By: Nichelle N. Cook
Let’s play a game of Jeopardy. I’ll go first. “Things too crazy to make up for 1000, Alex.”
Here goes…
My plan was to go to work today. In fact, had things gone the way I expected they would, I’d still be there right now dawning my fresh silk press and perfectly curated (never before worn) Banana Republic outfit. I'd be executing my meticulously planned Economics lessons using manipulatives, seamlessly-embedded formative assessments, personalized accommodations and every other bell and whistle my XULA training equipped me to implement. Simply put, I'd be killin' it.
Having taught my beloved 2e students virtually since September, it was long overdue that I finally meet them in-person and connect on a level that I'd previously not been able to. Aside from that, truth be told - as a professional educator - I was ready to shine. Unbeknownst to me, God was ready to shine too - but brighter. There's an old adage that speaks of God's laughter when we tell him our plans. Albeit conceivable, I'm not sure whether he does or not. But what I am sure of is Proverbs 16:9, "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." (NLT) Here's what I mean.
A New STATE of Mind
When I woke up this morning and got on the bus to the train station I had every intention to make it to my first day of in-person work in time to teach my morning class. According to Google Maps, I'd arrived at the station in time to do just that. What I didn't plan, however, was that I'd accidentally get on the express train to Stamford, Connecticut instead of the local one with the same number. Nonetheless, at around 9:20 a.m. I found myself headed out of state. And since there were no stops between where I'd gotten on the train and the Stamford destination, I had no choice but to go all the way. After confirming my error with the MTA officials, I realized I had two options. I could either let anxiety get the best of me as I journeyed to a completely different state (literally), or I could address the situation and embrace the serenity prayer as best I could.
As you've likely gleaned from the title of this post, I chose the latter. However, I'd like to point out that not very long ago that would not have been the case. But this time, thankfully, I made the conscious decision to find joy in the JOurneY and intentionally adopt a new state of mind. And with that, here's my first tip.
When you find yourself in a bizarrely inconvenient situation, search your mind for reasons to be grateful.
In keeping with that tip, here's my gratefulness list: (1) Although I forgot to charge my phone last night (due to an equally bizarre chain of events that I've save for another post), I'd packed my fully-charged portable charger in my purse a few days ago. Also, the express train had several electrical outlets that would have enabled me to charge my phone either way. (2) The train was equipped with comfortably cushioned vinyl seating and happened to have very few passengers on board. (3) There was a Dunkin Donuts at the Stamford, CT train station for me to get the Iced Caramel Latte I hadn't had time to get earlier this morning. (4) I'd pre-recorded myself teaching and emailed worksheets in advance (for a completely different reason) making class coverage almost seamless. That being said, I was technically teaching my class virtually, as I normally would, despite the fact that I'd not been able to make it there.
Here's how the day gets even crazier.
Soooo at this point, I'd made it to Stamford, got my coffee and I was feeling pretty okay given that I'd connected with my supervisor on the train and coordinated a plan of action using my pre-recorded lecture to hold me over until my arrival. Having learned from my previous mistake, I made certain that I got on the right train back to New York so that I'd make it to the bus I needed to take to get to work. After verifying the directions I got on the train thinking all was well - until it wasn't. With that, here's the second tip.
Embrace the freedom that comes with not being in control.
On the way to Stamford, I wanted desperately to control the situation. Nonetheless, I decided not to freak out when I realized I could not. On the way back from Stamford, however, I fully accepted that there was nothing I could do and decided to instead relax and enjoy the beautiful Connecticut view. Because of this mindset, I was fully equipped to face my next unexpected challenge in a good head space. To make this make sense, check out the picture toward the middle of my collage - the one with the trash truck slammed into the back of the city bus.
The bright side is I wasn't on it. The not so bright side was that the bus stuck in traffic right behind the accident was the bus I needed to board to get to work at the newly agreed upon time. Once I realized I'd likely be waiting for a while, I immediately contacted my supervisor once again and to my surprise she said, "I know this shouldn't be funny, but it's actually quite hilarious." In that moment, I exhaled a bit and realized it was okay for me to get a much needed laugh out of all of it too. We then decided together that I should head back home on the train and try again tomorrow. So with that, here's lesson three.
Laugh. That's it. Just laugh. It'll make you feel better.
Thankfully, I had a fairly uneventful train ride back to Manhattan and got on the bus back home with no issues. At this point, however, I was ready for just about anything given my recent string of events - or so I thought. Interestingly enough, I found myself surprised once again. On the bus ride back to my apartment I saw a lady who bore a strikingly resemblance to Mrs. Ernestine Shepherd, the powerlifter who rose to fame some years ago for competing as a seasoned fitness model and working as a strength trainer. Since I'd always admired her, and I couldn't figure out if it was her or not, I decided to wait until she got off the phone and politely tell her of my confusion. After showing her the beautiful picture of Mrs. Shepherd she too acknowledge the resemblance and noted that if she were me she'd probably be confused too given the similarities and the fact that her face was partially covered by her mask.
During our momentary chat, we saw two well-dressed gentlemen who looked so full of joy. As we began to talk about how refreshing it was to see happy Black men appearing to walk confidently with purpose the word "purpose" stuck out. She then shared with me that she'd just had a conversation about the importance of following God's leading even when it feels uncomfortable to do so and how much peace she felt after resisting the urge to remain in her recent comfort zone. In response I briefly shared a couple of anecdotes revealing that I'd been learning the same. As we approached her stop, I shared with her that I was truly convinced that our entire purpose for existence is to do God's will and that she should stay encouraged by the fact that although uncomfortable, she'd bravely chosen to do so. Her response as she exited the bus... "See, God sent you here to tell me that. Bless you, young lady. I really needed that." With that, here's lesson four:
When we're truly vessels for God, he's committed to honoring our requests - even if not the way we initially intended. I started the day wanting to shine. God started the day, however, wanting to shine through me.
He won.
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