Well- I must say. I often take for granted the fact that I ended up teaching next to two "Veteran" teachers who certainly have raised children of their own and already (in my opinion) have earned their wings (and then some) as dedicated teachers. My mother is certainly one of these teachers- though I do not teach beside her (she's always there in spirit of course.) As all of us were scrambling around in our classroom at around 5:30 (still trying to figure out tomorrow's materials, grade, etc.) I couldn't help but smile. I was talking to one of my "mentors" from across the hall and as I was expressing concern about whether or not I'm actually accomplishing anything this year, she stopped me and said the words I needed to hear: "Just enjoy the kids." "Don't worry about anything else. Enjoy being here. Enjoy the kids."

Not that I haven't before, but I really took a step back today and simply enjoyed the fact that we were all together. I tossed out the thoughts that I wasn't doing enough, and we laughed together, discussed and enjoyed eachother's company. It was the most beautiful day today. Opening up a fresh door doesn't always mean a completely "separate" door.  

As I have said before, we often take the people who surround us daily for granted. You gain so much wisdom (as a young person) from listening to those who have experienced more of life. Whether you wish to believe or not, those individuals share with you lessons and messages that are generally far beyond what you can see. Again, experience and life experience truly is everything. I am filled with gratitude for both of my colleagues who still teach and truly love every moment spent with their kids. I'm thankful to have had many mentors in my life who are always casting words of wisdom. For all those "young people" out there (even though I feel old), always listen to those who offer up something new. Humble yourself and realize that perspective of those who have lived longer is generally priceless. You actually don't know everything.  You can learn much from storing those words of wisdom inside your heart pockets. Allow them to fill your soul and inspire a new perspective. Being able to open a fresh door into the world every single day takes practice, wisdom and age. You can recreate a door simply by looking at it in a different way.