Broken Sprinklers, Orchids and Sunflowers, and Our Best

Broken Sprinklers

Plans are drawn up; holes dug, PVC pipes are cut and glued, switches are wired and connected to the main box, the system is tested and then buried with 18 inches of dirt and sod. There is usually some uneven settling, but for the most part, we don’t think about sprinklers too much.
Unless.

They don’t do their job. The sprinklers don’t turn on at the correct time. Dead spots start to appear. Water shoots out of the ground like a geyser. The sprinkler starts shooting in the wrong direction. Or a large bulge in the grass appears. This last scenario is the horrible. It means a broken pipe and a lot of work.

Sometimes the problem is fixed with a quick fix or tweak, or a call to a neighbor or friend you know. Other times it takes two people, one on the controls and one watching the sprinklers. And sometimes, in the most extreme cases, an entire team works together on a more expensive and exhaustive project that may include creating a new plan, laying all new pipe and starting from scratch.

Students and Teachers are a lot like sprinklers. The metaphor is right there. Love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Orchids and Sunflowers

Both of these flowers are beautiful and serve a purpose. Upon closer inspection, there are a few vital differences between these two flowers.

Orchids can grow in the wild, but usually, are planted in pots and sold as inside plants. They require regular attention and have specific water requirements. Some orchids need to be watered using ice cubes. Watering with ice cubes serves three fundamental purposes.
First, it makes sure that we don’t over water the plant, which is the number one reason orchids don’t make it.
Second, ice cubes melt over time, and this ensures constant watering throughout the week.

Third, freezing water removes impurities and also bacteria making sure that the orchid gets the cleanest water to drink.
Orchids are sensitive plants that require love and attention over an extended amount of time. They have specific temperature requirements and need to be watered regularly in a particular way. They will grow and are beautiful; you have to nurture them and make sure care for them consistently.

Sunflowers, on the other hand, are not picky. They can grow anywhere without a lot of water attention from us. They can grow throughout North America and can survive a variety of temperatures. Sunflowers are successful wherever you plant them without a lot of help from the gardener.

Our Best

What is our best? Reader. What is your best? I often hear myself or my wife tell our kids that we want them to do their best.

What does that even mean? What does doing your best mean?

I can only speak to myself. Looking back on today, did I do my best. No. I didn’t. If I had to go throughout today again, I could do it much better.

I know, I know it’s not Ground Hog day. But, what if it was. How would you change the conversation that didn’t go well? Would you listen better to a good friend that was pouring out their soul to you about their feelings, struggles, and weaknesses?

Would you smile more? Or be less sarcastic? Could you help a little more? Is it possible that I could create a few more positive interactions with students?

Would you spend the evening with your family instead of catching up on work? There are a lot of questions that we could ask to check ourselves.

Best.

Am I better today than I was yesterday? Am I able to show a little more compassion today than yesterday? Do I have three more drops of patience that I can squeeze in today that I didn’t have yesterday?

It could be semantics, but I think I want to focus on the mind shift.  Best means we are done. Best means we have hit the ultimate goal. Best means we can relax. Best means we don’t have to try anymore. That’s not true. We always have to try. Let’s use better.

“I want you to do better.”

Today, I did better.

[Tweet “It’s the gradual process of becoming a present, thoughtful, caring, and empathetic human being.”]

Especially for people who work in public education and don’t have a say or have minimal control over what type of plants they are given each fall. I know some fantastic teachers that are doing better every day. Some of them have Orchids, some of them have Sunflowers, and some have flowers that fit everywhere in between.

They have figured out 180-200 different ways to keep 180-200 different plants growing and thriving. This means a great deal to me, because of one of those beautiful flowers is my son.