even with practice, some days will be better than others. But if I make a conscious decision to let go of the frustrating parts and hold tight to the good and happy moments, I will be well on my way to enjoying life… all of it.