As I left for work this morning, I thought about all of my friends who are returning to school in last weeks of August—whether they are returning as teachers, professors, staff, or students. I thought that today should be the day that I post a note to honor them—a memory, a prayer, an inspirational writing—something to indicate the passion that I feel for education and the support that I feel for them. So I began to pray that God would show me what to write and that whatever I wrote would bless the persons who read it...
And then I came to halted traffic and a sign that said, "Incident ahead. Right lane closed."
I must admit that I have had trouble arriving at the office on-time since moving to SC three years ago. I’m not going to spend a lot of time on that statement, but just let it be known that I really do try! Boss has been in and out of the office for the past couple of weeks, and it just so happens that I've been on time to work on the days that she's been gone. I'm not exactly sure why this has been reality, but I've arrived on time almost every day this month—yet Boss hasn't been here to see it! I was even ten minutes early last Monday! Boss is here today. As always is the desire, I wanted to demonstrate my ability to be prompt—because it really does exist. So I made the decision to get off the Interstate and take a back way to work. Almost an hour later, I arrived at the office. It's only supposed to take 20 minutes to get here.
My first mistake was not waiting to come to the exit ramp that would take me in the right direction. There are two exits for the same road, each one going a different way, and since the one going the opposite way came first, I decided to take it and make a u-turn. I thought I’d save a few seconds. A bunch of other people thought this, too, so the exit ramp got backed up more than the traffic on the Interstate. My second mistake was staying in the right lane once I did my u-turn. That lane ended. And my third mistake, which I guess was really my first mistake, was taking the back way at all. Due to the amount of other cars that rerouted and the stop lights that I had to cycle through, I feel certain that if I had just stayed on the Interstate and slowly moved past the incident to normal non-stoplight speed, then I would have gotten to work faster than I did taking the "short cut." The incident was only three miles from where I got off of 26.
Being the "N" that I am, and recognizing that I had prayed that God would show me what to write today, I was reminded of some things through this morning's commute.
1) After talking to a friend over the weekend, I told her that she was on the right track and challenged her to stay the course. As I stopped and started my way to work this morning, I thought about that phrase "stay the course" and realized that I had abandoned the course that I knew would most efficiently get me to work. In an attempt to avoid known congestion that would slow me down, I took a detour that slowed me down even more. I eventually got to work, yes, but the commute was a lot more stressful than it would have been had I just stayed the course and rolled my way past the incident.
2) Even though staying the course is the most efficient way to get to where we're going, straying from the course will teach us a lot and provide us with lovely experiences if we let it. Because of the insane amount of traffic on my detour, I had the opportunity to be kind to a bunch of drivers, I found a Good Will, and I saw an awesome Billboard that said, “Hit The High Notes.” The board included a picture of Mozart and stressed the importance of great music. Amen!
3) Everyone should always do the thank you wave when someone lets him/her into traffic. I very graciously let a car get in front of me this morning but the driver didn't do the thank you wave. It made me feel a little ill. But I forgave her and kept going.
4) There's really no reason to get mad at things beyond our control. I couldn't control traffic. I couldn't control that Boss once again was not going to see me get to work on time. I did everything I needed to do to get here on time, but circumstances outside of me prevented it. I could have gotten mad but that would have done nothing but make my ride miserable. Instead, I just stopped and started along, knowing that my work would be here when I got here; tried to wake up; prayed for my friends starting school, my nephews and niece, my work, the Department of Juvenile Justice, whoever was being picked up by an ambulance, a woman stranded with an overheated car, the people at my rental car place; thanked God for my car and prayed that it would provide me with many more safe trips; drank my coffee (that was particularly good this morning); and tried to just let be what was.
And so dear readers—especially teachers, school staff, and students—this is the message for you today:
Stay the course. When the work is hard and the days ahead are long, stay the course. Education is one of the most beautiful and essential gifts we have. Educators and support staff: You are some of the greatest people on earth. You have the potential to mold and shape the lives of countless students. Your influence will live for many, many years come. I pray that your influence will encourage students to sing rather than teach them that their voices aren’t good enough to be heard. And, students: Going to school is an honor and privilege. Learn all that you can with an open mind and do it honestly. Taking short cuts may seem like the way to go, but it’s not. The process of learning is more important than the grade.
When things go wrong and you make stupid mistakes, use the consequences as an opportunity to learn. There is always something to be learned.
Thank the people who help you along the way—coworkers, administration, staff, family, parents and guardians, students, volunteers, teachers—everyone who takes part in the educational process. We always have something to be grateful for, and it is up to us to make sure our gratitude is felt and heard. Never underestimate the power of encouragement. It can change the world…especially after a long day of paperwork and testing.
Control what you can. Try to let go of the rest. There is a lot that we CAN do. There is a lot more that we can’t. When other people’s lack of planning becomes your emergency, do your best to fight the fire but try not to panic and make sure you keep breathing. Meditate. Pray. Keep your eyes open to what is happening beyond the surface. There are always layers of life going on around you—know which layers you can affect and work to make an impact on those—trust life’s journey and the God who created it all to take care of the rest.
Oh, dear friends…especially educators, professors, school staff members, students, and others involved in our school systems (home, private, public, collegiate, and graduate)…let it be known that I believe in you and the educational process. You have my deepest respect and love. And I am praying for you—yes you—today and in all the days to come.
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