Excitement in the Small Things...

Finger Jello, dominoes, haircut, Subway... who would think you could find excitement in these simple, everyday things. Yet, they all had a part in why I had a good day. Let me explain.

Today in my preschool class, we had a Valentine's party. The kids were overjoyed that I made fingerjello, a favorite with them. Considering the time it took for me to open 4 boxes of Jello, boil some water, stir, and put in the refrigerator...all of 5 minutes... it's amazing how thrilled the students were. Note to self: For a happy day in preschool, MAKE FINGER JELLO!

Dominoes... This afternoon, my 6th-12th grade students discovered a box of dominoes. What a great investment! They played with them for 2 hours, working together to experiment and create various layouts. It was fun to see their cooperation and creativity.

After school, I decided to get my hair cut. I don't know what it is about the shampoos they use, but I love it. That combined with the unofficial head massage and I feel great! Now if I can just make it look like they do...

Probably the most insignificant yet thrilling thing that happened for me today was in Subway. I stopped to pick up a sandwich on my way home. Ahead of me in line, there was a man I'll call Bob*. While answering a cell phone call, he stepped out of line. My turn came and I ordered my favorite---chicken bacon ranch sub on italian herbs & cheese bread (hereafter labeled ih&c). YUM! In the meantime, another guy--Joe*--stepped in line as Bob finished up on the phone and reentered the line. After Joe ordered a sub on ih&c, Bob made the same choice for his two subs. The Sandwich Artist said, "We only have wheat." Too bad for Bob. He settled for wheat. I realized if Bob hadn't gotten that phone call, he would have gotten the last two ih&c subs. As I was leaving with my ih&c sub, the 2 people after Bob--I'll call them Jay* and Alice*-- ordered a sub, and the lady behind the counter replied, "We're out of bread right now. We do have wraps though." It was all I could do not to laugh out loud. The thoughts racing through my mind? This is Subway. How do you run out of bread? It's what you do! What would happen if the Post Office ran out of stamps? Wouldn't you totally freak out if the bank ran out of money? Would you be disappointed if a car wash had no water? Once again... HOW DOES SUBWAY RUN OUT OF BREAD?

I walked out of Subway, feeling a little sad for Jay and Alice, yet completely overjoyed to have my sub in hand, especially knowing how close I was to having to choose wheat... or no bread at all!

And that, my friends, is how a day with a lot of insignificant happenings can join forces to make a very tired teacher completely happy!


* Names have been changed to protect the innocent.