I bet you thought I’d forgotten about my Easter resolution? Not so!
Being a college professor, this is the time of year when things get crazy. So I haven’t had the time I wanted to intentionally pursue lots of Easter-y acts of celebration. However, I have had the chance to do things that I think are befitting of an Easter attitude, in the minutia of day-to-day life.
First, I’m learning to show more grace to my students. When I’m very busy or under stress, often the first thing to go is my willingness to “go the extra mile” for people. But I realized recently that my relationship with my students is just as important–if not more so–than all the “classroom” things I do for them. Is it really going to help Student X if I get his paper graded immediately, but am unresponsive when I notice him struggling? Am I helping students learn what it means to be a good person by showing them that their professor drops her personal interest in them the moment professional things pick up?
While I do want to challenge my students to take personal responsibility, and to quit expecting their college profs to “take care” of them like parents, I also don’t want to get in the habit of becoming hardened and curmudgeonly about giving my absolute best to every student, every time. Is it possible to give my absolute best every second of every day? No. But giving it as much as I can is certainly worth striving for, and becoming a curmudgeon should not be an option.
Also, we hosted a surprise birthday party at our house the other day. (The great thing about doing 40 Days of Easter is that I get to label “fun” things that I’d be doing anyway as part of the project!) What’s more new-creation-ish than hosting a celebration with a cake of pink frosting? I even made the cake from scratch, which is fast becoming one of my favorite hobbies. We recently had three different pans of leftover cakes sitting on our stove.
Finally, part of recognizing the power of Easter is knowing that even if I got busy right after Easter, I have not “missed my chance” to celebrate. The whole point is that the power of Easter is an ongoing thing, forever. We can get busy for awhile, then lift our heads and jump back in whenever. It’s still there waiting for us.