Gratitude Cafe

As I not only recognize but feel in my very bones that the very last seconds of winter break are ticking away, every last pleasure I get to squeeze in seems that much more precious. Today I got to watch a 7:30 movie with a beautiful friend who happens to be a teacher also. Normally, I can't afford such a luxury on a weeknight. But tonight, I savored the movie and afterwards (which would be normally be pajama donning hour) when the thick night fog had enveloped us, I only felt peace. 

I know that it's ridiculously lucky to be in a profession that grants you 3 weeks of vacation time every winter as opposed to every year. I'm self indulgently beating a dead horse when I say vacation is wonderful. But aside from the sleeping in, hanging out, and supporting the local economy that being on vacation entails, there's a deeper reason behind why it is not only desired but needed. At its best, it's like being submerged in a deep pool of water where the world quiets down and your inner voice is allowed a chance to speak. And what that inner voice told me was to spend some time being a better daughter, a friend, a woman for pete's sake, instead of just being a "Ms. Won". 

Once school starts, I know that the role of a teacher will fit me just like an old, cozy sweater, but for the time being, it was wonderful. And none of the teachers I knew spent their vacations being lazy and unproductive. They made an exodus to their hometowns for the holidays. They spent an exorbitant amount of time with family (for better or worse). One worked on her garden after a misty rain. Another is visiting the Natural History Museum at a time when period 6 should be wrapping up.  

All of these hours of being suspended in time reveals how beautiful the simplicity of life is.