This day... today is the day.

Though I didn't think about it completely, I guess I should not have been surprised when I ran into some very stressed, confused and emotional teachers and students today. At first, I wondered what was going on, and then one person came to apologize. She, so graciously and emotionally explained that today was difficult on a number of levels, "and then there's the whole inauguration thing going on too. It's really hard for me." This person went on to explain a few situations in her life where she had been sexually harassed by males, and then she reflected on how she would be feeling today if (on top of being female) she was Latina or African American or disabled, etc.

What a chilling reminder that there are many people feeling many different feelings today. Whether you're happy or upset about the events happening in our country right now, I think it is important to remember that we are all in this together. I say it all the time but, "we are all on the same team!" So maybe some of us won't be watching the inauguration proceedings today, but we can do other positive things to move forward. And maybe we will be watching, which will hopefully lead to much contemplation about what good we can do for others. Uniting and standing together for the common good of all... now that sounds like something I can get behind.

Something to ponder for those not watching today...

Excitement. And love.

Speaking of excitement! Winnie (my therapy dog) came back today after a long break to have her NINE puppies. Talk about excitement.... the kids and Winnie were beyond themselves. Notice the blurry tail in the picture below. She has not stopped wagging her tail all day! When we got out of the car, she sprinted to the front door of the school. When we got in the building, she sprinted to my office, saying hello to anyone she found. Then, because it was too early for people to be in the halls, she sat at the door howling until someone showed their face. Her excitement certainly rubbed off on me! What a good way to end the week.

Now, what if we all got this excited about coming to work? What would the day look like? Really. Take a minute to think about the hilarity of it all! Makes me laugh out loud. Yet, when you really step back to think about it, it would probably transform a lot of days and even the culture within the building. I love the quote above about kids loving excitement, but staying where there is love. Here's to starting the day off with excitement and following it up with a whole lot of LOVE.