"Bleh" Meets Perseverance
Have you ever had a "bleh" day? Of course you have. We all have them. If you honestly think you've never had a "bleh" day, please contact me immediately and tell me your secret!! I think the world would like to know!! So nothing bad happened today... in fact, many good things happened! Yet as I sit here and on my bed, thinking about my day and how I feel... I see and feel grey... the color of "bleh". So although the sun was shining and I met with inspiring people today, and I received help on some visa issues, and the food I ate was delicious... something inside me decided to paint the day grey.
The end.
Jokes.
I could end this post there. But I won't. Not only would it be somewhat depressing, short and grey, but it would also be an incomplete story! You see, as I have sat here on my bed thinking about the greyness and the feeling the grey, my mind has been drawn to the list of life skills found in my Promethean Spark packet. This list is not all inclusive of the life skills we can teach through the dance methodology, yet it is packed with qualities that I'm sure we all would like to harness and nurture within ourselves. For example, here are some of the life skills found on the list: Discipline, Practice, Creativity, Perseverance, Health, Respect, Teamwork, Control, Focus, Patience, Goal Setting, Preparation, Love of Self, Concentration, Integrity, etc. From this list I would like to choose one life skill that I would like to apply in this moment to embrace or even combat the greyness-- whichever seems right. And I tell you now, this is a very open and candid post, and I have no clue where it will end. We shall see. Bear with me! Or don't. Your call!
Perseverance (don't give up!)
In the Promethean Spark Dance Methodology, we have five ground rules that apply to every class. The fifth and final rule says the following: "Everybody gives 100% the whole time. Never, Never, Never, Never, Never give up!" This rule implies that every member of the class must be fully invested the entire time. When learning something new, they must not give up. When attempting a difficult stretch or strength exercise, they must not give up. When doing partner or group work with choreography, they must not give up on themselves or one another when problem solving. Never, Never, Never, Never, Never give up!
So what about this 100% thing? What happened to "don't run faster than you have strength?" How could someone possibly give 100% ALWAYS? Well, allow me to let you in on a little secret: Your 100% changes every day. It's true! Every day you will have a different amount to give to the world and yourself, and that 100% is constantly changing. Imagine a day when you are sick in bed. Can you do all of the things you could do before you become sick? No! But what can you do? Possibly eat or drink something to give your body the needed nutrients. Maybe you can take occasional visits to the bathroom. You might even be able to text friends or family members, or read a book. If this is all you can offer, then this is your 100% for the day! Now imagine a day when you feel balanced, energized, and on cloud nine. Is your 100% the same this day as the day you were sick? No! You have more energy and strength that allows you to offer things that you couldn't offer when you were sick. One more example. Think back to one of your earliest memories. How old were you? Two? Five? Were you capable then of everything you can do now? Did you have the same knowledge, experience and skills then that you do now? No!!! Does this mean you didn't give 100% back then? Not at all. Your 100% at the time of your earliest memory is different from your 100% today. And your 100% tomorrow will be different from your 100% today. It's always shifting and changing. This is one of the beautiful things about progress-- we don't need to remain stagnant. Our 100% of what we are capable of offering can increase with time! And even in the minutes, hours, days, months or years when our 100% is feeling lower than normal, we can take comfort in knowing that we are doing what we can, and that is enough. So yes, with the Promethean Spark Dance Methodology, EVERYONE is expected to give 100% the whole time, despite the difficulty of the movement or the other various obstacles that are faced.
How does this apply to my grey day? Well, despite the "bleh" feeling I had throughout the day, I can take comfort in know that I gave 100% of what I had to offer. In some instances I surprised myself with what I was able to accomplish despite the "bleh"! Will the grey feeling continue tomorrow? Maybe, maybe not. But if it does, I know that I will have the opportunity to give 100% of what I have to offer. And even if this grey feeling continues for a whole week, or even the whole summer (I sure hope not!), I can harness this powerful skill, to Never, Never, Never, Never, Never give up! Sure, easier said that done, right? But I definitely prefer it to any alternative option.
Thank you for reading my ramblings from this day! Hopefully you were able to glean something from it that is meaningful to you. Despite the gray and "bleh" wording in here, I hope you are able to see the light and hope as well. That is what Promethean Spark offers-- light and hope, and much, much more!
And as a little token of randomness, here is a picture of me with one of the campus goats, and another of me with a bowl of fresh mango from one of our mango trees! Mr. Johnson (who I introduced briefly in an earlier post) so kindly shared the mango with me today. Soooooo good!
