Relationships--Again!

Relationships--Again!

Continuing the discussion about relationships.

I ended the last post with the statement that it is okay to excel and have others and ourselves recognize it.  Let's think of it this way.

You are on the tennis court.  It is a beautiful day.  You feel good.  You've been holding your own with your tennis buddy but struggling with your shots.  All at once your racquet meets the ball right on the sweet spot, and you both recognize it.  You are all smiles.  Your partner smiles in acknowledgment.  There is no competition.  Just pure joy for you.  You feel good from the inside out, and your tennis buddy knows that feeling.   It is a great mement when you excel and others recognize it.  Feels wonderful.  If you aren't a tennis player, insert your sport in this example.

Back to my story.  After examining all the possibilities, I agreed to the nomination process.  It involved much from me.  Tons of reflective thinking and writing.  It was quite a challenge.  It gave me the opportunity to self evaluate.  That is not a bad exercise to engage in.

Let's fast forward several months.  I was honored to be named one of 12 teachers across the state from which the Teacher of the Year would be selected.  No one could have prepared me for that.  It brought media attention that was new for me.  During the entire process I was so aware of all the other teachers who work hard at their job, and who could have been receiving this attention.  It was humbling.

Well, someone else was named top teacher.  I was so pleased for her.  It was all so good.

What did I learn from this experience?  I learned to accept myself-my strengths as well as my weaknesses.  I learned to acknowledge my challenges but not dwell on them.  I learned that most people prefer to be around those who see the half full glass.  I learned that we all make choices, and sometimes we allow others to take away our joy.  When I recognized this, I wondered why we give our power over to others.

I learned that recognizing the accomplishments of others makes me very happy.  We all share space on this beautiful ball.  We all strive to do the best we can at whatever we select to do with our lives. Most importantly, I learned that we are better together than we are alone.

Still not finished with relationships.  More later.  Stay tuned!