Follow Your Bliss

Follow Your Bliss

My friend Kristen has been telling me for the last year to follow my bliss. If someone said that to you, what would you think? At first I thought beach = bliss. But I live in SW Ohio, that can't be it! Over the year, I have reflected on this, but haven't really stopped to listen.  

It is August. I am a teacher. This means that while I don't HAVE to report to work for two more weeks, I HAVE to go to work. I have to get the classroom set, up, cute and homey, all ready for open house, students, and the work we will do all year. Today, I had appointments so I didn't make it to school. By 4:30 I was thinking I could go to school, stick my groceries in the fridge there and work until exhaustion or the need for dinner drove me home OR I could go home, put the groceries away, and make it to my 5:30 yoga class. Kristen said, "Follow your bliss."  

So I did. I put the cold things away, changed my clothes and was a minute or two late for yoga class. I put all the negative thoughts of, "You should be at school," out of my mind. I ignored the ego comments like, "Those bulletin boards aren't going to hang themselves."

Part of the reason the bulletin boards weren't hung was I hit a wall yesterday. I had to move classrooms again this year. At my school each room has a different shape and different sized bulletin boards. I wanted an easy move- same stuff, same place in new room. That did not happen. Even my bulletin board fabric didn't fit the new room's boards. As a veteran teacher, I have grown to prefer fabric for the background on my bulletin boards because it doesn't fade and can be reused. Fabric, if you haven't purchased lately, can be expensive. I really didn't want to buy more. I gave up yesterday and worked on other things hoping a bulletin board idea would come to me. I searched Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers, like any good teacher would, looking for the perfect bulletin board idea. All required me to buy things (with my money of course) or create something from scratch. Not this week! Too busy! 

The boards sat bare while I went to yoga class.

At the beginning of yoga, Betsy had us introduce ourselves and share what we were bringing to our mats today. Another woman said, "I just graduated from college this year, and have tried to get a teaching job all summer. I just got a job an hour ago." 

My filter must have been left in the anteroom with my flip flops because I interrupted yoga class right then and said, "Let's chat after class. I need less stuff in my classroom. I am happy to share!"

She was thrilled. What teacher doesn't love freebies? 

I went to school after yoga class. I looked through things I knew I could give away, texted her photos, measurements, and descriptions. While I was doing that, I found more bulletin board fabric. It was a deep blue almost navy. It fit perfectly on two boards! It matched the border I already had! As I hung it, I was thinking of how simply following my bliss created a flow, a simplification of things, an opening to move. Hmmmm, very interesting! 

 I finished all the things I wanted to accomplish today. The bulletin boards are hung. I have a pile ready to give away to a new teacher. I got some exercise. A win-win-win.

All because I followed my bliss. I plan to do this more often. How about you?