Teaching and Learning Consulting Network, LLC
Contact us
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Connect With Us
    • Costs
  • Professional Learning
    • 7 PL Standards
    • Adult Learners
    • Change Models
    • Leadership
  • Curriculum
    • Curriculum Design
  • Vicki's Blog

Vicki's Blog

My thoughts on education, improvement, and life itself.  Enjoy!

TLC Home

Anticipation:  Enjoying the Moments

5/23/2015

4 Comments

 
Picture
As my son's wedding rapidly approaches, I am reveling in the memories that flood back, the details that are being attended to, and the realization that this most anticipated event is almost here.  I can hardly wait! Enjoy the moments.  It's the little things that often turn out to be the big things.  It's the journey not the destination.  The gift is the anticipation.  We often say that the anticipation is killing us, but in reality, it's the most enjoyable part of any journey!  

We have so many things to look forward to in our lives.  Most things fill us with hope and promise of laughter, smiles, and better days.  There are certainly things that are dreaded that fill us with anticipation, but it's the joyous occasions that we hold dear in our hearts.  The anticipation of vacations, new jobs, family events, weddings, babies, and so much more, provide us with journeys we fondly remember and from which the stories of our lives emerge.

Think about how children (and adults too!) act when Christmas approaches.  The tree goes up, gifts accumulate under the tree, and the stockings hang waiting to be filled with Santa's treats.  They peek, shake packages, and giggle with delight.  When Christmas morning finally comes, they tear through packages and suddenly look around and go, "Is that all?"  It's not because they are greedy but because the anticipation has turned into reality and even though it was exciting, the reality is - there are now 354 days before it happens again.

 As a sprinter sits in the blocks at the biggest track meet of his/her life, getting ready for the run that will be over in mere seconds, he/she methodically puts every body part in the right position, breathes deeply, relaxes and waits for the gun to send him/her hurtling down the track.  They trained for this moment for days, weeks, months, maybe even years.  And just like that it's over in the blink of an eye.  So yes, the destination, the moment we've all been waiting for, is monumental, but it will be the journey - the anticipation if you will - that is remembered fondly and oh yes, almost as an asterisk, so will the results.  

Next weekend, my son and his fiance get married.  We have been looking forward to this since before they became engaged.  People moaned when they said it would be two years before the wedding occurred.  And while that seemed a long time in the future, I knew it would be over in the blink of an eye, just as the last 24 years of his life have gone by. 

Wasn't it just yesterday that my baby boy, who was due in June, waited until July to arrive so he could have a birthday in the same month as the rest of his family?   Where did the little boy go that once let Legos, Power Rangers, and Harry Potter dominate his world?  Everything he did he did well, or he didn't do it at all.  My little thinker took his time before he played sports, considered all of his options before making a decision, took only calculated risks if the reward was great enough (like agreeing to perform in solo trombone competitions and select groups so he could get that prized trigger trombone he wanted so badly), and played everything by the book.  The friends he hung out with as a 5 year old, were still his friends as a teenager, and now they will stand up with him, along with a couple of new friends he made along the way, as he marries his one true love.

My son has grown up from that neat and orderly little boy, to a neat and orderly adult.  The only real risk he's taken in his life was to give his heart to that blond, curly-haired trombone player in the K-State Marching band who turned his head and made him feel like he was over the moon.  She reeled him in (just like she did all of us) with her ready smile and caring ways.  I asked him one time what he liked about her the most and he said it was how kind she was and how she made everyone around her feel comfortable.  What a great thing to say about another person and I was proud that he valued those traits too.  No wonder he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her!

Family and friends have planned for this big event for most of these past 2 years.  I know there will be things we forgot or have to adjust at the last minute.  It will be okay.  And as my son's soon-to-be mother-in-law observed last weekend, "It doesn't really matter if every detail goes off as planned.  The important thing is that when it's done, they will be married, and I can't wait for that to happen!"   I totally agree... their marriage is the most important thing, but I can't help but breathe it all in as this leg of the journey comes to an end.  

