Hurry is beside the point
Hurry is beside the point, useless, an obstruction.
The thing is to be attentively present.
To sit and wait is as important as to move.
Patience is as valuable as industry.
What is to be known is
always there.
When it reveals itself to you, or when you come upon it,
it is by chance.
The only condition is your being there and being
watchful.
~ Wendell Berry
I love how the Universe sends me these gentle reminders – just a few evenings ago I was biking home from teaching my home hospital student when I snapped this photo. The air was cool (we’ve had a string of days reaching into the 90s), the last bits of the sunset glowed over the trees, and, looking ahead, I saw these four letters: S-L-O-W. I listened, remaining diligent to my quest for picking up clues when they are presented to me. Somehow, the bike home was just a little more magical.
During the last few weeks of school there are so many emotions churning…students stressed and tired, teachers stressed and tired, the bittersweet anticipation of summer coupled with the sadness of leaving a community we so gently created all year long. I find myself breathing deeply, letting go, smiling more, and looking into the eyes of the children I’ve spent the last nine months with. I’m trying to be there for them, trying to be watchful to their emotions – trying to give them a safe space to be honest, to cry if they need to, and as one of my kids asked yesterday, to take a nap on the beanbags at lunch if they need to.
It is in these ordinary moments that we must remember to sit and wait, to practice patience and kindness, and to remember to trust the journey, wherever it may lead us.
The Universe sent this poem to me via First Sip.
Jennifer Wolfe
Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.
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