Have you ever noticed how your job can just suck the life out of your life?  If your answer is yes, I'd like to agree with you.  Why is that?

I think it has a lot to do with perceptions and expectations--either externally or internally imposed.  I'm starting to realize how little that has to do with being present in reality.

Who suffers when we get caught in that non-reality?  It's not just us, brave teachers.  It's also the people we cherish and hold dear.

It's crunch time in my school year--report cards, conferences, evaluations, new units, new month, and so on.  While I'm working away at teaching, all that other stuff has to get done sometime.  Unfortunately it's taking lots of my home time.  I'm also really short on patience--especially for my little family.

In the spirit of wanting to be really present in reality, we went walking in the woods after dinner.  It was a beautiful autumn evening.  About half way through I snapped this photo of the moon through the naked branches.  While my perceptions and expectations are still there, I didn't let them suck the life out of my life, this evening!  A small victory for brave teachers everywhere!

What small victories are you celebrating?