What Was the BEST Part of Your Day?

When you were in elementary school, what did success mean to you?  Was it making the honor roll, completing your chores, pleasing your parents?  Was it beating a video game, getting a baseball trophy, winning the recess kickball game?  What about when you graduated from college?  Was it getting a job, paying off debt, getting married?  Furthering your education, moving out on your own, getting the bills paid?

What about today... What does success look like?  How has it changed?  What causes you to celebrate, feel proud, pat yourself on the back?

When is the last time you experienced success?

What success means to you probably changes week-by-week, month-by-month, year-by-year.  Our perspective on what and when to congratulate ourselves depends on our past, our present, and our future.  What success may mean to the person beside you could be totally different than what it means to you.  Thinking back and looking at success through the eyes of an elementary-aged student may, upon first glance, seem trivial.  But to that eight-year-old, seeing a smile of delight on a parent's face is just about the best thing in the world.  Have we forgotton how important it is to celebrate the little things?  Have we failed to remember what the little things are in the eyes of a child?

When's the last time you asked someone around you about their successes?  All too often we fall into the trap of ending our day focused on the pitfalls, the disappointments, the failures.  Instead, why don't we wrap up our day by relishing in a happy moment, a moment that made us feel complete and utter joy to the depths of our bellies?

I am married to an incredible man who makes me a better person.  One way he does this is by asking me each and every night -- "So, what was the BEST part of your day?"  We've chosen to make this a Peele family tradition, so that no matter how tired, stressed, or frustrated we are at the end of a day, we are always able to relish in a moment that makes it all worth it.

Try it.  With yourself, keep a notebook and commit to writing down the best part of each day -- Then you can refer to it on those days of struggle.  With your kids, have them keep a notebook.  Before the school bell rings or around the dinner table or before bedtime, ask about the best part of their day.

Yesterday, the very best part of my day was getting a thank you letter from a child for a conversation we had last week.  It was simple.  It was sweet.  But it let me know that I made a difference in her life.  And that, honestly, is a big enough success to fuel me for the rest of the year.

 Don't Forget!
-November 12th:  Quarter Test Books Due
-November 12th:  Practice ITBS Testing
-November 15th-17th:  ITBS Testing
-November 17th:  Imagine It! Rep Jane Rountree Visits K-2
                                 Last Day to Submit SCOS Charts for Contest
-November 18th-19th:  ITBS Make-Up Testing
-November 23rd:  Skip Prosser 4th Grade FINAL Book List Due