Happy Fri-YAY
We love a Friday in Ms. John’s class (or home). There is a buzz around the day, anticipation for the weekend mixed with lighter workloads, relaxed routines, and just a little extra joy. It’s my very favorite.
Every Friday, as my students entered my class, I would welcome them as I would every other day of the week.
“Good morning, everyone! We are going to have a wonderful, fantastic day. We are going to work on stories about (whatever we were writing about), finish our math test on (whatever we were mathing about), enjoy some recess together, then head home! Sounds pretty nice to me!”
My students would agree wholeheartedly, because Fridays are awesome.
Then, they would stare at me, practically giddy, waiting for their favorite cheer of the week. I was equally as giddy because it was an excellent cheer. Sometimes I would pause for dramatic effect. Once I even pretended I forgot. They reminded me promptly. There was very little that got past them, to be fair.
I would take a deep breath and say…
“Happppppppyyyyyyyy…..”
And then, they’d join in…
“Fri-YAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!”
The squeals of delight from twenty-nine elementary students celebrating an ordinary day together were enough to make even the most curmudgeonly of grumpy Gus Gus’ smile. It was a simple, powerful reminder that we can celebrate exactly where we are. We chose presence, grateful for the day we were about to spend together.
Even years after leaving the classroom, I still celebrate FriYAY. I hope my former students do, too. Many of them are now adults, and I imagine finding joy in being present is a bit tougher now than it was when they were the kiddos Ms. John knew and loved.
To that I say: I get it.
The world is tough, but so are you.
The world is beautiful, and so are you.
Sometimes it just takes a small act of gratitude, loud gratitude, cheerful gratitude, to create a ripple effect.
More importantly? Don’t wait for someone else to give you permission to appreciate this world. Because sometimes, you need to be the spark. You need to be one who celebrates the silly. The one who turns an ordinary morning into an extraordinary one. A mundane task into a magical moment. It just takes a bit of practice…I promise.
And? I’m right there with you. I still choose joy, silliness, whimsy.
Because our whimsy is an act of resistance, weaving hope and love into the cracks of an overwhelming, tumultuous world.
Can you even imagine how lovely our world could be with more of it?
I hope this FriYAY is as magical as you are.
Big hugs,
Ms. John
