If you've ever owned horses, you know that horses exhibit some distinctive behaviors. One of these is chomping at the bit. My thoroughbred Traveler did this all the time.
Once I got him saddled and bridled, he couldn't wait to go for a long cross-country ride, usually at a full gallop. Thoroughbreds are extremely intelligent creatures. When they become bored, they can start playing with the bit.
Well, to say that I'm chomping at the bit to get back into the classroom would be the world's biggest understatement. Last Monday class was cancelled due to the ice storm we had, and this coming Monday it will be canceled again due to a snowstorm we're expecting. To give you some perspective, after I retired from full-time teaching 4 years ago, I agreed to continue to teach a few classes each year as long as they were in person. No, I'm not against online learning. But I'll leave that to my colleagues. Nothing, and I mean nothing, brings me more satisfaction as a teacher than being able to interact with students face to face.
Now, one of the greatest challenges in my life has been learning to keep things in perspective. To not sweat the small stuff. To focus on things that truly matter. To not take people or even life itself for granted. And I think one of the best ways to learn perspective is to find gratitude in every single moment of every single day God gives you. Without this perspective it's too easy to get caught up in the small stuff (losing a day or two of class meetings qualifies as "small stuff"). To keep things in perspective, another thing that helps is good old-fashioned prayer, as in "Let go and let God."
Most worriers do just the opposite. We are forever yelling "Oh no!" when instead we need to repeat to ourselves phrases such as "It's not as bad as you think." After all, my students have my Youtube videos. No, it's not exactly the same thing as being in the classroom, but it's the next best thing and will do just fine as a substitute until we get back to normal weather patterns in Virginia and North Carolina. Focusing on what you have and not on what you don't have is one of the most profound ways to regain perspective and to revive gratitude. Life is full of "real" stuff to mourn -- people losing jobs, spouses, health, children, and the actual ability to walk. Having to miss class two weeks in a row is a bummer, but letting that lead you to frustration or self-pity indicates a serious lack of perspective. Learning to count your blessings during winter storms is how resilience is built when life really slaps you in the head. Just because I love the classroom and grieve the loss of not being able to personally instruct my students doesn't mean I don't understand that there are worse things that can befall a teacher. It's just that teaching makes me so happy that I miss it when I can't do it. Over and over again I have to remind myself how easy it is for me to succumb to tunnel vision. I am so used to things going a certain way that I can easily lose my flexibility to see the big picture. No, the world is not coming to an end. Weather cancellations simply go with the territory. It's all about our attitude. About our approach to life. About making lemonade out of lemons. About seeing the silver living.
Every autumn, the monarch butterflies in Maine begin an unbelievably difficult journey down to Mexico. Each day they allow their instincts to steer them. Some winds blow them off course. Other winds speed them along. But they keep flying until, one day, they arrive.
I will take my own advice. I will be tough. I will be grateful. I will control what I can (diet, sleep, exercise, attitude) and keep pushing on. I will keep life in balance and have faith. I will live in a place of gratitude about the present. I will notice the little blessings every day.
Now go do something you can finally do because everything is cancelled and BE ALIVE!