Reciprocity

Sometimes it feels like you go through life, doing whats right, without anyone noticing. Then, in the midst of it all, you get a pat on the back. Perhaps, for a moment, the heavens open and a divine light shines down on you to give you a break. Maybe, what I'm doing does matter. Maybe, these kids are actually learning about nutrition. From me. I received just such a nod from my community partner recently. It wasn't a lengthy discussion, but just a few key examples he gave. I was at a meeting with some other teachers at the school where I volunteer. I had coordinated a meeting through the principal, to discuss the Power Play campaign and opportunities for me to help in the classrooms. When my volunteer "boss" who has treated me in a kind of apathetic way, at best, showed up and took over the meeting I was thinking to myself, "Geez, I'm making her job a lot easier." As she tried to "be-labor" the point of her program, of which I will only be involved in a small portion of, the teachers seemed to direct their questions and comments to me. The teacher I'd been working with gave example after example of how engaged and interested the kids had been in my care. He talked about the games I've played with them and their desire to re-create them on the play yard. He said that I had made it easier for him to conduct his class as I had been taking groups out five students at a time- lightening his load. The other teachers perked up and wanted to be on board with this easier Tuesday morning class routine. This Veteran teacher was raving about the work I was doing, when all along I had thought maybe I was just getting in his way. To me, he seemed like a gruffy older guy who didn't have much time to be bothered, but somehow had been convinced otherwise...It clicked for me during this meeting, and I started to be worried that I didn't have enough hours to give to all these teachers. "Well," I said, "It doesn't have to be only 25 hours..." Who just said that? My goodness that came from me. I smiled inwardly at the recognition I received and the knowledge that little 'ole me actually was making a difference. Did I note a tinge of envy in the salaried woman's disposition? Possibly. I started thinking about a future in this line of work. After all, I was helping families get healthier, essentially prolonging their life. For now, I will do my part, as best I can, with the time I have. For the future, I will pay attention to how important it is to be a positive influence in my community. Maybe the positive influence rubs off on more than the receiver.