Today I'm a bundle of emotions because of all of the loss during this global pandemic; how easily one could get swallowed up by sad and scared right now.
Still, we have to go through our emotions, not around them.
So I've been carving out time to find calm during these trying times.
Last week, I spent hours welcoming these hatchlings to our world.
What miracles these Monarchs are, a beautiful metaphor for this sudden (and unexpected) season of transformation. It was a magically mindful experience to just sit and be in the moment with them.
I've also been reading as a calming escape.
Have you heard of Helix the Tortoise?
I first heard about him yesterday, when I got this kind note
from Kristin, one of the co-authors of the fourth Helix book:
First I want to thank you for your awesome blog, emails, and book. You helped me to transition from being a stay at home mom back into teaching in 2013. I use your valuable lessons on kindness and compassion every day with my students and with my own children.
I want to share this amazing story with you. I have recently been involved with a truly special movement started by a remarkable baby tortoise. A close friend of my brother, Randy Betz, raises tortoises. Last summer, he came across a hatchling born with a spinal deformity causing his back legs to appear as if they were on backwards, sticking straight up in the air. He fell in love with the little guy's spirit and called him Helix. Randy and my brother Scott were impressed by Helix's spunk. They x-rayed him to make sure that he was otherwise healthy and began brainstorming ways to help Helix become mobile and live a normal tortoise life. They came up with the idea of attaching the tiny wheels of a toy skateboard to his shell. To everyone's delight it worked! The Helix Foundation was born. Helix's grit and determination inspired Randy to write a children's book about him and Randy donated proceeds toward children in need of wheelchairs.
As a first grade teacher, I was thrilled to share this book with my class. They loved the story and the videos of the real Helix. We wrote letters to Randy and he wrote back along with giving each one of my students their very own copy of the second book in the Helix series.Then suddenly in January, poor Helix lost his fight and passed away. I was unsure of how to handle this with my group of first graders. I remembered your blogs about resilience, honesty, and allowing kids the opportunity to talk through their feelings. We had a class meeting and I broke the news. They were heartbroken, but it was incredible to see how compassionate and empathetic they were toward each other. We talked about how even though the real Helix was gone, the foundation will continue and Mr. Betz will continue to write more stories about the character Helix. In the words of one little guy..."that makes my heart so happy!" As a class we have read all about Helix, researched facts on tortoises, and even have two weekly Helix inspired awards: "The Wheelie Kind Friend Award" that goes to a child that does something nice for others and "The Just Keep Rolling Award" that goes to a child that works through a challenge. Helix has inspired all of us to be better people.
The Wheely Kind Friend and The Just Keep Rolling Awards? Cool.
And, as it turns out, Helix Is Home Too, which tackles
staying home from school and staying safe from Covid-19,
I'm also finding calm through writing blog posts,
handwritten notes, and journaling. More therapy.
Use these prompts for creating a Covid-19 Time Capsule
or simply reflecting about your emotions and feelings:
*What do you miss the most about school?
*What is something you've felt mad about?
*Is there someone you feel empathy for? Why?
*What have you felt sad about during this time?
*What have you done to practice self-compassion?
*How are you managing your emotions in a healthy way?
*What is something that has surprised you about this time?
*What is something you've seen that showcased kindness?
*What is something that you've previously taken for granted?
*What is something you really like about your for-now normal?
We are going to discuss some of those questions on Twitter
when I host #TeacherFriends tomorrow; won't you join us?
I've also been energizing with inspirational resources like the Pick-Me-Up Jar, a gift from my friend Tanya in Montana. Wouldn't this be the perfect time to make one of these with your family? I wonder which inspirational quotes you'd put inside there, to help your family through uncomfortable emotions like fear, anger, confusion, embarrassment, sadness?
I'm supposed to meet Tanya in Seattle in June, because we're both speaking at ASCA; hopefully that chance to reconnect won't be cancelled, too.
I've been working on my Gratitude list.
Here's a fun idea: Write a thank-you note to yourself.
What would you thank yourself for right now?
It's a really tough and challenging self-awareness exercise,
but it'll also a be tonic that could soothe your soul.
Finally, we've been trying new things out of necessity;
yesterday, John invited me to be his hair stylist.
I don't know who was more nervous, he or I;
thankfully, he doesn't have much hair that I could mess up.
We've also been on a healthy-habits kick, so we've been monitoring our food intake and walking three miles a day together. We've each lost about twenty pounds, which feels amazing, but even better is the byproduct of connection that it has brought to our relationship.
How are you finding calm through our current storm?
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I really enjoy hearing from my readers; thanks for sharing your reflections with us!