Today's Life Lesson...it is all in how you look at it.

You know those life lessons you seem to get again and again? Got one today, loud and clear. We had a bowling field trip, one that normally the teachers don't accompany the kids on, but which, but due to the makeup and size of our classes this year, we had to attend, grudgingly at first. I'll fully admit to being one of the grumpers, and really could have used time to work in the quiet of my classroom as opposed to enduring the loud bowling ally for 2 hours. Still, I went along with things...I mean, what else was there to do...and also decided to make the most of it. I bowled a game with the kids, and also took the time to observe the kids, out of school, in a different setting and with a different set of expectations. Tell ya the truth, I enjoyed them a lot more. This crew, this year, has been challenging, but bowling, something structured, yet active, seemed to suit them just fine. They were busy, engaged, excited...HAPPY. It was good to see.

I was in the first lane, and thankful for that, as some of the kids balls just did not make it all the way down the lane. Fortunately, I was able to scoot right down the walkway along the side of the bowling alley, and push the balls to the end if need be. One of the times that I was doing this, the ball was almost to the pins. I walked all the way down the lane, and pushed it in, and then turned around, to observe the kids...all twenty lanes of third graders...balls rolling, disco ball turning, and thought, you know bowling could be seen as a metaphor for life, right? I mean, there's the "sometimes you're the bowling ball, sometimes you're the pins" deal. Then there's the fact that life is constantly rolling at you. At times your ball rolls a strike, sometimes a spare, and sometimes, let's face it, life is just one great big gutter ball after another. Still, those are probably the times we need to remember the most, that it is all how you look at it.