Focus on the Blue

I found a red, melted jolly rancher stuck to my white carpet today.

Regardless of who was careless enough to leave a red jolly rancher on the carpet, I've realized that kids will be kids. And they're not malicious, they're just kids.

So when I try to explain something to a teenager who is determined to shoot down every analogy I send their way, or when a child tells me my kitchen is small, or when I find toilet paper trails coming from my half bath, I try to stop and think - this is what growing up is like. And what makes teaching so worth it is when a student finally learns how to incorporate arm vibrato, or when a 4 year old randomly stops in the middle of her song to give me a hug, or when I watch one of my students proudly walk onto a stage and perform the song we've perfected for two months.

Tonight, during a rainstorm that has lasted for about 2 months, I spotted a patch of blue sky peeking through the angry clouds. Teaching, and life in general, is like that. We can choose to focus on the storm clouds or to focus on the blue. I'm choosing to focus on the blue.