Gratitude in Every Season

As a consultant in many early childhood classrooms, I often see patterns as I move from classroom to classroom. Last year, on one particularly dreary day in a week of many dreary days, I noticed this happening in many classrooms: “Oh boy, it’s raining again today.” “We won’t be able to go outside again today.” “I can’t wait for us to be able to go outside one day again for playtime.” “It’s too cold to go outside again today.”

And it made me wonder… What would happen to those grumpy, suppressed-tension-filled, yucky-bad-weather days if we broke out of this pattern, like breaking out in a dance in the middle of a funeral? What if we waltzed into the classroom in the morning and danced because it was raining, played make believe because it was snowing, and sipped special drinks because it was cold? How many of our kids would wake up excited to see the no longer dreary rain, the unboring snow, and the newly enjoyable cold.

And what if we transformed our weather unit and weather time into an opportunity to find the blessing in any given moment, and in any kind of weather? What if we learned about all the magic the rain brings, the process of the snow, and interesting facts about the cold?  

Last year, when I noticed this dreary weather pattern, I challenged my then 3-year-old daughter to help me list all the good things the rain does for us. It was Pesach time, and she started us off with God using the rain to wash away all the chometz on the streets and washing the synagogues so they would look nice. I added helping the plants grow so we’d have flowers ready for Shavuos, filling the utensil mikvahs so we could dip our new Pesach utensils, and filling the rivers and oceans so we’d have lots of water to play in come the hot summer. We’ve been keeping the conversation going ever since. One day, maybe we’ll write a children’s book together titled, “Thank God, it’s raining again!” 

Or maybe you could write the book together with your class. What if I challenged you to start a new pattern? To start every morning with a practice of gratitude. To find the silver lining in every rainstorm and every week-long cold spell. To look at what seems bad and find ways to see it as good. To find the small things that make our lives better in small, or maybe even big, ways. To notice when someone inadvertently does us a favor without even knowing it. To practice ways to be in a more grateful mood. And ultimately, to be the kind of people who can make ourselves feel better without waiting for others to do this for us.