School Daze.

It is hard to believe that fall is here and kids are back in school. As a matter of speech anyway. Some kids are not literally back in school, simply back in front of a chromebook waiting for a Zoom call. If ever school was a daze, this might be the year. Masks and all, my kids are among those attempting to make a go of socially distanced in person learning. Per the school’s report, kids have adapted surprisingly well to the fashionable mouth accessory now required. I certainly hope they are not needed for long, but I am thinking the fact that a mask makes it more difficult to whisper to your neighbor (who is sitting six feet away from you ) while the teacher is talking, might not be all bad. A student might even discover that the teacher has something to say, relevant to the worksheet that is about to be passed out.

Kudos to all those who work in education. They are bending over backwards to keep things going. If you thought the chorus teacher had a hard job getting a melody out of the students under normal circumstances, imagine what it must be like trying to achieve the same goal with the students outside, six feet apart, and wearing masks. If it were me, I would probably focus on music theory.

Our first week went well, but the second week we ran into a glitch. My six year old woke up on Monday and announced that he was not planning to go to school this particular day. I asked why and he said he did not feel good. I took his temperature. Normal. He ate breakfast. A big bowl of oatmeal, a piece of toast with butter and jelly, a banana. I was not seeing any signs of anything, let alone Covid. I asked him, in what way particularly did he not feel good. He told me, “ Well, I just don’t feel good and my teacher said if you don’t feel good don’t go to school.”

I think she forgot to explain to the six year olds that there is a difference between “Not feeling good.” and “Not feeling good about going to school.” I explained the difference to him, and further explained that if you are really not feeling well, that means no playing after school, and no socialization at all for at least a week just to be safe. Then we consulted with the medical professionals via telehealth. Neither the school nurse (his aunt), nor the physician (his father) saw a need for quarantine. In the end he told me, “Mom, I just don’t feel like going because it is such a long day.” I suggested we put extra cookies in his lunch to give him a boost for the long haul. He agreed. Later he told me the cookies really helped.

If only all the complexities that this year and this school year are going to bring could be solved with a few extra cookies. Just when I think life (which is complex apart from a pandemic) is becoming manageable, I am alerted to something else, over which I have concern but not control. Just another opportunity to grow in patience, trust, and faith. Most days I do not feel like seizing the opportunities. I would rather just eat another cookie. As it is, life is more like eating an elephant than eating a cookie. More overwhelming than inviting. We would do well to heed the advice of these men.

“there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” -Desmund Tutu

(psychologytoday.com)

“When eating an elephant take one bite at a time.” -Creighton Abrams

(brainyquote.com)

Live today, not tomorrow. Do the next right thing. Notice the good. Lament the hard. One bite at a time. And do not just eat to get it over with. Enjoy it. This year is somewhat of a daze, but there are things to see and feel and do in the midst of the fog. Do not wait for the fog to lift. Lift up hope in the midst of the fog. And if it helps, have an extra extra cookie.