Kind Words

One of the teachers in the 2-year-old room at the daycare has been out sick the past few days. Since I just have a one-hour shift early in the morn, I was asked to pick up her shifts.

I'm pretty familiar with the kids but there's a lot that goes into taking care of those kids, which takes time. Since I'm relatively new, I'm still figuring out the routine and details that go with the job. Like with any job, it can get a little overwhelming. Throw in the fact that you're in charge of taking care of someone else's human and you've got a party!

In the past few days I've learned that two-year-olds are difficult. They're like "almosts" of childhood. They almost understand grown-up talk but not entirely. They're almost fully-coordinated. They're almost potty-trained. I'm not going to lie - it's been rough.

But it's all worth it when you make a breakthrough and the kiddo opens up to you. I walked in the room this morning and was greeted by a chorus of "Miss Megan!" One of them even ran across the room to give me a big bear hug. Hearing those words was a great pick-me-up at 8 AM.

Later during nap time, one of the full-time teachers and I were talking about the day thus far and general life things. She asked me about school and what I was studying. I asked her about her baby-on-the-way and her experience at the daycare. During our conversation, she told me I was doing a good job with the kids. My inner people-pleaser rejoiced!

Even though I know I'm far from perfect in my job it was still awesome to be recognized for hard work. Just a few kind words like that can really turn someone's day around. We're always commending children for a job well done, even if it's something as mundane as pushing in a chair or saying "please" or "thank you". And that's great - it encourages them to continue that behavior. But grown-ups need some encouragement sometimes, too!

I'm going to try to compliment someone everyday. It might seem silly and probably a bit hippie-ish but if it makes people feel better about themselves, who cares?

More than halfway through the week, folks! Hope everyone had a great Wednesday :)

Drawing a Blank

I got nothing today - 9.5-hours with a bunch of 2-year-olds is totally draining me of any creativity or energy. Sorry, guys!

To make up for my lethargy, enjoy this video of a cute kitten!

Social Norms

Let's say you have a 25-minute walk to work every morning. And let's say that at different points along this 25-minute walk, you pass the same people.

Is it socially acceptable to say good morning and/ or make small talk with these people in passing?

I ask this because Barney's lessons in manners didn't quite prepare me for this situation.

On one hand, these people are a part of our daily lives and we are a part of their lives. We share a common human experience of walking in the same spot of the world everyday. We recognize each other and we're aware of an intimate part of their daily routine. Plus, communicative interaction is one thing that sets us apart from most of the rest of the animal kingdom.

But then again, it's a little uncomfortable, don't ya think? It's not like you're going to stop your commute to work to have a meaningful convo with these people. You don't even know their names! They could be a Level 10 Creeper for all you know. If you do say anything more than "Good morning", the person is likely to have already walked past you, making conversation even more difficult.

Personally, I think a quick "hello" is plenty. It's polite and concise and far better than ignoring the person's existence all together. But anything more than that is a little too creepy for me. Did you hear that, creepy-middle-age-man-that-walks-by-me-every-morning? Commenting on something scrawled across my chest is not appropriate, even if it is my place of work.

What do you think?

Let's Do This

I know I've been slacking at this whole blogging thing. Again. I just feel like I haven't had much to blog about lately - wake up, work, eat, work out, sleep, repeat. But a lot is happening this month so I've decided to document it daily through this blog thingy. Hopefully I can pick it up as a habit and work it into my daily or almost-daily routine! We'll see how it goes :)

Today J moved into her temporary dorm at FSU! She's up there in Tallahassee at this very moment with her 3 new roommates, who are also freshman soccer studs. The fam picked PDubbs and I up this morning to complete the final 2.5 hours of the drive to our rival school. After a quick lunch at Bruegger's Bagels (we need one in Gainesville ASAP!), we checker her into her new dorm.

As far as college dorms go, this is pretty freaking nice. Each girl has her own room complete with bed, desk, and dresser. There's also 2 bathrooms, a common area, and a full kitchen! They really spoil them before throwing them into the normal dorms after their 2-week preseason training, which begins later this week.

I remembered all of the excitement and nervousness I felt as my family dropped me off that first day. And that incredible sense of hope that comes along with an unknown future. While her status as a student athlete make her circumstances quite different from mine, I bet she's feeling those same things right now! I'm so excited to see where her adventures take her :)

But even though her schedule will be packed between balancing soccer, school and living life, she won't be a complete stranger this semester. I'm going to try to go to as many games as I can - I'm especially looking forward to the FSU vs. UF game on September 10th! I'll be that girl from the Swamp cheering for the Noles!

And just like when we moved into Hume that faithful day in 2008, it began to pour as we said our goodbyes. But this time my parents went home with one kid as they dropped PDubbs and I off after a yummy sushi dinner. Not to worry - Dr. B won't be an only child for long. Puppy Day is only a coupe of weeks away :)

Obvi

I can't believe I left out such an important detail in my last post. Like, epically important and exciting and cool.

I got into the Nursing program at UF!

I've been waiting and waiting to hear back since I turned in my application in December. We were initially supposed to find out back in May but they kept pushing the date back. And back. And back.

I had heard that a few people had received their packets by last Friday but I was still anxiously awaiting mine. I knew I had the grades and I thought I nailed the application but I was still worried about my lack of volunteering experience. In a program that had over 600 applicants, only 100-120 were accepted. In that competitive atmosphere, experience in the field can really make it or break it between evenly-matched applicants.

I got a text from my good friend from high school, Affy, early Friday afternoon saying she got accepted. I was so excited for her and quickly texted her back, congratulating her for all of her hard work she's done the past year to get her grades up. While I was totally excited for her, I was also anxious about my own fate. She texted me back asking if I had heard anything but I didn't respond. I figured the packet would be sent to my home address instead of my Gainesville address; I didn't want to be disappointed by asking someone at home to check!

Fortunately, my dad called me 10 minutes after hearing from Affy telling me that I got in! I was so relieved and excited and elated all at the same time. I know it will be tough but I think my experience in IB has prepared me for the marathon ahead of me. I can't wait to start in August!