Can I handle the seasons of my life?

October 16, 2022

Fall is not my favorite season. Perhaps it is inappropriate to admit that, especially as a life-long educator, but once the initial thrill of new notebooks and pens wears off, I start to notice that the days are waning and that it is trickier for me to fit in my walks after school before dark. I do enjoy the crisp smell of autumn in the air and the crunch of colorful leaves under foot, but all the fire pits and Halloween decorations are just a distraction to help me cope with the end of the summer warmth. If I am lucky, a pepper or tomato plant will keep producing through the first weeks of October and there will be days of 70-degree highs now and again.

Thank goodness for my students! They are the best part of Fall. I love the relationships I get to build with the students who come by daily to get a pass for the library, to checkout a book or to buy coffee. High School kids have a lot on their plates, and I feel lucky to have the chance to listen as they share with me about academic challenges, friendships, and family. Often after talking to my students, I am grateful that I went through high school and college in the years before cell phones, and especially before social media. These kids are under so much pressure to find their niche and “brand” to share with the world. I would have hated that. It was hard enough to deal with figuring out which clothes were in or out and how to navigate the cool kids crowd without worrying about how many followers I had and whether people liked the selfies I posted.

Finally, this week, I was able to offer a full yoga class to my Mindful Monday kids. We have been blessed with a bunch of new furniture this year and it took a while to build it, sort it, and have enough of the old furniture taken away for us to spread out our yoga mats in the back classroom area of the library. 15 kids signed up to do a mixed level class with lots of beginner level instruction sprinkled in. It was such a joy to see the kids help each other out and a few veteran yogis strategically positioned themselves next to newbies to help model the asana. Each week, I now hope to sprinkle in a little mat time now that the tables neatly fold up and roll away.

I might find the seasons of my own life challenging from time to time, but I am so glad to have my surrogate sons and daughters to chat with and teach as I watch my own biological children fledge out into the world. Perhaps it is a symbiotic relationship we share as teacher and students? We all get to practice a little mindfulness and acceptance as we work together each week. Fall might not be my favorite season, but I do believe it is one of my best periods for teaching and learning.