You Shall Not Pass!

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring).

 

Ok, please don't roll your eyes when I say this...but until this past weekend, I had never watched any of The Lord of the Rings movies. Actually, I shouldn't say that. In high school I watched The Fellowship of the Ring at my best friend Sara's house. But, like every movie I watched at our sleepovers, I probably fell asleep. I honestly didn't remember anything about it when Jenny and Andrea suggested we watch the trilogy. Also, when they suggested we watched the trilogy I'm pretty sure their mouths dropped to the floor. I think there was mild disappointment on their parts from this revelation (as well as everyone else I've told since Sunday - yes Katie, that's you!) 

What did I think of the movie? .... AMAZING! But I didn't expect anything less. I CAN NOT WAIT to watch the next movie. 

Frodo and Sam and their "bromance" melts my heart.

I want Gandalf to give me advice everyday. My favourite quote from The Fellowship of the Ring is quoted above. Wow. Relevant! 

Can someone please explain to me how I waited this long to watch such an epic trilogy? K thanks.

Motivation.

This week I started volunteering at the school that I did my internship at. It's been over a month since the last time I saw all my students. When I woke up Monday morning, I was feeling a little funky and a little off. Even my roommate Amanda noticed and mentioned in the kitchen "you seem a little off today." I was hopeful that my visit at the school later in the afternoon would perk me up, and it did just that.

Lunch hour was just finishing and the students were gathering books and papers out of their lockers as I walked down the hallway towards my old classroom. When they noticed me, there were yells of "It's Miss Dickinson!" "We missed you!" and I was bombarded with hugs and high fives. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, and I replied over and over again "I missed you all, too!"

While sitting in the classroom working one on one with some of the students, I was reminded as to why I am in this program and completing a degree in Secondary Education: for the students. Witnessing their successes and enthusiasm motivates me to do my best everyday.

Before leaving, I had this conversation with my cooperating teacher:

Teacher: "How did you make out today?"

Me: "You have no idea how badly I needed this. Thank you." 

Teacher: "I noticed you were working with [student] today. I want you to know that [student] has been struggling putting anything on the page lately. Just having you here today motivated them to write a page and a half of their autobiography. That's says something about you." 

I left with a warmth in my heart and a smile on my face and a reminder of how motivational and rewarding the teaching profession is. Despite the fact that finding a job is proving to be difficult, I think that I've chosen the perfect profession.

"The best way out is always through."

- Robert Frost

Quotable.

A lot of my friends find joy in reading, posting, and sharing quotes they stumble upon on the internet, in literature, or through many other means. I never grasped on to this leisurely activity until recently. More and more I'm finding myself happening upon quotes that strike a note or explain perfectly how I am feeling -- better then I can verbalize myself.

So, when preparing a card for my friend Amanda on her birthday, I stumbled upon the following quote:

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" 
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Just something to think about on this Sunday night.

I would love to hear from my readers. Leave a comment with one of your favourite quotes that I can add to my newly created collection!