I've Got Sunshine On a Cloudy Day

My students are really beginning to grow on me. It's been a steady climb, I feel, since my first day. I'm feeling like a better teacher with a little bit more knowledge in my head each day, and it's obvious that they are starting to feel more comfortable in my class as well. There was one slight downfall last week, we hit a brick wall if you will. Since then though, I do see an improvement. We've climbed over the wall and are now stronger because of the climb. It's amazing how things fluctuate between weeks and even days. A few times I have been on the verge of tears, wanting to just rush home and hide from my kids in my bed. But more often I find myself laughing, I notice more students just stopping in to say hi and share stories with me, or ask to come to my room during lunch. I even hear them say, "no keep reading!" when I tell them that's all we have time for. My students aren't the only ones in the room who are learning. I've learned ple

When is enough enough? At what point are we able to train our brain to think positively no matter what the situation is? I have recently realized that some people think being too negative is a bad thing, while being too positive is also a bad thing. Someone recently referred to it as "unrealistic" to be too positive. Why? How? Give me an example. There are of course terribly sad situations and life experiences where it is very difficult to remain positive or to even understand what is happening. That, however, does not mean better times aren't ahead. It does not make thinking positively "unrealistic." The way our mind works, we make gut reactions, or snap judgements, according to author Malcolm Gladwell . The amount of time it takes to form a gut reaction, initial opinion, first impression, is within seconds. It's the same amount of work whether the reaction is positive or negative, so why not teach ourselves, train our brains to react in a positive way?

So here it is, January 1st, 2013. A new year, a new chance to reflect back on the past, on accomplishments and regrets, on love and life, and on what's still to come. For me, it's been overall a pretty darn good year; there were some accomplishments that were unexpected and warmly welcomed, as well as a few personal regrets that I have in turn learned lessons from. I believe that some of the most important accomplishments from the year are not those that can be held, not those that can be proven with paperwork or pictures, or circled on the calendar, but those that are about the personal growth that I feel I was able to recognize in myself and even admire. I have watched myself grow, I have watched myself set and reach my own goals, and I have watched how differently I may now handle certain situations and opportunities. I believe that a large part of my new and improved outlook on life and on myself came from my practice of yoga , which I am obsessed with and grateful for. Y