Hey....It's OK

There are a few things this month that I think are okay! They are:

--This is the driest winter Utah has had, possibly ever. I've loved not having to plow walks, nor worry about road conditions, 60 lb. icicles falling off my roof and gutters, piles of dirty snow in the street, insane winter drivers, or having to wear clunky snow boots. Never mind that our world-famous skiing has been crippled and that we'll be paying in spades when the reservoirs run dry. For now, it's OK! Update: 2 days later, we got 10 inches of snow!

--I got the flu over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Me, the health and wellness advocate and blogger, getting the flu? In my defense I haven't had so much as a cold in, like, 4 years. I was getting a little cocky about the whole thing. But then it hit me and for a minute, I remembered why I hate getting sick. But on the flip side, I got a whole lot of sleep. And I realized, sleep is such a good thing! Plus, I lost some of that holiday poundage that I had sworn I'd keep off, but didn't. So this time, it's Ok that the flu came and paid me a visit. Just don't come back again for a very, very long time. You won't be welcome.

--We had a talent show today at school. It was one of those ho-hum things, like, "Good, at least we're out of class for awhile, and away from the routine." Even faculty and staff like a break in the process once in awhile. Especially in Middle School. What I wasn't prepared for was how many of these 12, 13, and 14 year olds have multiple hidden talents in these not-yet-fully-developed bodies. We saw a boy who could dance to a rap song like any YouTube sensation, it was magical to watch. We had a violinist who made her fingers fly and had all of our rapt attention. We had a future Olympic Champion show us her ice skating routine on digitally captured footage, several amazing singers, dancers, and a theatrical performance. Were they all perfect? No, but I can only imagine how, if they keep working on their skills, they will be that much more professional and amazing. It was well into the 6th performance, during the ice skating routine, that I couldn't help but tear up. Who are these kids? They are absolutely amazing. They can do anything! Somebody tell them! I cried, and it's Okay!

--I realized this week that I shower an inordinate amount of love and attention on my dog. Perhaps it has gotten worse since my boys have moved out of state, both in the past year. They used to be over at the house at least once a week, maybe twice and yes, food was always involved. But now they are gone and who do I have left to shower all my love and attention on? My husband, dad, and my dog. Who is most cuddly? My dog. She loves to lay on my lap like a warm, furry blanket. She keeps me going out on walks during this winter weather and just loves going anywhere with me. In return, I shower her with a lot of love--allowing her to give me kisses more than I'd actually like, slipping her extra treats in her dish, and tucking her in at night. Yes, I spoil her a lot. And that's Okay!

--Being called a "white gangster". This is actually a pretty awesome compliment. You see, I work at a Middle School in a predominantly non-white area. My classroom is 81% Hispanic. I came, brand-new, to the school in late October, replacing the other class team member, who had been there a year and is also Hispanic. When I first came, there were some pretty blatant remarks made about how they hated me and wished Ms. B. was back. But I wouldn't be cowed nor did I back down. I continued to be the fun-loving, but firm, me. Now, even the hard-core boys like me and the girls are following me around like little ducklings. It's so cute. Today as I left, one of the boys, the leader of the class by virtue of his age, size and intelligence, who was the most vocal about how he felt about me at the first of the year, yelled out, "Ms. Lemon is a  white gangsta!" I took it as a huge compliment!

Linking up here!