A lesson in balance…

Day 25 – the colour for today is a little boy’s bright blue frames.

I have just started a part time job helping to look after kids at a school while they wait for their parents to collect them. On my first day, the coordinator warned me about certain children and what they were likely to do… run off, disappear without warning, not get to the toilet in time, the ones who needed to be kept separate because of teasing and bullying, a little boy who is a selective mute, one who has to be addressed on his level eyeball to eyeball if he throws a tantrum.

She then opened the medicine cupboard and showed me where the epipens were and other medication that might be needed. Apparently the school is nut free and kiwi fruit free. Peanuts are a daily snack at our school in India, no one has an allergy and behavioural issues are minimal. I realise how fortunate I’ve been.

I briefly contemplated throwing up my hands and walking out. It’s not as if I have to work and I am about four decades older than any of the other staff. I decided that was being a quitter.

There is a little boy from kindergarten who is there every day. When I say little, I mean he is tiny and looks incredibly fragile. His manner is quite serious and self-assured. He plays diligently with whatever toys are available, sometimes with others, often alone. He wears these amazing glasses with bright blue frames.

Today he was crouching down on the floor. At first I thought he was having trouble getting up. He stretched his legs out behind him, then his arms out in front and arched his back . Finally he had both feet and one hand on the ground and his other hand was raised as if he was trying to reach the low table nearby.

He tilted his head sideways and deep brown eyes gazed at me through those blue frames.

“My teacher said this is how you do a balance.”

My day was made.

SOL22

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