As the week began I looked ahead to today (Wednesday) knowing it would truly be the hump-day. Tutoring appointments scheduled from 8:30am to 9:00pm with a few breaks here and there. That last appointment was a debatable one for me, since it would be the fifth hour of tutoring in a row, which I've learned is about when my mind starts fuzzying up. But in the words of a wise man, God doesn't give us more than we can handle. So I took a leap of faith and accepted it.
Adding to the challenge, my back started locking up on Sunday night.
Then this happened:
- On Monday night, my 8:30am Wednesday appointment asked if we could move earlier, to Tuesday. I gladly agreed, night person that I am, since it meant my Wednesday would now begin at 11:00am.
- On Tuesday, a student asked if I could meet with him Wednesday night. The earliest I could do is 9pm, my sixth hour in a row. I hate to deny students a chance, but there was no way I was touching that scenario.
- Wednesday morning my back was still achy. Should I lay down and rest it until my 11:00 first appointment? I also hate skipping workout days, so I accepted it as another life challenge and did a 3-mile run. After popping an aspirin of course. I actually think it helped jump start my body and ease the pain. Then I got home, showered and spent some couch time recovering.
- When I got home from my run, there was a message that my 4pm appointment was sick from school so would be canceling. Now my evening would only be a 4-hour stretch. This was a break for the guy I'd had to deny previously, so I texted him and added a 9pm appointment. Continuing to boldly embrace the challenge of the 5-hour shift.
- My 11:00am through 2:00pm shift at Heartland was not too busy, so I was able to continue to rest my back. I even got a chance to follow up on two potential new college students.
- I laid down for a couple hours once I got home, taking advantage of the 4pm cancellation. Meanwhile, my 5pm also called to cancel his appointment.
- While lying by the pool, I received yet another new student request from a concerned parent.
- My 6pm appointment went smoothly.
- My 7pm appointment forgot to tell me that his family had received a foreign exchange student so he had to cancel for the night.
This gave me a chance to sit here at the library's computer and blog about a day in the life of a tutor. Indeed my faith was rewarded, God did not give me more than I could handle. Assuming that my last two students show up, I will have ended up with only six hours of tutoring instead of nine. That meant three extra hours to rest my back, plus the quiet day at HCC. And I gained three leads on new students.
The craziness of working with young adults reminds me why my calling is tutorhood rather than fatherhood, since I can thrive within it in small doses. Today was also affirmation that rising to a challenge breeds a warmth of satisfaction that comes with perfect effort. And, perhaps most importantly, that I am in sync with God's creation, using the right talents for the right need.
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