We've started taking walks after dinner lately.
It would be great to get exercise in before the sun goes down but for many reasons, we can't seem to fit it in. Our issues are:
It's crazy hot still! Somehow, summer showed up two months late this year!
Everyone is hungry when I get home!
My kids' school work isn't done early enough.
These are the main reasons we wait. First I need to nag, help, tutor and sometimes even cook! Then I can consider the fact that my kids have probably barely moved all day! Somedays that describes me too!
So last week, late in the evening, with the heat radiating off the road, we set out on a walk up the street by our house. My son was riding his bike and the rest of us were following behind on foot.
Suddenly, Matthew's bike stopped and started rolling backwards, out of control, his feet slapping the road as he tried to reverse quickly. He backed into my daughter, fell towards me and landed on the cement, eyes wide.
I quickly looked in the direction he came from and saw it. A little rattlesnake uncoiled itself and started to wiggle as it crossed the road in front of us. My memory quickly retrieved a rattle I had heard just before Matthew started careening backwards. Addy wanted a picture/video of it to send to her friends (or post on social media) but Matthew was DONE! He asked if he could go home.
I said yes.
One little rattlesnake doesn't rattle me, though. So on we went. I grabbed my phone to call home to make sure Matthew made it back, and just as my husband answered, my daughter grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
I looked in the distance, against the curb of the road and saw large rattlesnake coiled and watching us. This really was turning into quite the night!
I had stopped but my daughter continued to pull me back, despite the fact the snake I saw was a good 25 feet away. I looked back to see what the issue was. She was not looking up the road. She was looking down!
At my feet was a tiny, little rattle-less baby rattlesnake. I've heard the stories about how they are the worst...more venom and less warning! I MOVED! (Might have been the quickest I've moved ever!)
Let me assure you, the walk was officially OVER at that point! One rattlesnake didn't deter me...but three... That is a bit much! With rats they say if you see one, there are 10 more hanging around. That night it seemed it might be true of rattlesnakes as well.
I dreamt about rattlesnakes that night. It was a rough night. We walked in the daylight the next day!
I'm thankful I'm able to tell you that story. Thankful that no one was hurt, that there was no antidote needed, no puncture wounds to show.
When I look back on it, I realize how many warning signs I had as I walked towards danger that night. There was a rattle on a little snake, my son's huge eyes and instinct to leave, my daughter's consistent pull and finally seeing for myself.
Life warns us when we are going the wrong direction, when we should turn around, when danger is near, or when we just need to choose a different route. The warnings often come from the smallest ones around us, our kids and our students. But too often, we are on our phones, on our computers, planning our lessons, grading our papers, fretting over our pacing guide, or taking care of other business to notice. It takes multiple warnings. Many reminders. Frequent requests. And finally we see for ourselves.
This week, I hope you can find time to listen. Pause. Ask students about their journey this year. What would they change? What would help them succeed? How might we do remote learning better? What do you hear? Look. What do you see? What is the smallest one indicating? What is rattling a warning? What changes need to be made in the journey to make sure we all make it out alive?
It's never too late to change what we are doing to ensure success. It's never too late to alter the plan for the safety of all. It is also never too late to start listening to the small ones. Often they have a perspective we haven't taken the time to see. And if they are pulling you back right now, it might be because you are about to step into something NO ONE is ready for!
Pause.
Listen.
Observe.
Reflect.
Change the course.
But don't stop walking.
Kim
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