I know I will be savoring every moment of the decorating, the rehearsal, the wedding, and the reception that follows.  I will be grateful for photos and videos that help me relive what will soon jumble in my memory.  I remember my daughter's wedding much the same way.  But as much as I wanted to be in the moment, much of it was a blur. 

I continue to look at the slide show made for the wedding and wonder where the time went.  My emotions are bubbling at the surface, ready to spill without warning.  A song, a look, or a hug may let it all pour out.  I'm okay with that.  I want to feel as much as I want to see and hear everything that goes on during this last week of preparation.  All too soon, the anticipation of this blessed event will give way to reality.  As the song notes, "This is the Moment" that I will be trying my darnedest to enjoy and savor.  And as the last song fades, the decorations fall gently to the floor, and the bride and groom steal away into the night, we will look back and smile and realize it's now time to find something new to look forward to.  In the meantime, I'll be enjoying every moment.







4 Comments

Smiling From the Inside Out

5/8/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Have you ever just been so happy you smiled from deep down in your soul? We smile and laugh a lot in our family, but you can always tell when that laugh or smile originates deep from within the person. You recognize it immediately when you see it. Dimples grow deeper.  Their eyes smile too, twinkling as they seem to light up.   The picture of Royals left fielder, Alex Gordon, and I shows both of us smiling.  Alex is smiling because he's a nice guy standing next to a gaga fan, old enough to be his mother. But I'm standing next to the current player I admire most and even someone who doesn't know me can tell I'm definitely smiling from the inside out!  

There is usually a story behind every smile.  Last weekend we accompanied my son and his fiance to the Kansas City Royals baseball game.  Now we've been to many Royals games over the years because we are avid fans.  The Royals went to the World Series last fall and the fan base hasn't stopped buzzing (or smiling) since.  It was a bobble head night... something my husband and my son collect... so the crowd arrived early hoping to get one of those coveted souvenirs.  We also arrived early but not to stand in line for a bobble head, but to go on the field for batting practice and have a personal meet and greet with Royals players.  You see my son won the grand prize for a Royals trivia contest on Twitter during the winter and this was his reward for being randomly selected out of the many correct answers.  And along with his fiance, he picked his parents to go with him!  Now that was something else to smile about!  I asked my son's fiance when she took the picture of Alex and me if she got me smiling and she said, "You never stopped smiling!"  Yes, that was the smile of pure joy from the inside out!

I've been doing a lot of smiling lately it seems.  As my son's wedding gets closer, I have looked through many photo possibilities for the slide show that will be shown during the wedding festivities. I can't count how many smiles those pictures generated as I remembered times gone by and how happy they are together today.  No one else saw my smiles, but I definitely felt them.  Smiling is an outward expression of joy and happiness. I know there will be many more smiles to come.... because my heart is full.

Our grandsons were at the house earlier this week for an impromptu sleep over. During a rousing game of "Go Fish," my youngest grandson (who is almost 5) smiled and giggled with delight as he would take a card from me or his older brother, especially after realizing we had just asked for that card but obviously didn't ask him.   He was proud of himself (and at the moment was winning too)!  His broad smile resonated from the success he felt of being an independent player in this game.  Sometimes our joy is a reflection of the satisfaction of a job well-done.

Smiling is the preferred facial expression and generally makes us look our best.  My mother used to advise us "that it took 7 times as many muscles to frown as to smile."  I'm pretty sure the math is not accurate in that old saying, but we got the message!  (Here's an interesting link on that subject.)  While we may naturally assume that smiling indicates happiness and joy, there are often other underlying reasons and thoughts behind a smile. It takes the rest of the face, including the eyes, and the body language we convey to really see what that smile is expressing.

