Blog Post Written By: OELMA President Karen Gedeon

Last year a dear friend of mine asked if OELMA could designate 2021 as The Year of Grace: to grant others grace and forgiveness without question or judgment. I thought that was a wonderful idea and so the board viewed things all year with grace and forgiveness. 

I would like to propose that in 2022 we continue to grant grace and forgiveness, but also add optimism and thankfulness. It’s so easy to get caught up in negativity, bombarding us from every angle at every opportunity. But there is much goodness in the world if we only change how we view our opportunities. Take for example the snow and ice storm we had earlier this month. Instead of thinking of all the work which could be done, I chose to watch the snow fall and appreciate the beauty in it’s reflective nature and the power it possesses depending upon when and where it occurs. I chose to be thankful that my family was home and we had enough food and supplies to last us through.

It doesn’t take much to be optimistic, just a small shift in how you view things and soon you will be counting your blessings and ignoring negativity. I think it has always been in my nature, but the first time I remember teaching optimism was when my kids were young. Sometimes they couldn’t understand why a fellow student acted a certain way or disliked someone all together. I taught them that everyone was put on this earth for a reason. You may never know the other person’s purpose, they may never really know their purpose, but everyone has something good in them. So just find it and compliment them on it, even if it’s as small as a cool pair of sneakers or a new hair color. Noticing little things makes a difference.

Looking for the positive has been rather difficult over the last few years. We have all had a lot of issues thrown at us at once, but going back to compliment my students on their sneakers or their awesome hair color is helping me return to a level of optimism which provides thankfulness and happiness. I am thankful I get to go to school everyday and see such awesome kids. I am thankful I have a profession I love and a family I can come home to every evening. I encourage you to start noticing the great little things in life. As they add up, they will become your buffer to negativity.