Even now, sitting on the couch I glance out the window and see bright and clear blue sky. The green of the tall evergreens is stark against the blue. The sun streams in, brightening the side of the house across the street. Never before has it seemed so white, the trim of the windows so bold. The tree outside my window waves a few leftover leaves at me, wind whistles under the roof of the porch like a swarm of insects. The day looks warm, but I am not fooled - 50 degrees is still cold in my book.
Like this morning, yesterday truly was a day of small things.
I got some things done at the office, donning comfy clothes [cause it's Friday] and a second cup of coffee. I was able to finish up a few projects I had going and, while things are always going on and up in the air, I ended my office time feeling satisfied.
I got to spend the afternoon with my [mostly] sweet students, laughing and eating crunchy noodles from atop a plastic bag, listening as small voices joined together to thank God before they began eating.
We danced through traffic, arms waving about our heads and our bodies bouncing in the seats, on our way to the bank for them to deposit their money. Upon parking the van I see a familiar face making her way into the bank. Honking gets me 10 minutes with my old college roommate, catching up with my van of students looking on and growing restless. While they were waiting to go in, everyone stood outside in a parking space playing Simon Says and eating suckers. We were barely in the car when it started to sprinkle.
We danced through traffic, arms waving about our heads and our bodies bouncing in the seats, on our way to the bank for them to deposit their money. Upon parking the van I see a familiar face making her way into the bank. Honking gets me 10 minutes with my old college roommate, catching up with my van of students looking on and growing restless. While they were waiting to go in, everyone stood outside in a parking space playing Simon Says and eating suckers. We were barely in the car when it started to sprinkle.
As I drove a few of my students home, I got asked some pretty heavy questions. What is cancer? What is HIV? How do you get them? Why did Chris Brown hit Rihanna? Is he in jail? It's amazing the things 4th and 5th graders bring up, and I find the perspective of my ELL students to be the most interesting. [Over Halloween, the big concern was poisoned candy, where it came from, how it got poisoned and why]. Although things can be hard to explain, and I certainly don't want to give answers that cause too much distress, I feel honored to be a part of the conversation.
As soon as I got home, I checked movie times and made the quick decision to go see a movie. I had asked a few friends to join me earlier in the week but we couldn't all get together. I saw About Time, and was actually glad that I saw it alone. It's refreshing, sometimes, to do things alone. After the movie was over, I chatted with another lady who had also come alone. We talked outside the theatre for at least a half hour.
The drive home was quiet and warm for this time of year. The moon was hanging low, bigger than I've seen in a while. Almost perfectly round except for a sliver at the top, covered by a dark, thin cloud. I tried to find a good spot to grab a picture, but couldn't; it would have never looked like the real thing anyway.
I've been trying to pay attention to the small things. I want to be a noticer. An appreciator. It's got to be a habit; too much get lost in the daily grind. The only want to make a habit is to practice, I suppose.
