This week’s list is about things I am really good at, so bragging about myself. I know it is often viewed as in poor taste to ring one’s own bell. As I write that I am thinking about so many students I have worked with that struggle with self-confidence and self-esteem. In my, English class students had a warm-up to name one positive quality about themselves. I had students tell me that didn’t have any good qualities. I know there are some days I feel like that too. I feel like I am just taking from the world more than I am contributing to it. Well back to the list~
I am good at making others feel comfortable. I often have total strangers telling me their life stories. When I was riding the T on a regular basis, I made friends with total strangers. One woman was going to school to become a minister shared with me her experience about the day of the bombing. Another person I also met on the T, we became friends when he gave me a ride to the Women’s march in Boston in 2017. Through the year while riding the T together, I learned about his family and he learned about mine.
Another way I try to spread joy or at least positive thoughts is through my post-it notes. I have these stick all over post-it notes. I put inspirational quotes or sayings on these and then leave them random places. One of my favorite places was to leave them on the T. At one point I was a topic of conversation on Reddit. People wanted to know who and or why someone was doing these. I am not sure how I started doing it other than thinking that Erin and I were riding the same trains maybe if I wrote positive notes she would see them and it would bring a smile to her face. I could probably do a whole entry on the post-it notes. Why and how I do them and different interactions I have had with people about them.
I am really good at laughing. I can find so many things to laugh about throughout the day. And often I can get those around me to relax enough to laugh too.
I am a really good friend. I will stick by my friends even when we have grown apart. I have former teaching assistants that I was especially close to when we were working together, most of the time people then grown apart after they stop working together. Not me I will continue to send postcards or text messages just to let them know they are still in my thoughts.
I am a great letter writer. I not only write good letters to people but I actually write letters and mail them the old fashion way. So many people have told me oh you are so good at doing that, I wish I was. What a cop-out, I do it because it brings me joy and hopefully it brings a little joy the recipient.
I am pretty good at letting things go~ now this is on a few different levels- post-it notes. I write them and then I am done with them. They are not for me to gain fame or recognition. They are just something I write hoping to spread a little joy and then let them go. When I have an issue with a person, I say my peace and then I am over it. If I have a problem with a student the same idea is true for them too. What happened in the past stays in the past. Now, I am not perfect about this but for the most part I try to be.
josburn52 