Bliss before I fly

Inhale, two, three, four,

It was a blissful
five and a half minutes
first thing in the morning
with my homeroom

Hold, two

The music played
and the room
was completely
silent
and totally
still.

Exhale, two, three, four

When we were done
I told them
how brilliant it was
and how much
they are
growing
already
this year,
both my newbies
and my veterans,
some of whom
are like different kids,
especially Student 1,
though that was
conveyed
in a private message.

Inhale, two, three, four

I also spoke briefly
about the word
spiritual,
and the nature of
meditation,
which allows us
to connect with
our inner selves,
a spiritual practice.
Then we got to
workshopping
and writing
our 6 word memoirs.

Hold, two,

My switch class came
after break.
Though not as
still
or silent
as the class before,
they were improved,
mostly.

Exhale, two, three, four

Student B was excited
he was leaving
for a concert
in the afternoon.
In the morning
he was bursting
with energy
and had trouble
containing himself.

Inhale, two, three, four

Before we began
I spoke again of power
and the power
we have
to control
ourselves,
and how
in the end,
that is really
all the power
we have.

Hold, two

I told a story
of a student,
non--verbal
with various challenges,
both physical
and intellectual,
and his inability
to control himself,
and the sounds
he made.

Exhale, two, three, four,

For two years,
he was in my classroom,
and participated in
meditations daily,
rocking in his chair,
often bouncing his head
against my belly.
sometimes making noise,
sometime being quiet.
He had no power.

Inhale, two, three, four

I reminded Student B,
and everyone else,
they have the power
to make choices
for themselves,
even if someone else
is making noise.

Hold, two

And so we began,
and he was quiet
for awhile,
but was overcome
with the need
to make noise
near the end.

Exhale, two, three, four

He quieted again
when I stood
beside him,
and I reminded him again
of his power
when we were done.

Inhale, two, three, four

As demanding as
he is,
and annoying as
the noise and
distraction
are to me,
and others,
it will help
the other students
learn
tolerance
for others,
as they will
hopefully
realize
they can feel
compassion
and yet
remain
unaffected
simultaneously,
as the noise
and distration
bother them
less and less.

Hold, two

Big thoughts,
too late at night,
especially,
on the eve of
the conference
I am attending
tomorrow.

Exhale, two, three, four

Getting ready to fly
but feeling the need
to document
the feeling
of the day.
How strange,
and quick,
and for now,
done.

I'll be away from my classroom until Tuesday, but will write about the conference (I have to do it anyway) and my presentation and the meditations we do.

All the best and thanks for reading