Dig Deep and Find Joy

This particular season in life has a lot of care-taking and a lot of deadlines. Between parenting an active 22-month-old learning to use the toilet and wrapping up a school year, this is a full season in life. To be clear, I love being a mom and a teacher. But the end of the school year is full of the combination of special events, administrative tasks, and grading. Plus this year, with Covid, we have some intermittent returns to hybrid teaching and the end of the year looks different than it typically does.

I'm finding it easy to focus on how much energy this requires and miss all the joy that is a part of this moment too. Lately, I keep coming back to this phrase: dig deep, and find joy. When I come home and focus on what funny thing Avi is doing or being really silly with her, I feel more joy and connection with her. When I focus on planning fun end-of-the-year projects that feel meaningful for my students and connecting with them, all the administrative tasks feel more doable.

If I can find that little extra kernel of energy to bring to the situation, everything else goes more smoothly, and I'm able to see all the good that is part of this moment too. Do you have any phrases that you come back too during busy or challenging situations in life? I'd be curious to hear them!

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