Joy of the Day, Day 17: Continuous Learning Plan and the Perfect Smoothie

School from afar was a harrowing prospect for our family a few weeks ago, but now that everyone’s starting to get the hang of it, we are breathing easier. And like many others have experienced and described regarding many facets of life in the time of Corona, there are some sweet silver linings revealing themselves as a result of my kids’ “continuous learning plan.” The one that struck me today is this: I get to bear witness to my kids’ learning in a way that I never would have otherwise.

It used to be, not so very long ago, that I would drop my kids at school, pick them up, ask about their respective days, hear little in response, and then move on to whatever was next on the agenda (and there were always many things next on the agenda). It’s not that I was checked out—folders were emptied and skyward checked with some regularity—it was just that the school day was a vast expanse of time and activity with which I had very little connection.

This morning, an array of bright drawings fanned out on the floor caught my eye as I walked by Garner’s room on the way to the kitchen. They turned out to be just part of the daily work required for his science class, but they are beautiful to my eye—a colorful snapshot of sixth-grade Garner’s mind at work at this moment, on this day. If the drawings had happened at school, I’m not sure I would have seen them, or at least not all of them. But instead I got to intersect with their creation and with Garner’s learning in creating them: a little bit of buried treasure found, and now mine for the keeping.

Also, Amelia made me the perfect smoothie this morning. It was literally My Favorite Of All The Smoothies I’ve Ever Had. (I have had many.) I would share the ingredients with you, but at least for now they are a secret, from me and from everyone—another bit of buried treasure for me to savor.

Today, these bird drawings and this smoothie are my joy. #joyinplace