Sunday, July 17, 2011

HIDDEN GIFTS

This morning, toward the end of a restless, almost sleepless night, the thought came to me to good-naturedly watch for the good that will come from this spell of insomnia, and I began thinking, later in the morning, that this is excellent advice for a classroom teacher. Halfway through my wakeful night, I was not thinking positively about my tossings and turnings, nor do I usually see the bright side of the various misfortunes that take place in my teaching. Just as I desperately wanted to fall into a sound and soothing sleep, in my classes I want a steady dose of success, and I grew just as frustrated with my sleeplessness as I do with any malfunctions in my lessons. However, toward morning the odd thought came to me that perhaps this nighttime wakefulness has some blessings for me. Perhaps, I thought, I should quietly wait and watch for the good that’s been given by these hours of missed sleep. It was strange to think that what seemed like sheer misery from midnight to morning might actually be a bequest from the vast universe just for me – a generous bestowal to use as I see fit. I’m waiting and watching (no signals as of yet), and I hope to be able to do some similar waiting and watching when things fall apart in my teaching next year. Who knows what gifts might be disguised as a disastrous lesson?

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