Deaf Ears?

Has my blog landed upon deaf ears or blinded eyes? Either way - I will write on!

Well January came and went rather quickly, and February seems to be going faster yet!! The snow is mostly ice now as weeks of temperatures in the 40s eclipsed most of these months, however, Jack Frost seems to be putting up a fight as temps have dropped into the negatives this week. This just in, I could totally be a weather/news anchor (If you missed why, please revert back to the beginning of this post) ;P

For those who don't yet know or for those who need the reminder, I will be embarking on a trip to the homelands, to my roots, to my 406!! yes, folks! In 11 sweet sweet days from now I will be on Montana soil. I hope to find time to visit with you all, but more than likely, with spring break in the mix - that just isn't going to happen and for that, there is Alaska Airlines!! (hint hint, wink wink)

I'm learning my limits at work - actually, it's more like I am learning my frustration tolerance, and for some things, it's really quite short. I was reminded that I can't reason with a 5 year old and that how I talk to them and treat them largely helps them form their view of the world. Do you highlight the things the kids in your life are doing by lifting them up in praise and encouragement or are you spending the majority of the time focused on correcting the wrong and negative things (don't get me wrong here, I do believe in there being a place and time for disciple and consequences.) There is a model schools are taking on here called PBIS which stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports for the foundation of disciplinary action. It focuses on specific expectations and what we want youth to do and rewarding them for the desired behavior, through verbal affirmation, a fuzzy little pom pom, a high five, etc. It's rather cool, as it crosses all environments in detail broken into 3 simple key words: Safe, Responsible and Respectful. Each student knows how to behave accordingly in the classroom, the hallway, the lunch room, the bus, the lobby to meet the domains of being safe, being responsible and being respectful.

I encourage you all to look at your relationships, with friends, family, coworkers - are you praising them, stirring each other up to keep on keepin' on? It's easy to point out the errors, the hardships, the complaints, the negatives, but that's where we get stuck, isn't it? digging deeper into bitterness, complacency and disgust with ourselves and each other, our jobs, the weather, traffic, gov't, healthcare, rights. Step out. Lift your head to see the beauty around us, the little things like a child's laugh, the beauty of grey hair (I'm serious - this world says that aging is a horrible thing - but I find beauty in it.) Go on a search for the gold at the end of the rainbow, dance in the rain, stand in the silence of a snow shower. Walk down town watching the fast pace life in the traffic and the slow meanderings of those on a stroll. Curl up on the couch with your soul mate and work on a crossword problem or sudoku and learn to tap into the life skill of teamwork that seems to be evading all of us.

Much Love,
Rachel