Also, the students created this amazing work of art at the school entrance to welcome some visiting sponsors this week! I am very impressed with the details of the design, and I love the vibrant colors :) I think they did it with that powdery chalk!
The end.
Jokes.
I could end this post there. But I won't. Not only would it be somewhat depressing, short and grey, but it would also be an incomplete story! You see, as I have sat here on my bed thinking about the greyness and the feeling the grey, my mind has been drawn to the list of life skills found in my Promethean Spark packet. This list is not all inclusive of the life skills we can teach through the dance methodology, yet it is packed with qualities that I'm sure we all would like to harness and nurture within ourselves. For example, here are some of the life skills found on the list: Discipline, Practice, Creativity, Perseverance, Health, Respect, Teamwork, Control, Focus, Patience, Goal Setting, Preparation, Love of Self, Concentration, Integrity, etc. From this list I would like to choose one life skill that I would like to apply in this moment to embrace or even combat the greyness-- whichever seems right. And I tell you now, this is a very open and candid post, and I have no clue where it will end. We shall see. Bear with me! Or don't. Your call!
Perseverance (don't give up!)
In the Promethean Spark Dance Methodology, we have five ground rules that apply to every class. The fifth and final rule says the following: "Everybody gives 100% the whole time. Never, Never, Never, Never, Never give up!" This rule implies that every member of the class must be fully invested the entire time. When learning something new, they must not give up. When attempting a difficult stretch or strength exercise, they must not give up. When doing partner or group work with choreography, they must not give up on themselves or one another when problem solving. Never, Never, Never, Never, Never give up!
So what about this 100% thing? What happened to "don't run faster than you have strength?" How could someone possibly give 100% ALWAYS? Well, allow me to let you in on a little secret: Your 100% changes every day. It's true! Every day you will have a different amount to give to the world and yourself, and that 100% is constantly changing. Imagine a day when you are sick in bed. Can you do all of the things you could do before you become sick? No! But what can you do? Possibly eat or drink something to give your body the needed nutrients. Maybe you can take occasional visits to the bathroom. You might even be able to text friends or family members, or read a book. If this is all you can offer, then this is your 100% for the day! Now imagine a day when you feel balanced, energized, and on cloud nine. Is your 100% the same this day as the day you were sick? No! You have more energy and strength that allows you to offer things that you couldn't offer when you were sick. One more example. Think back to one of your earliest memories. How old were you? Two? Five? Were you capable then of everything you can do now? Did you have the same knowledge, experience and skills then that you do now? No!!! Does this mean you didn't give 100% back then? Not at all. Your 100% at the time of your earliest memory is different from your 100% today. And your 100% tomorrow will be different from your 100% today. It's always shifting and changing. This is one of the beautiful things about progress-- we don't need to remain stagnant. Our 100% of what we are capable of offering can increase with time! And even in the minutes, hours, days, months or years when our 100% is feeling lower than normal, we can take comfort in knowing that we are doing what we can, and that is enough. So yes, with the Promethean Spark Dance Methodology, EVERYONE is expected to give 100% the whole time, despite the difficulty of the movement or the other various obstacles that are faced.
How does this apply to my grey day? Well, despite the "bleh" feeling I had throughout the day, I can take comfort in know that I gave 100% of what I had to offer. In some instances I surprised myself with what I was able to accomplish despite the "bleh"! Will the grey feeling continue tomorrow? Maybe, maybe not. But if it does, I know that I will have the opportunity to give 100% of what I have to offer. And even if this grey feeling continues for a whole week, or even the whole summer (I sure hope not!), I can harness this powerful skill, to Never, Never, Never, Never, Never give up! Sure, easier said that done, right? But I definitely prefer it to any alternative option.
Thank you for reading my ramblings from this day! Hopefully you were able to glean something from it that is meaningful to you. Despite the gray and "bleh" wording in here, I hope you are able to see the light and hope as well. That is what Promethean Spark offers-- light and hope, and much, much more!
And as a little token of randomness, here is a picture of me with one of the campus goats, and another of me with a bowl of fresh mango from one of our mango trees! Mr. Johnson (who I introduced briefly in an earlier post) so kindly shared the mango with me today. Soooooo good!
Also, the students created this amazing work of art at the school entrance to welcome some visiting sponsors this week! I am very impressed with the details of the design, and I love the vibrant colors :) I think they did it with that powdery chalk!
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