Take it Easy

 Running from one airline gate to another with five minutes until the next flight is going to board.
Getting stuck in traffic while on the way to work, especially when that work is in a place with which I have little familiarity.
Rushing to make a doctor's appointment when flooding has caused detours.
  Running from one airline gate to another with five minutes until the next flight is going to board.
Getting stuck in traffic while on the way to work, especially when that work is in a place with which I have little familiarity.
Rushing to make a doctor's appointment when flooding has caused detours.
 
What do all these situations have in common?  They cause blood pressure to rise and anxiety to creep (or maybe a stronger word is necessary) into our very being.  Running late or rushing from place to place has the potential to make anyone crazy.  So, what do you do to keep sane?  Some people say there is no "cure".  Just suck it up, Buttercup, and do what you have to do.  And yet, heart issues prevail in our society so often for so many people.  It is hard to believe that all this rushing around wouldn't have an impact on our physical beings.  As teachers, many of us have experienced more days than not the phenomenon of realizing at the end of the day that we haven't even taken the time to go to the bathroom.  No small wonder educators have such a high rate of bladder issues.
For those of us in the education world, how many times have we rushed past each other in the hallway without even saying "Good morning"?
 
After a week of working quickly and furiously on both ends of the U.S., I came home to Tucson late Friday night and Dave and I rushed to the airport at 3:30 the next morning to catch a flight to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (I like to call it my happy place).  You know the drill (hopefully your drill doesn't occur at 3:30 in the morning very often)----put luggage in the car, do a passport check, drive to the airport, check luggage, go through security, board the aircraft, then....
In our case, we both fell fast asleep on that first flight.  When we landed in Cabo, it was overcast (a rarity, really) and there was a bit of construction on our way to our resort.  We finally got to the resort (we've stayed in Cabo several times but this is our first time in our "new" resort), walked in the suite and sighed.  Heaven!  In this wing that overlooks the lagoon and golf course, we are the first ones to stay here as it is newly built.  Everything is new and everything is gorgeous, including the view from....well, everywhere in the suite.   All is great.  Until about an hour later, when the rains begin and they literally didn't stop for about 36 hours.  For the last day and a half, Dave and I left our suite in the pouring rain for two meals up at the restaurant (via golf cart and with lots of umbrellas). 
 
What have we done in the meantime?  RELAXED.  Finally.  I admit I missed a few hours yesterday as I slept the afternoon away on a comfy couch while Dave caught up on golf.  After going, going, going for a few weeks in a row, rest and relaxation were most appreciated.  Instead of looking outside and whining about the rain on our vacation (which I think Shelly in a former life would have done ad nauseam), we took advantage of the time to simply "chill". 
 
As educators, we don't often have the time to "chill", but I strongly suggest a few things that will help take the anxiety and edge off of rushing around like crazy people (all of these I have witnessed in beautiful places across the country, especially in Niceville, FL):
1.    Stick your head in someone's room each morning just to say "Hello" and to check out a new idea you could steal for your own class.
2.    Bring your grade level mates coffee one morning (I saw this a BUNCH at the school where I was principal for seven years).
3.    Stick a note or card in someone's mailbox wishing them a happy day or praying for them (it will make your day, too)
4.    Even when you think a professional development opportunity is not necessarily an "opportunity", find one or two good ideas you can use in your own class instead of saying "This would never work for me".  It will make the day go by faster, guaranteed.
5.   Hug one of your secretaries, your principal, the custodian, or a team mate---not just because you think they need the hug but because you need it, too!
6.  Finally, take a moment out of each day (maybe two or three) to thank God (or with whomever/whatever you have a spiritual connection) for all the blessings of your life. Breathe in, breathe out and be thankful for just that.
 
And last but not least, remember Helen Keller, who said, "So much has been given to me, I have no time to ponder over that which has been denied." 
 
Happy Communicating!
 
Shelly