Orion

My alarm goes off at 4:30 a.m. Even though I don't consider myself a "morning person", I like that time because it is solely for me. I took the dogs out this morning and looked up into the night sky. It was beautiful. Orion's Belt, and the Seven Sisters above me were two constellations that were familiar to me. It brought a smile to my face, the beauty of it. I felt grateful and content. Small moments like these are a great way to begin the day. It was so peaceful there in the driveway as I waited for the dogs. A quiet calm. No neighbors. No lawn mowers or leaf blowers. No traffic. Just a beautiful, quiet stillness.

Yesterday, I sought to create a similar quiet stillness in my classroom. I played a soothing station on Pandora as my students entered the classroom. The lights were off, and we sat in the quiet for just a minute or two, just breathing. If you teach elementary schoolers, you know this is no small feat. But it was nice. It helped our brains catch up with our bodies. I noticed that even if the class got ramped up again later, I was calmer. My voice had lost the edge of irritation and sarcasm.

Today, I will take the quiet calm of the night sky with me to work. And to each of you who read this, may you too experience a similar experience in your work day.