I know I often smile or giggle when I am nervous.  We smile for pictures and sometimes those smiles betray our discomfort. We call them "forced or fake" smiles.  Smiles can mask our apprehension or nervousness too.  Even those who are feeling down often smile in an attempt to cover up their true feelings.  These smiles differ from the joyful ones that come from within, but they still reveal a great deal about what we are thinking and feeling.  

But mostly smiles are positive experiences.  What might be the effect of our smile?  Smiling makes others feel at ease.  It can be our first line of communication; a way to break the ice.  A smile costs us nothing and is an easy gift we can give to others no matter whether they are friend or stranger.  The benefits of a smile linger long after it is given and received.  Even our electronic communication has smiley faces and other ways to communicate our feelings since we are not directly looking at each other.  Words are often not enough.  We need to "see" or "hear" what others are really saying to get the true picture. When it comes down to it, it is our choice on how we present ourselves to the world we live in.  Mother Teresa shares this advice:


                                      Let us always meet each other with a smile, 

                                          for the smile is the beginning of love.

A smile is a beginning, not just a response.  It connects us and offers the other acceptance, hope, promise, and maybe even love.  The first glimpse of a newborn results in the smile of love from adoring parents.  Our joy, stored safely in our heart, escapes through our smile and is warmed by the smile or hug that follows between friends or family.   There are times we just don't feel like smiling because of pain, humiliation, or anger, but when we pause to find something to smile about, it is the beginning of moving past that issue or emotional distress. 

Sometimes smiles and tears occur at the same time.  All week we have been appreciating teachers and nurses with social media posts,  cards, gifts, and other things that we hope will make them smile.  When we show others how much we value them and care, we touch their heart, just as they have touched ours.  Mother's Day is Sunday.  65 million cards are given to mothers to show our love and appreciation.  That will generate a lot of smiles and a few tears too.  Acts of kindness and appreciation touch us in ways that we can't help but smile, even amidst the tears that may also follow.  I expect that same thing to happen later this month as I watch my son marry his one true love.  Smiles and tears overflowing from the inside out.

So I challenge you to find something to smile about every day and to offer your smile freely to others.  Let your smile be the sunshine for yourself and others! See how choosing to smile changes you.  Find your joy.  Find your passion. Smile as often as you can from the inside out.



 


1 Comment

    Author

    Vicki Bechard, 
    Owner and Lead Consultant

    I express myself best when I write, even though most who know me think I talk quite a bit!  

    I'm an educator first and foremost whether my students are kids, teachers, or my own children and grandchildren.  

    Archives

    August 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Anniversary
    Anticipation
    Attitude
    Beginnings
    Be Present
    Blessings
    Bloom
    Bridges
    Change
    Circumstances
    Common Core
    Curriculum Planning
    Doing
    Endings
    Expectations
    Failure
    Fear
    Fight Or Flight
    #ForeverRoyal
    Foundation
    Friendship
    Fun
    Graduation
    Headlines
    Healthy
    Joy
    Kansans Can
    Kansas
    Kinda
    Kindness
    #ksleg
    K State
    K-State
    Leadership
    Lean In
    Life
    Make A Difference
    Memories
    Mom
    Moments
    NCAA Basketball
    Nurses
    Optimism
    Persevere
    Pets
    Photographs
    Play
    Positive Intent
    Prairie Burning
    Pro Bowl
    Productive Struggles
    Professional Learning
    Purpose
    Reflection
    Relationships
    Relevance
    Resiliency
    Resolutions
    Respect
    Response
    Rigor
    Royals
    School Improvement
    School Shooting
    Sorta
    Spring
    Success
    Surviving
    Taken For Granted
    Teachers
    Teamwork
    Thankful
    The Dash
    Understanding By Design
    Weddings
    Why
    Winter
    World Series

    RSS Feed

Contact us at vickib@teachingandlearningnetwork.com
20064 K-92 Hwy, McLouth, KS  66054
913-796-6241