The Beauty of Doing, not DONE



 We all need to take care of ourselves.

Last week, I put it out there that we have to remember ourselves. This theme came up again this AM on Twitter, when I responded to one of author Joel L. Daniel’s tweets:

"the times i am most proud of myself are the times in which i gave and shared more than i thought i had, gave more than i thought i could, loved harder than i thought i cared to. 


keep pouring out, star. your cup will forever overflow."

His thoughts seems to be like those I’ve envisioned run through many educators’ minds around the globe as they hit walls: keep pouring out. My response has received a few likes already, so I know there are more folks out there who agree with both:

"I love the sentiment of this, however, I know many amazing people who have truly drained themselves into a pit of exhaustion & sense of loneliness with this practice: #teachers. 

We all need to support each other."


From this idea that perhaps we go, go, go until it’s detrimental to ourselves, this week’s essay asks us to be comfortable with, and appreciate, progress. I know that I can get caught up in wanting a perfect, bow-wrapped package. At times, I have decided to not start something because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to complete it. I regret that mindset.

Teachers can be the biggest, most amazing cheerleaders for their students and their coworkers. Every human needs that sort of influence in their lives. Encouragement from others leads to mind-shift from the problems to the progresses and the possibilities: to hope.

Every human. That includes you.

So this essay is my pump-up for you. Marlene’s photo reminded me that we, like the butterfly, may have to dip and feel around a bit to find that sweet nectar. But we’re in the garden of life and there are a multitude of flowers out there. We deserve time to feel the warm sun and savor those steps of progress. You’re doing so many wonderful things!

Let’s sit in that garden for a minute and enjoy it.


P.S. Hannah Wilson just put out another great blog, this one on our global connections. I just had to share. In my essay this week, I talked of the school as an organism. She reminded me there’s an even bigger one we exist in. You, me, our children, our students- we are related to the globe of 7 billion humans. That’s how big that garden can (and should) be. Check out how she relates a number of ways her students are building bridges well beyond their school walls!  Global Mindset, Global Community: Global Citizenship.

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