Day 11: Perspective

“I am almost caught up with my grading. I only have 2 sets of math packets and my Character Analysis essays to grade.”

My teaching partner looked at me and replied with a laugh, “Well, I am glad you feel almost caught up with your grading because I have those exact things to grade and I am feeling overwhelmed and behind.”

This exchange brought me back about 17 years . . .

Being single and living at home, with a new job teaching 4th grade. My friends would call me to go out and I would have to decline because I was “busy”. Once I got engaged and had to plan a wedding while working full-time, I would roll my eyes (over the phone) when my single friends would say they were busy. Well when I had my first child, I laughed at myself and thought, I thought I was busy before, but now I seriously don’t have time to go to the bathroom. Fast forward to 2018, three kids, a husband, a house, full-time teaching job, kids in sports, taking classes, and heading to the hospital or my parents’ house after work to help out. There were days where I would still meet for coffee at 9:30 pm after all of that, but the days I couldn’t I never said “I was busy” I would just say “I can’t” or “I already have plans”.

So in 2019, instead of thinking of how busy I am and how much I have to get done, I am going to think to myself, Let me get working on checking something off my checklist. Perspective!