Today Was a Good Day

At the risk of sounding like Ice Cube--today was a good day. Here are some of the reasons why:

· My hair smelled like coconut.

· I wore a tropical shirt.

· I played some Bob Marley while my students worked on a project.

· I re-read this email: "You are a gem, Elaine. I have never worked with a young teacher as switched on, talented and considerate as you are. Thank you so much for all your help." (That just plain made my week).

· I got a cute note in my lunch box.

· I got to put other people in charge of things.

· My students are actually trying.

· I got to come home to this:

Most of all, it was a good day because I made it one. I was tired and still had to go to work but I recognize that it's a rare thing to actually like your job and even rarer to be good at it. I was encouraged by the promise that I saw in my students today and even in myself. I can dictate how my days are going to go. I can make things happen. This is obvious, I know. Sometimes, however, you lose the forest for the trees.

Here's to making everyday a good one even if it takes a little effort to get there.

Today's picture of the day was taken way back in 2004 with my first digital camera, a Kodak Picture Share (I'd had it for a couple years by then). That bad-boy made me fall in love with photography again and I'm all the better for it. This was taken from the ship of our very first vacation together. Mike and I were a year into a long distance relationship that ended up amounting to almost two years. We went on a cruise around the Carribean to reconnect and it was a grand ol' time.