Gratitude: #DoIGetpaid4this?

This is a post a few years in the making.  Gratitude is so important!  I know I don’t say enough of it directly to the people who have impacted me: my husband and best friend, parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, colleagues etc.  You are amazing for the shear simplicity of putting up with my idiosyncrasies and believing in me, listening.  I thank you, but this post will focus on gratitude of teachers from my past.

Here is a humble, specific thank you to these people:  Morris Krigbaum (my high school English teacher), Stella Greig (my university mentor), Bruce Closser (my university writing instructor and supervisor).  And of course Mr. Long, and my first teacher, Mrs. Long.

I was but one of many who passed through your classroom doors.  With my eyes shyly cast downward, but full of sparkle and inquisitiveness, slinking into class late and sitting in the back of the classroom when large enough class size allowed.  The words were within me, but afraid to come out.  You patiently waited, believed, and drew them out.  It was not “a moment,” but a progression of moments that offered me a world of possibilities that didn’t exist prior to our interactions and your belief in me.  Thank you! 

Gratitude. Amo La Vida by Nic Askew is a video that has touched me in many ways.  I’ve watched it countless times this year.  Each time with a different take-away.  Enjoy more of Nic Askew’s videos here at soul biographies!  They are so worth it.

For all you teachers prepping to go back for another year, wondering #DoIgetpaid4this?  The gratitude exists.  You just might not see it today.  This also cements the concept that it IS about the relationships. As much as I have a passion for technology, there is no replacement for the teacher.

And that’s the funny thing about gratitude.  The ones intended to be there… they just keep finding their ways back into our lives.  :) Smile. 

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Oddly enough, I didn’t think to add students to this list until after I wrote the post.  I know I have many former students I am grateful entered my life.  That could be a post by itself.

Here's another fun video on gratitude: Soul Pancake The Science of Happiness: An Experiment in Gratitude