Managing: Work, sleep, and thankfulness

Oh my - work has taken over my life!  Something I promised myself would not happen again.  Alas, some areas of my life become sooooo consuming if not 'stayed on top of '.  Work, unfortunately is consuming - so many items to be taken care of and so little time.

Managing areas of life is a part of all of us - don't you think?  My area of work in which I don't do well is managing the paperwork and time lines associated; which causes the domino effect.
I do believe we are all victims of the domino effect in our lives in one way or another.

As parents managing our children and their life's - we can definitely feel the domino effect.
The entire reason I do parent classes and/or include parents as part of the therapy session, is for them to see why it is so important they change their persona and become teacher.  So they do manage - and do not feel the domino effect with their child.  If a parent does not take the teacher role during rehabilitation of their child's speech and/or language, if they wait and say the therapist/teacher can do this part; sooner or later,  the domino effect will rear its ugly head.  A child has to feel the parent is not only vested in the therapy but that the therapy is worth the practice to make the child better.  A parent should know and understand, if you don't 'buy in' 100% - 24/7 - in child and practice - time will release the domino and their child will continue to have problems that may manifest itself into more difficulties - in more areas - and more challenges.

My area of work releases the domino to sleep and soon I am exhausted because I am playing the 'catch-up' game and not resting.  Even my blog is effected!
A parent will see - hopefully sooner rather than later - their child is effected - in so many ways.

Thankfully, vacation days come.  At this time of year I am thankful -for so many things.  This year I am thankful for the days to 'catch up'.  Shame on me for doing it that way, but this year - it works.  As a parent, those vacation days come in handy at some time or another.  I urge parents to take advantage of them every once-in-awhile.  I also point out, it should not become the answer.  Time is of the essence for children with a handicap to overcome.

This year, I have noticed on social medias, the idea of using each day to make a statement about being thankful for something.  Mine is still a list, a reminder I have so much - hopefully, you do as well.

I am thankful for: family who cares, friends who never disappear, work that is always there, and sleep that may or may not appear.  I am thankful for: An army of men and women who watch over us constantly and a country I am concerned over regularly, doctors who find cures to illness purposefully and patients who live their lives fully.   I am thankful for: my beliefs, my morals, my life - no matter how mismanaged I make it at times.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Another Day. . . . another ????

Okay, you fill in the blank - so much has happened since my last blog and in two short weeks I will be returning to school/work along with some family members and all the other people that love working with children as much as I do.  It is just getting ready for it that I dread and then thinking about all the side notes of teaching and therapy that boggle my mind!  Can anyone say paperwork!!!

Anyway,  these past few days have opened my eyes to changes again and the feeling of being lost in everything that comes about. . . but then that feeling of change is also always followed by the fact that G-d commands those changes and it is not my path to follow but His - there is a reason for what is about to come.  For me, that is a calming effect and I focus on not panicking.  From what I see, I am not the only one with changes coming their way.  My husband has begun a new path in his job, he is very excited.  My son has challenges everyday, for life in general; he's young and life for him brings ups and downs.  But I got to spend a glorious weekend with him and we challenged the thought of all those roller coaster rides.  I have family coming home and I have family celebrating, and my friends are all making some kind of change - job or family.  What a summer!!

What does any of this have to do with Another day?  Well - to me - it has to do with learning and with what you make of another day.   Samuel Johnson said;

The chief art of learning is to attempt but little at a time.  The widest excursions of the mind are by short flights frequently repeated, the most lofty fabrics of sciences are formed by the continued accumulation of single propositions.

. . . which to me has a couple of meanings.  Our lives are so busy that we don't realize the constant change, and when we do - it sometimes takes our breath away that time passes us by.  Not really, those changes are the short flights frequently repeated and G-d must have a plan for me learning it.  The other meaning I try to explain to my clients and parents as much as possible, it makes so much sense when we realize it is a part of our lives.
As our children try to overcome whatever obstacle that has 'stalled' their learning - practice, practice, practice - and then practice some more!  If that part of the brain didn't grow, or got the wrong signals, let's make a new path of learning by showing our children over and over again, in sooo many different ways, the new information they need.
For me, children's paths are also governed by G-d and as parents and teachers/therapists, we can help correct an obstacle they need to overcome for their path.  Perhaps you were meant to make the 'flights repeated' so they may make the 'continued accumulation' into a single 'Aha!' moment.
Isn't that what it is all about. . . another day and another ????