One of the great gifts educators get to take advantage of is a slower pace in the summer with really important personal time for replenishing and renewing energy for the work ahead. Whether you are a teacher or an administrator or a trustee in a school, summer is a great time to reflect, regroup and reconsider commitment and direction for the work that most engages you.
To embark on my path of renewal, I particularly enjoy reading the reflections of wiser, more experienced people than I. Recently, I revisited the musings of Hugh Prather ( a noted philosopher and writer) in weighing my sense of connectedness and the balance of things in my internal and external spheres of influence. I have collected a few thoughts for further consideration -at your leisure of course!
I cannot 'make my mark' for all time - those concepts are mutually exclusive. 'Lasting effect' is a self-contradictory term. Meaning does not exist in the future and neither do I. Nothing will have meaning 'ultimately.' Nothing will even mean tomorrow what it did today. Meaning changes with the context. My meaningfulness is here. It is enough that I am of value to someone today. It is enough that I make a difference now Very seldom will a person give up on himself. S/he continues to have hope because he knows he has the potential for change. S/he tries again - not just to exist, but to bring about those changes in the self that will make life worth living. Yet people are very quick to give up on friends, and family, to declare them hopeless, and to either walk away or do nothing more than resign themselves to a bad situation.
Life has a way of taking unexpected turns - of throwing surprises at us when we least expect them. In many ways, life does bring one down. When unplanned and unexpected events come into our lives, they leave us in a state of pain, grief, doubt, fear and depression. One feels the need for a strong and stable foundation that one can depend on when life's river takes unexpected turns. A simple formula is needed that can keep us grounded on the path and pointed in the right direction - that of flow, let go, forgiveness and happiness. These are simple solutions, and they also are the catalysts in bringing happiness.
For more reflections from Hugh Prather check out: ‘The Little Book of Letting Go’ or ‘The Key to Happiness’
