I saw the most beautiful thing the other day in the hallway of the school where I work. I was on the way to check in on a student who had been having a hard time, when I overheard another adult say to her student, “I’m actually the one who is going to work with you on that project, because your normal teacher is out sick today.” There was a pregnant pause in the ten year old girl’s demeanor, as she processed this new, unsettling information. “Are you ok?” the substitute teacher inquired. “Yes,” said the little girl. “I’m just adjusting.” Without missing a beat, the wonderful substitute understood, spoke the language of the heart and replied, “Oh, of course. You were expecting your normal teacher, and seeing me here is a surprise for you. I can see why that would take an adjustment.” And within moments, the little girl was fine, well-adjusted, and working smoothly with the substitute teacher.
It was an ordinary, lovely moment in an otherwise ordinary day. But this exchange had me reflecting on all the many ways we are being tasked with adjusting to life as it happens, especially in these crazy times of pandemic uncertainty. You’ve heard that saying that “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” And none of us have been spared from the many canceled trips, reunions, concerts, and parties that have become an agonizingly normal part of our new realities. How are you adjusting?
I strive to be like that little girl, so self-aware, honest and open about what she was experiencing. Yes, I’m fine, I just need a moment. I’ll be ok in a second.
My new hero.