Sunday, January 29, 2017

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

The Day After the Worst Day Ever


1-16-2017

For 5 or our 6 who competed level 3 this past weekend, it was their first gymnastics meet; and it was hosted in a big venue.  The girls did amazing.  I was already proud of them before they even entered the competition hall because I know how hard they've been working, leading up to the meet.  So my expectations were grounded in reality; but I suppose for a couple of them, their expectations were...a little different than mine?  So we talked about their experiences and thoughts.  Most of it was positive; but one girl thought the judges just didn't like her- like they had a personal grudge against her, especially on beam (lol).  Another, I heard, had tears during awards because some of her teammates medaled and she did not (I posted a couple of great blogposts on the GW FB page, that should help any gymnast feeling this way).

Anyway, one of the things I shared with them was a poem by 11th grader Chanie Gorkin that went viral a couple of years ago.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/social-media/11760731/Hidden-meaning-behind-poem-will-brighten-your-day.html

Today was the absolute worst day ever
And don't try to convince me that
There's something good in every day
Because, when you take a closer look,
This world is a pretty evil place.
Even if
Some goodness does shine through once in a while
Satisfaction and happiness don't last.
And it's not true that
It's all in the mind and heart
Because
True happiness can be attained
Only if one's surroundings are good
It's not true that good exists
I'm sure you can agree that
The reality
Creates
My attitude
It's all beyond my control
And you'll never in a million years hear me say
Today was a very good day

After reading it, the kids described to me what the poem meant to them.  A couple of them said they liked it (this was after reading it forward- lol!).  One of them actually thought it was a positive poem, telling me the part about "My attitude is beyond my control" meant how she was feeling wasn't her fault- omg, rofl!

I started the video clip as they read it next, from bottom to top.






Almost 2 years ago, the older girls seemed to get a lot out of this poem, asking if they could keep their copy.








Monday, January 9, 2017

Sunday, January 8, 2017