As a public school teacher the weather forecast is a very important part of my morning. There is a constant struggle with the seasons, temperature and precipitation in the child/weather formula. A stormy morning means children standing at a bus stop with lightening approaching. Bundling up for cold means extra time to stow coats and gloves to begin the day and allowing minutes for finding missing mittens before we go home. In and out of buildings is a challenge when the young delight in rain dancing, but grown-ups respect the importance of warm and dry. Weather is an ever changing variable that disturbs my rigid routine. Sometimes….a lot of times…..I resent it.
As I list my climate concerns, I remind myself of the wonder of childhood. Children take delight in all things. When it rains they marvel at the polka-dot patterns on the sidewalk. Autumn leaves, winter snow, summer sun, it matters not to a child. They find a reason to delight and make a party, but three days after a good ‘frog choker,’ all those muddy little shoes begin smelling like a gym locker. Consecutive days of inside recess means every child has developed a strategy to enhance their odds of winning Candy Land.… Fun’s over. Bah Humbug!
One gray, drizzly morning, as I was trying to disguise my age with Maybelline, a gentle tone from my phone drew my attention to its glowing screen that said, “Good morning mommy, how are you?” I replied to my collegiate daughter, “Yuck! It’s an inside recess day!” Moments later she responded, “Don’t be sad, pretend you’re in a Thomas Kinkade painting.”
Melissa, my daughter, found promise in a new day, rain or shine. I envied her mind and heart, so full of optimism, and realized, the wrinkles on my face might tell the age of my body, but the choice to see the world through a lens of childish joy was and always would be mine. I stepped out of my house determined to let my heart sing.
Later that morning my students and I were walking through an alley from one building to the next. It was windy and cold, but a small voice called, “Look at the rainbow.” I looked up. They all looked down. In the middle of the street a school bus had left a drop of oil. Now there were dancing colors where water and petrol refused to mix. We circled around our puddle of wonder and just enjoyed the moment.
See the ugly and inconvenient, or see good. It’s a choice. God is Good, but it takes faith, hope and love to see it on the days when it is less obvious.
Love,
Gretchen