A Good Day Snuck Up on Me

After weeks of slogging, I’m glad to share that I finally had another good day today. I don’t know what changed, but when I left my classroom I had a pep in my step and a wide smile on my face.

So, why don’t you join me on a quick journey to figure out what made my day go so well?

First off, I might’ve just slept better. Being a father to a three-month-old can be draining, but I don’t remember waking up a single time last night. When I did wake, it was five minutes before my alarm—one of the best ways to wake up, in my opinion. I got up, took a nice warm shower, ate a full breakfast, and even stepped outside to find the air didn’t smell bad at all. (Bonus points +100.)

Of course, teaching wasn’t exactly easy. My students were bouncing off the walls, a few were throwing each other around, and one of them cussed at me. But I handled each problem one at a time.

I think part of my good mood came from the activity I ran with them today. We’ve been learning about game goals, and today’s focus was on collecting points or items to win. To demonstrate, I hid ten green blocks around the room, set a timer, and had them hunt.

Simple? Sure. But the kids loved it.

And you know what? I think that’s the key. I love teaching, but only when the kids want to learn. That’s the trickiest part of my job—I can’t just teach. I have to show them why the content matters and convince them it’s worth learning. That clicked today, and I’m proud of it.

But that’s not the only thing fueling my good mood. I got so caught up recounting my day that I almost forgot to share this: after weeks without, I finally have a car again. Turns out getting a vehicle registered in a new state takes a long time. We started over a month ago, and only wrapped it up yesterday.

In the meantime, I’d been limiting myself to the bare minimum of driving—a three-minute commute to and from work. If that doesn’t make you feel caged in, nothing will.

Several times today, the thought of having my car back gave me a little boost. And now, I get to put it to use—my wife and I are taking the baby to the library in a few minutes, then heading out for a long-overdue dinner date. If there’s one thing that puts a smile on my face, it’s a night out with my beautiful little family.

So there you have it. I couldn’t have told you exactly why my mood was so good today before I started writing, but I think I’ve pinned it down now. That’s the beauty of writing—it’s dynamite for the beaver dams in your rivers of thought. It unclogs the flow and keeps everything clear.

I don’t know how your day is going, but I hope reading this gave you a little boost. If you feel inclined, I’d love to hear how your day went in the comments. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the next post!