Image taken from here
The modern woman is expected to be capable of so many things... she's supposed to be a successful career woman and at the same time an excellent mother/wife/daughter, a veritable engine of efficiency both at the office and at home. She's supposed to be ruthless and fearless at work, then all sweetness and light for her family. Sugar and spice. Beauty and the Beast.
My job as a teacher is challenging because it also requires that I be two (and sometimes three or four!) different people, depending on whom I'm teaching. When I'm with my preschool advisory class, I am all "Beauty," always smiling and cooing at my little wards... my better self. But when they're dismissed, I don my version of "The Beast" as I meet my high school students and reprimand those who don't do their homework on a daily basis.
Sadly, when I get home exhausted after a long day's work, I find myself emptied of almost all goodness, too tired to summon the energy to go out and romp with our pet dogs, and too exhausted to read all those books and journal articles for my thesis... and quite often prone to snarling and snapping at my family during dinner. :(
In short, I leave the house as Beauty and return as the Beast.
I suppose I'm not the only person who's struggling with this juggling act called Life. And that is why I find it essential to write down, at the end of each day, at least five blessings that I was gifted with in the course of a hectic day. I find that, even during the "worst" days, I always find more than five things to be grateful for! :)
Ask any teacher, and they'll tell you that a single week in the school year is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. This past week hasn't been different. The biggest struggle for me is how to find time to get most of it down on paper, so I can process each event and learn from it!
This week, I'm grateful for:
1. P45.00 steals from Booksale (including an audio book of Frank McCourt's Teacher Man, narrated by the author himself!!)
2. Shakey's Thin Crust Party Size Pepperoni Pizza, best shared with my oh-so-"matakaw" siblings
3. RMM Glee (Club) rehearsals. There's nothing quite like singing as part of a group and making beautiful music together... being a part of something bigger than yourself!
4. an important lesson in humility and compassion, taught to me by one of our school's best pupils
5. Starbucks Venti Dark Mocha Frappucino... deadly on the paunch but heavenly for the palate and soul!
I find that as I enumerate the blessings of the past week, my aura has become brighter, happier! Truly, feeling joyful is a matter of choice. And when a face is filled with a sincere smile, no matter how "homely," it becomes beautiful as it reflects a miniscule portion of the radiance of God!
Let's all have a joyfully beautiful week ahead!
