May I Have a Do-Over, Please?

Anybody else out there tend to have

perfectionist personalities?

(I blame my birth order.) 

I'm a selective perfectionist.

The definition is not pretty.

Selective Perfectionist, n. One who chooses to complete

random tasks to perfection, and has full potential to do

everything "just right," but often chooses to waste their time

perfecting something else, when other things

require attention.  Also known as 

procrastinating. 

One advantage to being more, ahem...mature,

is knowing that life is full of lessons and 

ironies and u-turns,

and learning to heed them is what makes it

so interesting.

I'm so glad I wake up every day with a new do-over.
I mess up every day. 
But I think God likes it that way.
The more I mess up, the more I need Him 
and learn from Him.

I'm not a perfect friend.

And I've learned I don't have to try to be friends with everyone.

Real friends are tried and true, 

unconditionally.

I'm not a perfect mother.

I look back on raising my children,

and feel the things I did right mattered most,

and the things I did wrong -

definitely mattered, too.

I'm not perfect on the outside,
(WAY not perfect)

but I consider inner beauty

to be far more important.

ALWAYS  working on that.

  I'm not a perfect wife.

Ask my husband.

But I know I love him more today

than when I married him 33 years ago.

And I know if he ever leaves me,

I am going with him.

(He's going to be upset with me for

making that little joke,

so don't tell, OK?)

I'm not a perfect daughter.

But I'm the oldest of three girls

so I TRY to be the most perfect.

It hasn't worked out so far.

I'm not a perfect sister.

Ask my other two.
They'll tell you a thing or two.
Just don't believe everything you hear.
There's always another side to each story.

I'm not a perfect housekeeper.
Please refer to above definition of
selective perfectionist.

I'm not a perfect teacher.

That makes it easier to

change the things I can,

accept the things I can't -

and always keep trying.

I'm not a perfect writer.
I adore using run-on sentences,
I start some with "And,"
and have been known to 
dangle a participle or two.

I'm not a perfect Christian.

I'm glad I'm not.
 He still has a lot to teach me.

Generally speaking, I think people expect

Christians to be perfect. 

God doesn't.

 

So...

That's the real me.

Willing, hopeful,

messed up,

thankful, listening, trying,

and forever

imperfect!
Ready for my daily
do-over!

©2015tbowenblog

 

The Common Thread

Today, I'm thanking my lucky stars
(well, really God, of course)

for

my friends and coworkers at school.

Past and present.

You know who you are.

Some time ago,

 I started a 1000 gifts journal.

I wanted to write it down.  Read it

again and again.  Remember every day.

All the reasons I am thankful.

All the things I am thankful for.

All the people.

I noticed as I was rereading my list,

that my friends and confidantes

at school

come up quite often.

They are on my mind quite often.

I don't tell them that, quite often.

It's time to say it.

What am I most thankful for?

Their humor?  Nope.  But boy, does it make for a better day at work.

They fall off chairs, wear funny outfits, write silly notes,

use funny nicknames, cause mischief at the

table during staff meetings,

and tell hilarious stories. 

Their ideas?  No, but a point worth making.

You don't think most of those wonderful activities, games, songs you see me use in my classroom are original,

do you?

Their dedication to the profession I also love?

Uh-uh, but it goes without saying.  Oh, could I give you a long list of

reasons they could be somewhere else instead.

But they're not.

Their support and friendship?  Well, this was a debatable close second.

After all, I am focusing on THEM today.  But no, not even that.

Not even that we share fears, tears, heartaches, celebrations,

and jubilations.

We share prayers, hugs, lunches, materials,

soda money, private jokes.

We. share. pretty. much. everything.

That's what teacher's do.

OK.  So you want to know

what I love most about them?

My dear friends and colleagues...

My sisters (and brothers) in education...

My neighbors and comrades...

It's the love they have for their students.  Their children.  Our children.

I see the same love in their eyes, hearts, hands, voices,

souls...

It's deep and it's our common ground.

It's the reason they are here.
It's the reason they do this, day after day,

year after year.

Some days (even years) it's not so easy.

They just don't feel like it.

They don't see how they can possibly give more.

Oh, but I see it in their eyes. 
They sparkle when they talk to them. Teach them. Hug them.

Console them.  I hear it in their voices.  They laugh with them. 

 Read and sing and play

with them.

Their hearts are full because of them.

That's what I'm most thankful for.

Their hearts full of love for their students.

Our most common thread.

Our reason for coming back tomorrow.

And the next day.  And next.

Thank you to my friends and colleagues, past and present.

You make me better. 

You are my privilege.