And then at the end of one particular semester just as the professor was packing up her lucky rocks and her laptop to take pictures and a box of empty final exams full of spaces for students to explain "Marshall Plan" and "Buck vs Bell" she noticed the frog and wondered "Would you like to come?"
Yes? The frog didn't protest so the professor tucked the frog under one arm, slung the box of exams and such under the other arm, and marched down the halls full of college students huddled in study groups surrounded by puddles of notes.
She acted as if it were totally normal to be walking down the hall with a statue of a laughing yoga frog, like this is just how things are supposed to be today.
Upon entering her large class the professor put her frog down, set up for the exam and when it was time to start the exam - but not a minute before - she asked the students for their attention to tell them one last story for the semester.
She holds the frog up.
I brought the Laughing Yoga Frog for you today to help during exams. Sometimes I hold it and pretend its the Pulitzer Prize for comedy and practice my acceptance speech.
The class laughed the professor continued with a short tale of falling in love with the frog, leaving it, visiting it, leaving it, again, then finally retrieving it.
The class stares at her for a moment, the word "so?" hanging over their heads collectively, silently, heavily.
This was their final exam; they were not expecting to hear about the Cracker Barrel gift shop.
The professor puts the frog down and tells her students that the frog has taught her a great deal. What the universe intends for you, you will receive. This frog waited for me, she tells them, and adds, this frog is to remind you that what is intended for you will be something joyful, something that you will find and will find you.
Smiles of relief cross the room.
The professor picks up a heavy stack of exams and asks who's ready to take an exam and even though no one said yes please she decided to give them their final exams anyway.
One by one as the students finished their exams the professor let them pick their stone -- or rather, let their stone find them -- and took a picture with each student, their stone and the laughing yoga frog.
When the last student finishes her exam she begs for mercy and the professor promises to read the exam carefully. They take a picture together and the student carries her lucky rock -- amber -- out of history class and off into the rest of her life.
The professor packed the exams neatly and again tucked the frog under her arm and walked through the hallway stepping over the twisted tangled study groups of students that lined the wall.
When she got back to her office the professor put the frog back in her spot below the crystal and next to the windchimes. She stacked the exams up neatly, turned her office light off and went home to thing about things big and small.
The next day the professor gave another exam.
Again she brought the frog.
Again she told them the story of Cracker Barrel and pointed out that what was meant for them they will most definitely get.
Again she told them it was her pretend Pulitzer.
Again she told them to marvel at the tree pose, that finding balance and strength and joy takes practice and intention.
This time she added that the universe was always growing and expanding and many of the wonderful things intending for them are still only being imagined.
Have patience, and expect wonderful things she tells them and then tells them to put everything away and take their history exam.
One by one students pose with the frog, with their rocks. When the last student leaves the room the professor stacks the exams neatly and carries the papers and the laughing yoga frog back to her office.
That night the laughing yoga frog looked up into the moonbeams and broke her silence with small words crammed in one joyful prayerful thought bubble proclaiming "I'm almost there."
Yes? The frog didn't protest so the professor tucked the frog under one arm, slung the box of exams and such under the other arm, and marched down the halls full of college students huddled in study groups surrounded by puddles of notes.
She acted as if it were totally normal to be walking down the hall with a statue of a laughing yoga frog, like this is just how things are supposed to be today.
Upon entering her large class the professor put her frog down, set up for the exam and when it was time to start the exam - but not a minute before - she asked the students for their attention to tell them one last story for the semester.
She holds the frog up.
I brought the Laughing Yoga Frog for you today to help during exams. Sometimes I hold it and pretend its the Pulitzer Prize for comedy and practice my acceptance speech.
The class laughed the professor continued with a short tale of falling in love with the frog, leaving it, visiting it, leaving it, again, then finally retrieving it.
The class stares at her for a moment, the word "so?" hanging over their heads collectively, silently, heavily.
This was their final exam; they were not expecting to hear about the Cracker Barrel gift shop.
The professor puts the frog down and tells her students that the frog has taught her a great deal. What the universe intends for you, you will receive. This frog waited for me, she tells them, and adds, this frog is to remind you that what is intended for you will be something joyful, something that you will find and will find you.
Smiles of relief cross the room.
The professor picks up a heavy stack of exams and asks who's ready to take an exam and even though no one said yes please she decided to give them their final exams anyway.
One by one as the students finished their exams the professor let them pick their stone -- or rather, let their stone find them -- and took a picture with each student, their stone and the laughing yoga frog.
When the last student finishes her exam she begs for mercy and the professor promises to read the exam carefully. They take a picture together and the student carries her lucky rock -- amber -- out of history class and off into the rest of her life.
The professor packed the exams neatly and again tucked the frog under her arm and walked through the hallway stepping over the twisted tangled study groups of students that lined the wall.
When she got back to her office the professor put the frog back in her spot below the crystal and next to the windchimes. She stacked the exams up neatly, turned her office light off and went home to thing about things big and small.
The next day the professor gave another exam.
Again she brought the frog.
Again she told them the story of Cracker Barrel and pointed out that what was meant for them they will most definitely get.
Again she told them it was her pretend Pulitzer.
Again she told them to marvel at the tree pose, that finding balance and strength and joy takes practice and intention.
This time she added that the universe was always growing and expanding and many of the wonderful things intending for them are still only being imagined.
Have patience, and expect wonderful things she tells them and then tells them to put everything away and take their history exam.
One by one students pose with the frog, with their rocks. When the last student leaves the room the professor stacks the exams neatly and carries the papers and the laughing yoga frog back to her office.
That night the laughing yoga frog looked up into the moonbeams and broke her silence with small words crammed in one joyful prayerful thought bubble proclaiming "I'm almost there."
