Good morning, Prep School family,
I hope you are very well and that you all had a super weekend. Wasn’t the weather amazing?! I had a busy weekend that included being chief photographer at a joint 6th birthday party. It was really good fun and I had such a great time with the children there. However, I do find it really hard to switch out of teacher mode! I had to bite my tongue on several occasions when behaviour was not the best it could have been or a game was getting out of control. I kept reminding myself of the time, about 15 years ago, that my godson asked me to stop coming to his birthday parties as I changed from the normal, fun godmother Mrs Bennett into a much stricter, follow the rules, teacher version of Mrs Bennett. I did not think I had been that bad but the room of 8-year-olds disagreed! From this, I have learnt my lesson – I try and leave the teacher part of me at school. However, my dad and Mr Bennett still say that I speak to them, at times, like they are children at my school. . .sometimes, I have to remind them to stop acting like the children at school and that the children at school are better behaved than they are!
Usually at night, when I get in from work, I have a scroll through social media. I find it relaxing and I usually look at interior design influencers or see what minor celebrities have been up to. Nothing taxing, just something to help me unwind. Last week, I was scrolling through and nothing was grabbing my interest until I came along a post from a friend that I went to primary school with. This friend is not on social media a lot so I thought I would be nosey and have a look. Well, I am so glad that I did. She had posted the story below and I loved it. It really struck a chord with me so I thought I would share it with you today.
There once was an elderly man who had two large buckets. Each bucket hung on the ends of a long pole, which he carried across his neck. One of those buckets had a crack in it and the other bucket was perfect. The perfect bucket always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house. But the cracked bucket arrived only half full.
For a full two years the elderly man went daily to the stream with the two buckets and he would carry home one and one half buckets of water. Of course, the perfect bucket was proud of its accomplishments. The cracked bucket, however, was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been created to do.
After two years of what the cracked bucket perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the man one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house and you work so hard.”
The old man smiled and said, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other bucket’s side? I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water the flowers. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace my house and give me so much joy.”
As I thought about this story, I thought about my own flaws and I was reminded that each and every one of us has our own flaws. When we are upset, angry, grieving or feeling loss, we feel that those flaws are magnified. When we are unable to meet the demands of others or ourselves, we begin to look at our flaws and feel out of control of the situation. We feel nothing but negativity. We see ourselves as helpless and useless and the situation often feel hopeless.
But, you see, this story says a lot to us. If we can just accept ourselves for who we are and allow ourselves to be us, we too, can blossom into something new and different, just like the flowers did. This story tells us that we are not flawed, our lives and our purpose have just changed a little bit. Through these perceived flaws, great and wonderful things can come. If we just trust ourselves to be us, we will be able to smell the flowers on the side of the road that we have been a pivotal part in creating.
Days of the year themes for the coming week:
Tuesday 15h June – Lobster Day, Cherry Tart Day, Smile Power Day and Magna Carta Day
Wednesday 17th June – World Tapas Day, Fudge Day, Fresh Veggies Day and Arborist Appreciation Day
Thursday 17th June – Garbage Man Day, Apple Strudel Day and Tessellation Day
Friday 18th June – Splurge Day, Clean Your Aquarium Day, Picnic Day, Go Fishing Day, International Sushi Day and Flip Flop Day
Saturday 19th June – Surf Day, Garfield the Cat Day and Juggling Day
Sunday 20th June –Ice Cream Soda Day and Vanilla Milkshake Day
Monday 21st June – World Giraffe Day, Peaches ‘N’ Cream Day, Motorcycle Day, World Music Day, Selfie Day, International Yoga Day and Go Skateboarding Day
Quote of the week: “No matter how badly someone treats you, never drop to their level. Remain calm, stay strong and walk away.”
Riddles of the Week: I thought for a few weeks we would mix it up a bit and replace out jokes and facts of the week with riddles of the week! Get your thinking caps on!
If you don’t keep me, I’ll break. What am I?
What 2 things can you never eat for breakfast?
There are 3 apples in the basket and you take away 2. How many apples do you have now?
Joyful June calendar task (This month’s theme is all about appreciating the little things and finding joy):
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Tuesday 15th June: Look for something to be thankful for where you least expect it |
Wednesday 16th June: Speak to others in a warm and friendly way |
Thursday 17th June: Take time to notice the beauty around you |
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Friday 18th June: Look for something good in a difficult situation. |
Saturday 19th June: Go outside and find joy in being active. |
Sunday 20th June: Rediscover a fun activity |
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Monday 21th June: Send a positive note to someone who needs encouragement |
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Sleeps til Santa: 192 days
Five things I am looking forward to this week (thanks to Mrs Hinch for the inspiration): Can you try this each day? Remember, it focuses your mind on the positive and reminds us to show gratitude for things, no matter how small!
This week I am looking forward to: an evening stroll, seeing some friends on Friday, my dad’s birthday, meeting new people and starting a new book.
Have a fantastic week,
Lots of love
Mrs Bennett
Riddle answers: a promise, lunch and dinner and you have 2 apples. You took away 2 apples and left 1 in the basket!
