Triangles, or Circles?

I graduated with a 3.998 from high school, and scored in the 1300s on my SATs. I was on the Dean's List many times in college. I graduated with honors from grad school. I have my Masters degree. I feel like I am sorta smart, most days...and I always had a fear that one day I would be helping my kids with their homework, and I wouldn't understand it. I just didn't realize that that day would come when Emerson was three and in preschool. I'm sort of kidding, but helping her with her homework tonight had me scratching my head a bit...enough that I took a picture of it and send it to my friend to laugh about. The directions at the top of the paper seemed pretty clear to me: Find and color all of the triangles. Pretty straight forward, right? Well, in the opposite corner of the paper it said: Skill: recognizing circles. It made me giggle while I was watching Emerson color all the triangles. The directions did not match the skill that was supposedly being taught. So, we colored all the triangles and giggled at the directions all night. As I was tucking Amelia into bed, she started giggling all over again. "Mommy, can you believe that her paper said to color the triangles and then tried to trick us into thinking she was learning about circles?" "That is pretty funny, isn't it?" "Yeah...kinda like how Satan tries to trick us, isn't it?" I paused and looked at her for a second...long enough that I could see the connection and to give her time to explain what she was thinking. "Tell me more about that sweetheart." "Well, Satan is always trying to trick us into doing something we shouldn't. Like when we should be reading our Bible, but we decide to watch TV instead. Or like when we should be going to church, but we decide we'd rather sleep in. God is trying to get us to learn something, like the triangles, but Satan is telling us we're learning about circles." Holy cow! Where does this kid come up with this stuff? I really wish I had named my blog something different and take credit for the things that she comes up with. But, instead I get to be the momma that brags about her super smart daughter! She is not only super smart and makes amazing connections, but she also has an amazing faith in our God. She knows her faith, and knows how to make the connections from that faith to the things she needs in her daily walk with him. I shook my head at her and told her she was amazing! She grinned at me and said, "I know! God made me that way!" I gave her a kiss, turned the light off, and headed for bed. It was a long day! This little lesson can apply to many areas of our lives. How many times have you thought that the lesson was about triangles, only to find out it was really about circles. The worksheet is sort of a bad example of this, as I think that the skill was really a typo. But, the basic premise of what I'm trying to stretch this into is there. How many times have you started into a life lesson thinking you were getting triangles, only to discover it is really actually about circles. Growing up, I was always going to be a doctor. I was destined for medical school. I worked hard in high school. I shadowed doctors. I volunteered in hospitals and clinics. I was going to medical school. I started my freshman year at the University of Washington with all four years planned out with what I needed to do to apply to medical school. I was studying triangles. And then, something happened that altered the course of my plan. Triangles weren't going to cut it anymore. And I started down my career path of being a speech language pathologist. Many times in life you start off thinking that the direction of your path is going one way, when really the direction is going to veer off and change entirely. And this doesn't just happen one time. It can happen multiple times. Just when I thought life was all figured out and I was headed to medical school, life threw me a curveball and I changed my plan. And then I started down the path to the new plan, got my job, got married, had babies, and the plan changed again. I started off thinking it was all about triangles, when in reality I was gaining skills on circles. The lesson here in all of this? I think there are several...at least that I can come up with. I'm sure Amelia could present us with 100 more. But MY lesson? The one that is most important in my eyes? Find the joy and humor and the part that makes you laugh in these game changers. Dig up the resilience that it takes to press forward and keep going, even when the plan veers. The points in my life where my plan was changed, the parts where I found out that I was going to be learning about circles, not triangles, were life lessons. They were bumps in the road where God was telling me that His path for me was different than where I thought we were going. I wasn't happy about it. And there are still many days where I'm not happy with it. But, I moved on. I did what I needed to do to get through those moments (I'm still doing what I need to do to get through those moments!) and I'm enjoying the lesson on circles that I'm getting. I have learned so much in my lifetime. Even in the last few years! I have learned lessons that I thought I would never have to! I have learned things that I never wanted to! I have learned things that I never thought I would even believe, let alone learn about! And the ride has been amazing! Through all of the struggles and heartache. Through all of the path changing and life-altering moments, I wouldn't change a thing. I gained my two babies. I met people, and became close to people that I may not have ever had the chance to meet. I have gained people in my life that have been crucial to my moving on and moving through. And I am blessed! As frustrating as it was to see that I wasn't learning about triangles after all, I would not change a thing. The lessons that I have learned have built me into who I am today! I CAN be flexible in my thinking. I CAN learn about circles AND triangles. I CAN survive ANYTHING! So, take THAT, common core...