Day 9: Enjoying the process

I teach piano lessons out of my home, and it's fulfilling to see kids, some very small, grow and progress each week. A few of my students have been with me for several years, and I'm watching them not only become amazing musicians but also amazing young people.

Since my own children have started taking lessons I have a gained a new perspective to teaching and learning. It's easy to have patience during the process with my students (most of the time) because I see them from the outside looking into their lives, I notice the weekly improvements, and growth is easier to spot. The process itself is enjoyable.

I have felt surprisingly impatient at times with my own children. Not completely sure why, I feel anxious for them to be good--right now, to learn every strategy--right now, and to comprehend every concept--right now. (It's definitely best that they are taking lessons from someone other than me!)

But the process is the same for them too. Weeks have turned into months, and they are both becoming accomplished. I'm amazed how much growth they've had since last September.

It occurred to me recently that eating right is a lot like learning to play an instrument. The progress is slow, the growth seems stagnant at times, the body doesn't always react the way we impatiently want--right now. But weeks turn into months, and months turn to years, and we will look back through the sea of days just like today, and be so thankful we kept plodding along.

So I will say I'm learning the art of eating right. Someday I might even be proficient at it! Meanwhile, I'm determined to enjoy the process.