Anuenue.
Forget the solar eclipse, today was a day of rainbows.
I rolled out of bed before the sun with a heart full of excitement. It was my first day back at work, and my eagerness to see all the bright little faces of children I hadn’t seen all summer made waking up before the crack of dawn worth it.
Leaving the house thirty minutes earlier than normal because of anticipated traffic- worth it. Being tossed back into my morning commute- worth it. Seeing all the rainbows on my way to Manoa- worth it.
I love my job!
Having spent all summer feeling like a towel someone was wringing out, it was beautiful getting to be back in a place I love.
For the past few months I was defined by my busyness. I thought it was typical for a girl like me to work full-time, go to school full-time, and commit herself to helping at the church with whatever spare time I had left. I didn’t look at my calendar and say let’s book meeting after meeting, but I certainly didn’t stop myself from doing more and more and more.
But now I’ve cut it out. I’ve stopped filling my life with busy in the hope that I won’t be so exhausted and burnt out and numb. I’m reevaluating the worth of my time and placing my whole heart into the things that mend it most. I refuse to over commit myself. Saying yes has a deeper value to me now. There’s a greater cost when it comes to putting the happiness of my soul on the line.
And it makes me smile from ear to ear to know that saying yes to my job is a no brainer. Like I said, I love my job! I love spending my day with two or three or four-year olds and helping them understand the world around them. I love the children’s center I work for and the beliefs they practice to nourish and encourage a child’s development. I love the people I work with, because they teach me how to be a better teacher. My job is a dream come true, and that’s an understatement.
I get paid to do what I love. That’s the bonus; that’s the real reward. Find something you love, and do it. Don’t do what will give you the highest income or what society is trying to make you believe is right for you. Do more of what you love.
“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Psalm 143: 10
I have no doubt that one of my spiritual gifts is to work with kids. Not everyone can do it; not everyone has the patience to do it. But I love it, and I do it no matter the income or prestige it might bring me- because let’s be honest, there’s not much of that when you work as a preschool teacher. But God has made a way for me. He has made it possible for me to do what I love and live a fruitful life, because I believe that what I love is in accordance with what God has placed on my heart.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
I spent my first day back at work in the Anuenue class. What I feared would be a long, dreadful transition day back into the 8-5 daily grind was really a day filled with hugs and giggles and love. There was not a minute that went by where I wasn’t deeply grateful for the job I get to do each day.
I look at the faces of each child I encounter and I see the endless opportunities that lie ahead of them. Opportunities they believe are completely accessible until society tells them they’re not. Along the way something or someone will tell them that they can’t. That they’re not smart enough or strong enough or worth enough. But as their teacher, I’m there to tell them they can. They can totally make banana pudding that smells like cheese! And they totally can make machines that chop up logs while simultaneously carry sharks around! I love the world they live in, because the world they live in tells them that they can do what they love.
On my way home from work I saw four different rainbows. Four vibrant displays of color that appeared after dark, grey rain clouds rolled through. Don’t let the dark, grey rain clouds stop you from doing what you love. Find your rainbows and stick to them. Hold onto them, because they’re what will give you life. It’ll become a life worth living. I’m lucky enough to say that I’ve found my rainbow, and it’s right there in Anuenue class.