Miss Joan's Class

I've spent a good deal of my life looking for the next thing.  The next event, the next project, the next boyfriend (okay, I'm not doing that now)...you get the idea.  I've never been so hot at just sitting still.  And I fear this is catching up to me.  As I'm wrestling gray hairs, quieting creaking bones and denying that I'm falling asleep in front of  the TV, I'm starting to want to back up a bit.  Or, at the very least, slow things down.

My babies are no longer babies.  My two year old now asks to use my iPhone to play a game (sigh). My girl is eleven now and has started a savings plan to pay for a trip to Paris in the next few years.  She has also "decided" that she wants to attend Parson's School of Design for college to get a degree in Fashion Design.  I guess she takes after me as far as looking forward to the future.  She does, however, still  believe in Santa Claus (she won't admit if she doesn't), play a vicious game of hide & seek, and roll down any grassy hill she comes upon.  I don't fear she's lost her zest for living in the present. 

 

Sometimes the goal to run to the top of the hill is enough
 

A few days ago, I was talking to my three year old son.  We were talking about superheros and firemen and the many topics boys get enthused by.  I asked him what he wanted to be when he got big.  He thought silently for a few seconds and then answered, "I want to be in Miss Joan's class."  This was truly a thoughtful and sweet answer. While he may dream of being Batman or the Hulk, he really just wants to be in Miss Joan's class when he's "big." At daycare, there are three classes; Toddlers, Pre School and Pre K.  Currently in Pre School, the next class for my son will be Pre K, Miss Joan's class.  That's all he wanted.  The next logical, but no-less exciting, step in his little life.                                   

It struck me that this really was a wisdom nugget coming, unknowingly, from this kid of mine. Most of us have dreams that are big. (I dream that we'll be able to travel somewhere every year and that my husband and I will start a band in our garage).   But many times, the next thing might not excite us, so we look further down the road...and further than that...until we lose sight of what direction we're going.  I have a fantastic job, a weird and funny family, great friends, and a home that I love. I think right now...at this very moment...my dream is a family dinner tonight, followed by a walk in the cool fall weather.

 

We all have Miss Joan's class in front of us.  It holds our friends, lots of laughs, some tears, and plenty of unknowns to make it exciting.  I think the joy is when we stop looking, enjoy exactly where we are and just know that the next step is coming.