Tacos and Teachers

Dear San Antonio, I have never eaten more tacos in consecutive meals than ever before and honestly, I loved every minute of it. Thank you for your warm welcome, sweet southern kindness and authentic Texas pride. I respect you for it.

I loved exploring the gorgeous river walk, learning about the historic Alamo, and soaking up my fair share of good ole’ Texas culture.

This time around, many of the aha moments we heard were inspired by children. From teachers and mommy bloggers to mentors and friends, San Antonio is a place where the older generation is actively investing in the younger generation and wow, it’s a beautiful thing.

Jennifer, a third grade teacher, said, ““I spend every day doing what I love most. Every time a light bulb goes off or something new clicks with a student, it’s an aha moment and every day I walk out of the classroom learning just as much as they do.”

We then asked, “What is beautiful about a child?” And she answered, “Their perspective, their untainted eyes, their innocence and their fresh look. They always know the right questions to ask.”

Looks like we have a lot to learn from kids…

One woman commented, “My little sister taught me that all the things I thought were important, aren’t. We discovered together that love, laughter and the little things are the things that matter most.”

Regina, who was inspired by her ‘little brother’ from Big Brothers Big Sisters said “My little brother taught me how to be myself and be comfortable in my own skin. As an 8 year old, he is himself 100% of the time.”

I sat there wondering, what if as adults, we were comfortable in our own skin 100% of the time? What if we had the confidence of an 8 year old and the security in knowing that we are valued not for what we do, but for who we are as individuals? What if we appreciated each other in this way, valuing people over things and relationships over possessions?

Kids are messy, childish, immature, naïve… and sometimes it’s downright awesome. They aren’t stuck in their ways, or too prideful to be taught or judge people based on tainted bias.

We have a lot to learn from kids. I think its time to take a minute and go outside to climb a tree, put on a long flowing dress, spin around and giggle, or even take a moment to look up at the white puffy clouds and simply let your imagination wander…