Yikes! Change!?!?
I've been working on being grateful for this . . . its always a challenge.
So today, I will be grateful for changes.
Being grateful for change has a lot to do with faith and trust. (And maybe a little pixiedust?)
Change can be so frightening, but it's always there for a reason. Life is going to change whether you want it to or not, whether you embrace it or not. I'm working on embracing life's changes and taking the time to understand the why's of them all.
I began my college years in Los Angeles, focused on becoming an animator and getting a job in the "industry." I suffered from an extensive lack of confidence and chickened out of staying down in LA, so I came back north to go to grad school for history. I was so full of regret for not staying, for not really giving myself the opportunity for failure or success. But that change, picking myself up and coming home led to so many other wonderful opportunities, including meeting Todd at San Jose State Univ. in our history class, finding my way to teaching and so on. So I can't regret these choices towards change - there were other paths for me to follow.
This is my character design from my senior thesis, "Rapunzel." Don't let Disney fool you - I did it first. If there is a pizza delivery guy named "Simon," in the upcoming "Tangled," I'm suing.
Because I'm such an animation nut (as is Todd - one more reason I love that guy), I love Pixar and I love their shorts before their films. One that I have grown to appreciate over the years, especially as I reflect on change and having a positive attitude, is "Boundin." The basic storyline being a cute lil' ol' sheep who is embarrassed after being shaved clean. A jack-a-lope sings some advice that I've taken to heart:Now sometimes you’re up and sometimes you’re down,
When you find that you’re down well just look around:
You still got a body, good legs and fine feet,
Get your head in the right place and hey, you’re complete!
When you find that you’re down well just look around:
You still got a body, good legs and fine feet,
Get your head in the right place and hey, you’re complete!
So having a positive attitude towards change has really made me change.
I was nervous about Luke starting school . . . we're still totally not potty trained (shhhh!) but he has a bladder of steel (new superpower?) and can hold it for hours. He needed more structure, he needed a challenge, he needed kids his own age. I love our daycare (more than I can ever begin to say) but now Luke has become one of the oldest, and has few kids his own age. He just needed more.
But I wasn't ready for the change. I wasn't ready for him to grow up and go to school. Its part of my process of realizing that Luke isn't a baby anymore - he's a big kid capable of a lot. I had to suck it up and send him along. So on Tuesday, he was off to an afternoon session of preschool. I will say, it's nice to have him (literally) right next door. The classroom right. next. door.
So he went to school. I said goodbye, Luke said, "Have a good day at school, Mommy!" I, of course, replied, "You too, Luke." And he was over it. He did awesome in Spanish, counting along and singing (Thanks, Dora!) and sitting and participating. I was such a proud mommy. All the teachers attempted (in vain) to get him to potty, but he would have none of that. And he didn't have an accident, he held it for a few more hours until later at home.
The preschool principal at my campus is so awesome - she was so impressed with Luke and how he just fit right in that she took a couple of pics on her phone and sent them to me. He's already made a few buddies and is happy as can be.
So, change can be good, depending on how you look at it. His behavior issues (screaming, jumping, running) at daycare seem to have subsided, we're getting great reports all week. He needed that new challenge, as much as I felt emotionally resistant to it.
When I picked him up from daycare of Wednesday (a non-school day) he immediately said, "Going to school, Mommy!?!?" I was so pleased that he was so excited and happy about going to school.
The effects of a non-nap Tuesday/Thursday, combined with a busy afternoon at school:
Please note: I cannot remember the last time Luke slept in the car during a non-road trip drive. He was totally out on a 15 minute drive home.
But I wasn't ready for the change. I wasn't ready for him to grow up and go to school. Its part of my process of realizing that Luke isn't a baby anymore - he's a big kid capable of a lot. I had to suck it up and send him along. So on Tuesday, he was off to an afternoon session of preschool. I will say, it's nice to have him (literally) right next door. The classroom right. next. door.
So he went to school. I said goodbye, Luke said, "Have a good day at school, Mommy!" I, of course, replied, "You too, Luke." And he was over it. He did awesome in Spanish, counting along and singing (Thanks, Dora!) and sitting and participating. I was such a proud mommy. All the teachers attempted (in vain) to get him to potty, but he would have none of that. And he didn't have an accident, he held it for a few more hours until later at home.
The preschool principal at my campus is so awesome - she was so impressed with Luke and how he just fit right in that she took a couple of pics on her phone and sent them to me. He's already made a few buddies and is happy as can be.
So, change can be good, depending on how you look at it. His behavior issues (screaming, jumping, running) at daycare seem to have subsided, we're getting great reports all week. He needed that new challenge, as much as I felt emotionally resistant to it.When I picked him up from daycare of Wednesday (a non-school day) he immediately said, "Going to school, Mommy!?!?" I was so pleased that he was so excited and happy about going to school.
The effects of a non-nap Tuesday/Thursday, combined with a busy afternoon at school:
Please note: I cannot remember the last time Luke slept in the car during a non-road trip drive. He was totally out on a 15 minute drive home.
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