Rainy Days

On rainy days, it's good to remember the blessings of life. I'm not just talking about the weather. I'm talking about the teacher blues. Having been "hit" with some professional disappointments, I can decide whether to let that take me down down down or get back up and get going with the get-go. And sometimes, that's easier said than done.

But, moments like teaching (In Just-) and looking out my classroom windows to see children jump-rope running are just so inspiring. Announcing the "winners" of our classroom PSA contest promoting the importance of keeping the arts alive in public schools to be aired on our local television station is exciting. Preparing elementary children for their first public reading this Saturday melts my heart. Walking up to the steps of the school to find a heart made of dandelions placed on the concrete delights me with a smile.

So, when the literary journal I so wanted to place my poems in declined me... I used it as an example to my creative writing students of "a writer's life". We must accept rejection as part of the process, tuck it away and keep submitting. I told my kids, "So, if I ask you to write yet another revision... accept that. Writing is not an event. Writing is a process." This is a mantra we chant regularly.

Today, I am focusing on my teacher's mantra: "I'm so grateful to have a classroom in which to float. I'm so grateful to be a teacher. I'm so grateful for these students. I'm so grateful for today." Concentrating on the present. The moment. Today.