One hundred

It is like I don’t want to be happy.
Happy with the sadness.
Without the eeking misery, what else is there to say?
There is nothing as delicious or accessible as the gloom

But unfortunately, after a few hours of moping in public and staying in the corner, it is not possible to shut myself away…
With over one hundred interactions a day, how can I shut myself away.

I think I must love my job because of those interactions. The very same I was dreading this morning.
They don’t let me fake, or hide. One hundred kids per day. One hundred questions. One hundred looks, giggles, sneers, smiles: smiles and glares.
Twenty annoyed. Four sleepers. Several inquisitive. A handful of disengaged, three confused and the rest just sort of sliding along.
One hundred reasons to get up in the morning.
Ten concepts taught, eight terms and two grammar rules; one exception.
Fifteen minutes wasted waiting for focus and attention.
Two toys destroyed by thousands of hands.
And even one moment of laughter makes it all worthwhile.

A coffee and a kitten at the end of the day are just the family I go home to, but not the reward for the day. The day is the reward.
One hundred reasons to get up in the morning.