I love routine. This may make me a control freak, but I like the sameness of each day and the way one melts into the next. I like understanding my world and the expectations of my job and my family and my friends.
I love my job. Teaching kids in my classroom and running the Primary school. I like the God of my understanding; who loves me, and my children. Is slow to anger and abounding in love. Who is with me every moment of every day.
We live in a non-routine time. I have students at home, students at school. We may be forced to close. Churches have gone on-line. All my regular exercise classes have closed, and I attend or teach 5 a week! My daughter has lost her job, she may need to move in with me. My son and his partner are considering moving home from Melbourne. The libraries are closed, the cafes and restaurants are closed, the streets are really quiet driving to work. Hill Street keep running out of things! I’m trying not to adopt a herd mentality and I actually ran out of toilet paper! Oops!
So, this time in history, and we definitely are in a moment of history, what can I do or think or reflect on? This is NOT a routine situation. I am all at sea, with change everywhere that I find it hard to keep up with. But, in amongst all this I am learning to draw back, press the zoom out button on the Google Earth of my life and observe what is happening, and what has already been placed in my hands. You see I believe we are constantly being nudged towards what can help us, by our Creator God. That book you’re reading, that show you’re watching, that topic you chose to teach the children this year. It’s all been heavenly prompted to help you through your present.
So for me, what is it that I’ve been nudged towards? I’ve been teaching Bible directed Growth Mindset lessons with my students. We’ve been learning some breathing techniques, and revisiting what a Growth Mindset is. Looking at the phrases; ‘I can grow my brain,’ ‘The power of Yet,’ ‘Mistakes help me to learn.’ Understanding that we can learn and grow and get through just about anything with a Growth Mindset. We’ve chosen Bible characters with a Growth Mindset to help us. The Good Samaritan, who saw a fellow human being in need of help, and worked out a solution to his predicament. David, who saw Goliath as an opportunity for God to help him defeat not only his enemy, but the fear of everyone who stood in front of him. Moses, who destroyed the tablets in his anger, because the people had turned from God, but who went back up the mountain and tried again, for the people. So many amazing stories.
In my personal journaling and reading I’ve been reading Brene Brown’s ‘Rising Strong.’ Such a great book, I highly recommend it. I’ve been reading about the ‘Middle ground’ or ‘Day Two’ of any creative process. To explain I’ll quote from Brene,
‘Day Two, or whatever that middle space is for your own process, is when you’re “in the dark”- the door has closed behind you. You’re too far in to turn around and not close enough to the end to see the light…People are tired…a dark and vulnerable time, but often turbulent. People find all kinds of creative ways to resist the dark, including taking issue with each other.’
I think I am in the ‘Middle Ground’ of understanding and reacting to the Covid-19 virus and what it means to us as a school, a State, a citizen of the World? I am trying to see the light of life after the virus, but at the moment it can feel all sorts of hard and weird. But Brene would says I should expect it to feel weird and hard and a struggle, that is all part of the process. ‘…it’s a non-negotiable part of the process. Experience and success don’t give you easy passage through the middle space of struggle. They only grant you a little grace, a grace that whispers, “This is part of the process. Stay the course.”’ I find all this so relieving. How I am feeling; as a teacher,who may need to learn fast how to teach on-line. As a leader, who may need to support others. As a citizen of the world, who may need to relearn better ways to live and support each other.
We are living in an unusual time. We need to be adaptable and recognise we may struggle and feel in the dark. We are currently living in the middle. We would love to see the end, but it’s just beyond our reach. Stay the course. Do your best. Don’t give up.
So, what are you reading? What have you been nudged towards? What has God been whispering to you? I challenge you to do the Google Earth zoom back on your life and see!
Annie Joy - Primary Coordinator