Clarity On Fire

A client of mine is a teacher for elementary school kids. Every day, she gives her kids some free time in the afternoon to play games, be creative, and generally take a break from structured learning to have a little fun. A few weeks ago, after she explained all of the different “stations” they could play at during free time (coloring, origami, music, games, building with blocks, etc.), most of the kids ran off to their favorite station. One little boy, though, stood paralyzed at the front of the room, tears welling in his eyes. My client crouched down and asked him, “What’s wrong, sweetie? Why are you so upset?” “I like all of these stations. It’s too hard to choose one,” he said, fully crying now. My client told me later, “You have no idea how much I related to him in that moment! I’m constantly in analysis paralysis, overanalyzing my options and feeling totally overwhelmed. Seeing that kid just standing there, crying and paralyzed at the front of my classroom … my heart went out to him because I feel the e