I guess I get a little timid when posting things because of how much of a critic I am. I wish I could say I only do this to myself, but I don't. I see blog posts about "How to love your spouse" and "10 ways to wear a scarf...", they're all great and informative- but I've realized that I'm a little afraid to be that copycat image of what everybody else is saying out there.
At the same time, while the things I write in my journal can be personal, I think that they can be of encouragement to others. So my main goal in maintaining this blog is not only to document the newest Musson family's adventures together, but the little things that happen that lift the spirit.
Each Monday and Wednesday I student teach in a 6th grade classroom. I absolutely love it! I've been in the class for a little over a month and I am sad to say that during lunch, I have not taken the time to go play outside with the students! This is weird to admit- but I actually enjoyed the alone time I received during lunch- it refreshed me. Yesterday was different, though. I felt a little more energetic than usual. I opened the blinds (for the first time) and noticed students were playing 4-square.
WHAT?! How could students be playing one of my favorite games from elementary school? I needed to go outside. Shortly after exposing myself into the cold with a sweater, uncomfortable flats, and skirt on, I played a few rounds with the students. A few games went by when I noticed an adorable girl pacing back and forth while balancing on a nearby curb by herself. I wish I had a picture to show how precious she was, I assume she was in 5th grade since I'm familiar with both 6th grade classrooms. To give you a better picture, she looked like a 9-year-old version of AnnaSophia Robb.
I asked the girl if she would like to play with us. She immediately looked up, as if surprised somebody was talking to her, then pleasantly replied, "No thank you." I asked if she was sure and she responded yes. I was relieved and happy to know she was satisfied playing by herself, so I continued in my intense game of 4-square.
Within a few minutes later the girl popped into the game! I was surprised to see her standing in the court- I served to her and noticed that she had probably never played before. Her little uncoordinated body squirmed around as she tried to play how she thought best. The odd movements weren't the thing that stood out the most, but the huge smile across her face. It made my day to see a student so happy to be involved.
Now, I hope it doesn't seem that I think I saved someone's life just by asking them to come play 4-square, haha. Simply that our small actions play a larger role than we think. Whether it had an impact on the girl, I do not know; but there is always something to be learned in every experience.
This short experience made me think about a few things:
First, everybody needs a friend.
Have you ever come to the realization that you have TOO many friends? You say to yourself, "wow, what am I going to do to get rid of some of these friends in my life?" ...Never! I think something a lot of us don't realize is that everybody could use a friend. Why is this realization so difficult to come by? Because we focus too much on ourselves. We say things like, "I don't know why she didn't invite me..." or "wow, that girl has a lot of friends- it's probably because people just flock to her due to her personality." The thing is, what I've noticed about those with a lot of friends is that they go out of their way to make a friend. It's easy to rebuttal this and say that it's easy for them to do, but regardless, this is the way things go. This leads me to getting out of our comfort zones.
Second, experience what lies beyond the comfort zone.
Believe it or not, I went outside of my comfort zone when asking that precious girl to play 4-square. I am not even going to attempt to explain why the task was daunting, only that I think it's only human to be comfortable with the people you're with and not "rock the boat" of life. I read a book in high school called, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers. It changed my life! Plus, there's pictures everywhere, so I didn't get bored of it. Anyways, I wish I could quote it perfectly, but it said something along the lines of nothing great is gained when you remain in your comfort zone.
Third, don't let doubts paralyze you.
When I first arrived to the 4-square court, I saw the girl and thought to myself a few things: maybe she's waiting for her friend who's in the bathroom, maybe she likes being alone, and so forth. These thoughts pushed back the notion to extend an invitation to come play with us. Sounds pathetic- right? That I was about to talk my 21-year-old self out of inviting a 9-year-old to come play a game with me. I think little doubts like these consistently arise in our minds and we use it as a tool to not do something that Christ would do if He was here. These doubts are something I am trying to recognize more often and push them away so that I do the things that I know I should do.
Fourth, defeat your pride.
Quite often, I think to myself: why am I the one that needs to go up to that person and say hi? Why can't she come to me? (Of course, this isn't referring to the adorable girl on the playground, but in general.) It sometimes frustrates me that somebody you see so often, seems to go out of their way to NOT say hi to you. What's up with that? Regardless of the situation, I am still learning that sucking up your pride is a must. Who cares who's 'turn' it is to say hello? If we didn't have these little battles inside of us, we would do a lot more friend-shipping and a lot less judging.
