Beginnings: Looking for Potential

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. " ~Ellen Goodman

This quote yesterday gave me much to think about as I too wandered through the rooms of my life. Yesterday I wrote about priorities, which I hope to focus on each day. I also like the idea of looking for potential. 

At home I am certainly not a person to redo,redecorate, and redesign every room in my house each year. I would rather focus spending in other areas. What I love to do is look for potential. What can the old table from Grandma's house be used for that will better serve it's purpose? Can I repaint the shelves so they work better in the home office? This week I am looking for potential in what I already have so I can reuse,recycle, and redo a few spots in the house.

As we began a new year to in the classroom, I looked for potential in my students. Their well-rested faces lit up as they shared stories of hunting, dirt biking, the school basketball party, and funny activities over break. What a way to start meaningful writing. I saw potential memoir pieces emerge as students added details to their oral stories. I saw even more potential as their words and phrases emerged in paragraphs and stories.

I look forward to examining potential in other areas this new year. How about you?