Dominoes

A friend asked me today how it was going. It’s a question that is often asked and the reply is usually as automatic as the request. Today was different.

Rather than just mutter, “OK,” or “Great,” I felt a bit more philosophical. Let’s face it. Most days are pretty normal. I certainly don’t experience fireworks every day. My guess is that you don’t either.

If you have been reading my blog on a regular basis, you know that I am an occasional teacher. I fill in for others when they have a day off. Some days are fantastic; the odd one is not so great. A lot has to do with my attitude in front of the students. However, what has happened in the lives of the more than twenty faces in front of me can make a difference in the experience. It only takes one person to announce that he has peed in the pool to empty it. Sometimes that happens.

As mundane as each day is, I have recently looked at things differently. I love imagery and this one has helped me realize how even the ordinary days can be special.

My reply to my friend that my life recently has been filled with days where I feel I have been like the people who set up dominoes in a pattern. I am not wasting my time at all. What I am doing is building the complex design, placing the small rectangles, one by one, in the proper configuration to start a wonderful chain reaction. One day the first domino will topple and crash into the next, starting the whole process. It will all unfold the way it was supposed to happen.

The important part is that I am faithfully placing the dominoes in place. Sure, the process is tedious. It may be boring. There may be times when I want to give up. I could do that – give up. The result would be a lot less spectacular.

I just keep laying them down, waiting for that day, and having the faith that it will come.