Photo by sippakorn yamkasikorn on Unsplash
I do not know if earth worms can feel stage fright or self-conscious but if they can this one did as at least two dozen kids were jostling to get a look at it. This was not a particularly special worm. Just a standard brown and slimy earth worm that was escaping the flood brought on by the mornings rain. To these kids though, it was a marvel, a wonder and honestly it had me marvelling to because that kind of wonder is contagious. However as adults it’s rare to feel it, it’s rare that a thing as common as an earth worm can make us stop and stare and think about how cool the world is. And I am honestly incredibly grateful that being around kids has reminded me to appreciate the world. To look at a plant and be amazed at the fact that it turns sunlight into energy, or watch birds fly and think how cool it is that they exist and I get to watch them. It can be hard, but it’s possible to have that child like wonder as an adult. Shaking off the apathy and the familiar to really experience the world is so worth it.
For context, I’ve spent the last few months I’ve been a casual EA and spent a lot of time among kindergarten kids(ages 4-6) and it’s honestly in a lot of ways been great for me. Yes sometimes it’s exhausting because being around a hoard of small children can be a lot and sometimes they entirely deserve to be thought of as gremlins, but most of the time they’re actually awesome. I’ve seen kids be protective of the quiet kid, going out of their way to way to include the kid that is non-verbal or take care of the kid that is having a hard day. It’s reminded me of how little it can take to make someone feel included or cared for sometimes. It has also reminded me how much of a difference it can make to the person who is included and cared for. Being around these kids has taught me to be more in touch with my own emotions as well as more forgiving of them. Adults do learn to self-regulate but being able to self-regulate doesn’t mean not feeling, it means being able to regulate how those feelings come out and manage them so it’s not in a destructive way. That doesn’t negate the feelings though. And often I do, o run some not great thoughts through my head as I berate myself for feeling what I feel. That’s not healthy, and I would never say that to these kids so why am I saying it to myself? (Cause I need to work on my mental health that’s why)
Thank you for reading why I’m grateful for the kiddos I’m around and what’s stuck with me as I wind down to the end of the school year. Also check out the post that inspired this here. -> @powerpaul/engdeu-today-i-really-want-to-resume-a-series-or-day-11-the-best-thing-you-heard-today-is-win-1-hsbi-for-it-or-2
