Finishing up the second day of a three day workshop, I’m feeling like we really made some headway.
“I learned a lot,” one of my students said as she was walking out the door.
“Me, too,” I replied. She smiled broadly and laughed a little.
With teaching there can be a period of hours, sometimes days, when you are paddling the boat but can’t see the shore on the other side. You know its there, but you don’t seem to be getting any closer. And then, suddenly, you feel the tug of water against the paddle, the power of the stroke, the progress you are making as you slice through the current. And then you are there, pulling up onto the sandy beach. Yes, you have arrived!
That moment – the moment you know you are actually getting there – is a great moment, even sweeter than the victory dance when you are high and dry. It is the feeling of seeing the seeds bear fruit, feeling the surge of joy at accomplishing a difficult task.
That’s what I feel tonight. Tomorrow we will return to our canvases with the hard work behind us, and faith that we can tackle what lies ahead. That we have the right tools. That yes, we can do this thing. And we will.
But first, we will relish this sense that we ARE learning, that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is a sweet sight indeed.
