Monday Morning Musings

Posted on March 2, 2020 under Monday Morning Musings with 2 comments

One of my many walking buddies

“Here’s a little song I wrote,
You might want to sing it note for note,
Don’t worry, be happy.”
Don’t Worry, Be Happy. Bobby McFerrin

Some days, it’s hard to put on a smiley face. Family problems, hassles at work, or illness can easily put a person in a funk. Some people have a knack for exuding a cheerful disposition regardless of how bad things are going while there are others can turn a sunny day into a dark one with a shitty attitude.

Worry can be insidious. It’s normal to worry. Worrying all the time can be detrimental to a person’s well-being.

I’m quite lucky. I’m not a worrier by nature. The last four months have provided a stern test for my worry meter. Returning to teaching after 40 years has been demanding to say the least. It might turn out to be one the craziest things I’ve ever done and possibly one of the most rewarding, a classic case of the risk/reward continuum.

Hiking seems to be the latest craze of the Baby Boomers. You know what it’s like to climb a mountain. It can be very strenuous but when you finally reach the pinnacle and take in a panoramic view, you realize it was all worth the effort. Then you get to go downhill which is the good part, unless you have gimpy knees.

I am extremely reluctant to say that I have crested the mountain up here in the arctic. It could be the lengthening days (and 2 straight weeks of sun filled days) that have improved my mood or the fact that I’m finally more comfortable in the classroom but for whatever reason, I feel a bit lighter. My belt buckle would argue.

Early last week, I met with one of the youngest teachers in the school. As mentioned in an earlier post, she has “it” whatever “it” is. In my estimation, she is a superstar teacher. She is wise beyond her years. I met with her to discuss classroom management issues. She gave me lots of great tips. She saved her best for the last. It wasn’t a classroom management tip at all. It was more of a pep talk. She assured me that I was making a difference in the lives of my students. She suggested that at the end of each day, I write down three positive things that happened. Even on our worst days, most of us can find a few positives. Try it. I think that the conscious act of writing down positive things might help lift more people out of their malaise.

Don’t worry. Be happy.

As part of teaching English as a second language to Inuit children I use music. This past week, I dug out three old tunes and added them to my students’ song books which I’m compiling for them: Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, “Let it Be” by the Beatles, and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin. They seem to like these, especially the refrains which they’ve mastered. They snap their fingers and whistle along with Bobby McFerrin.

The very first song that I taught them last November was John Denver’s “Country Roads”. They never seem to get tired of singing this and most of them have aced the words without even using their songbooks.

It’s March and I can see spring in the distance.

There’s a spring in my step.

March break is coming up… in April! I’ll explain this seemingly contradictory statement in a later post.

Have a great week.

P.S. On the count of three, I want everyone to whistle the refrain from “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. Please send me you best feel good song.

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