In order to grow in my awareness, I’ve been trying to be mindful of the flow and rhythm of the day around me. I believe I am getting to understand how the flow of energy is in my school. It is not all that great of a mystery. The first hour is quiet. Some are ready to work. Most are not even in the building. This is the time that the staff and I use to get fully into the South. We have already gone through our morning routine at our homes. We’ve acclimatized ourselves to the work day and have habits formed through dedication to our education, our own health, and family commitments. The students are still learning.The second hour and through noon passes back and forth from South to Southwest as the work period comes and goes. Within that rhythm, some students cycle very quickly. I’ve just noticed one student who can only give 5 – 10 minutes before he must transition. We need a way to help catch that and support him. Others have different times.

The afternoon it is harder to transition to South but there are strategies in place. Some afternoons have physical activity and group work. This seems to help. The fact that it is only two hours of work after lunch keeps the end within sight. Even the staff seems to be on a mode of work that is preparing for wrapping up the day and readying for the next.

What I learned today was my own responses to rhythms. Today was one were there was very little to do. I thought it would be a good time to keep my own flow going and find work. Something, a project, to work on. The end of the day was the opposite. I was balancing many demands and was very busy with much effort used to just keep everything (especially myself) in order. What I’ve noticed, in that time of quiet and slowness, was that enemy of “busy”ness. It was a good time to just watch, to learn, to allow the energy to be slower. Instead, I had to fill it with activity . . .

Much as I am doing now.