In our often fast-paced world, it is easy to get lost in the madness. Work, school, meetings, and chores meld into one great big to-do list. There is not enough time in the day to accomplish all the things we are "supposed" to do. At the same time, the drudgery and monotony of life seems to spin out of control as we go through the routine of our lives. Just when I think this is the way my life was meant to be, I get a dose of reality as I look at my life through the eyes of the very young children I work with.
At present, I am a preschool teacher with a class of two-year-olds. It is a high energy, sometimes stressful job that requires a lot of patience and stamina (not to mention a whole lot of stubbornness). One of the best things about the job, however, is the fact that I get to re-experience aspects of life that usually get taken for granted.
For a two-year-old, the world is still a new, exciting place. It is a chance to observe, experience and learn. Experiments are common. What will happen when I smack my hand down in the milk I just spilled on the table? Where will the car land if I roll it off the table? You get the idea.
One of the things that cracks me up is the coming of the school bus. When school is in session, the bus comes through the parking lot every day to drop off the elementary school children who need childcare while their parents are still working. Most afternoons, my little class is outside on the playground when this happens, and our playground is right next to the parking lot. Consequently, we see the bus pull through every day. You would think it would be old news after a while of seeing this day in and day out, but not to two-year-olds. Every day they hear the grind of the school bus' gears and make a mad dash for the fence as the bus pulls through, shouts of "Bus! Bus!", filling the air. Every day they wave and cheer for the bus and its driver. It's the same drudgery every day, but to a two-year-old it is a new, exciting experience every time.
As I reflect on this, I come to one fateful conclusion. In our "wisdom" we have a tendency to take the wonders of our lives for granted. We cease to find joy and fulfillment in the little things because we have become bored by and caught up in the routine. The fact of the matter is, boredom is a choice. We can choose every day to see the world as a wonderous opportunity, or we can choose to be bored by the sameness of the routine. Which will you choose? After all, the bus comes every day!
At present, I am a preschool teacher with a class of two-year-olds. It is a high energy, sometimes stressful job that requires a lot of patience and stamina (not to mention a whole lot of stubbornness). One of the best things about the job, however, is the fact that I get to re-experience aspects of life that usually get taken for granted.
For a two-year-old, the world is still a new, exciting place. It is a chance to observe, experience and learn. Experiments are common. What will happen when I smack my hand down in the milk I just spilled on the table? Where will the car land if I roll it off the table? You get the idea.
One of the things that cracks me up is the coming of the school bus. When school is in session, the bus comes through the parking lot every day to drop off the elementary school children who need childcare while their parents are still working. Most afternoons, my little class is outside on the playground when this happens, and our playground is right next to the parking lot. Consequently, we see the bus pull through every day. You would think it would be old news after a while of seeing this day in and day out, but not to two-year-olds. Every day they hear the grind of the school bus' gears and make a mad dash for the fence as the bus pulls through, shouts of "Bus! Bus!", filling the air. Every day they wave and cheer for the bus and its driver. It's the same drudgery every day, but to a two-year-old it is a new, exciting experience every time.
As I reflect on this, I come to one fateful conclusion. In our "wisdom" we have a tendency to take the wonders of our lives for granted. We cease to find joy and fulfillment in the little things because we have become bored by and caught up in the routine. The fact of the matter is, boredom is a choice. We can choose every day to see the world as a wonderous opportunity, or we can choose to be bored by the sameness of the routine. Which will you choose? After all, the bus comes every day!
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