I have noticed a definite trend as I move through the homeschool week…
On Monday morning I am speaking in active sentences packed with spelling words, circulating around the room, radiating energy and enthusiasm as I multi-task to my heart’s content.
On Tuesday, I am still circulating, albeit a little slower, my sentences are a bit shorter, more to the point, there’s a tad less spark to my demeanor.
On Wednesday, I’m still moving but rather jerkily; my sentences no longer bear any resemblance to the week’s lessons, as a matter of fact, I am struggling to remember what language I speak.
By Thursday, I’m sitting in my chair as I ply through the texts, gesturing for the kids to come to me and explain what’s happening in history, writing, science, math, and whatever else I dare to teach.
By Friday, a grunt, a gesture, a sticker, and we’re good to go.
Well, it’s not quite that bad… But the trend from energetic to slow motion is real enough. So is the brain drain. I suspect that as coffee drinkers hooked on the whole concept of fast and effective, we tend to give ourselves little space to be anything but perfectly attuned to the nuances of constant multi-tasking. Yet, is that real? Are we real? What happens by the end of the week is reflected in what is happening inside of us as we attempt to be what we are not.
No one is perfect. No one can be “up” all the time. No one is beautiful every minute of the day. We get tired. We get exhausted. We get messy. To be honest, I think our whole nation is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. We try so hard to be up and energetic, beautiful and cool. Yet, we have been tucking our problems out of the way: debt, family breakdown, cultural divisions, spiritual emptiness.
Next week, Ash Wednesday kicks off the start of Lent. Some might think that this is simply another task to put on the to-do list. But on the contrary, it is really a call to freedom. “Remember Man from dust you came, to dust you shall return.” (Don’t get freaked out by the “man” thing. It’s just an expression meant to encompass everyone.) In our Lenten reflection, we actually become free to take a little “down time” to think about who we are and where we are going. We may not be effective and efficient for six weeks, but consider this as our “fast” for the duration. We can offer up our never ending multi-tasking schedule and spend some time thinking about who we are and why we are alive. Life in Lent can be a soul nurturing event.
Maybe by Easter we’ll feel reborn. Well, after all, that’s kinda the point…
