Happy Monday!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I am changing it up a little this week; my creative post is coming to you on a Monday instead of a Friday. Why you ask? Well, last week I had lots of thoughts going through my head, and one in particular was spurred by this quote: Be fierce. Sometimes, it is scary how two words can spark such thought and meaning. I thought about these words in every capacity of my life; school counseling, marriage, family, friends, God, etc. At times, it felt overwhelming. Can one be fierce every moment of every day? What does it mean to be fierce in the professional setting? Does fierceness look different for everyone, just like leadership and teaching? These thoughts soon consumed my mind (mostly at 2AM in the morning of course) and here are some things I came up with:
Fast forward a few years later, and I have made a lot of mistakes, failed at least a hundred times, and I have learned more than I could have ever dreamed of learning in my profession. I have learned I do NOT know everything nor will ever know everything. I have also learned the daily grind is hard in education. There are days when I feel like I have conquered a mountain; and then there are days where I am lucky that I didn't fall off of the mountain. Both situations requires a person to be fierce; they command that we dig deep into our own selves and bring out the resiliency and courage to carry us through to the next point. Being fierce looks different in every situation, and it can look different for every person. For me, being fierce now is making sure I am in the moment with my students and not thinking about the ten million things I have sitting on my desk to complete. Being fierce is listening to a colleague when they are struggling and not turning it into a whining session.
In conclusion, I throw the questions out there: What does being fierce mean to you?? How are you fierce? I hope that you think about what it means to you, and also how you can lead others to delve within their own fierceness. Happy Monday,
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Happy Friday everyone!
I had a wonderful eleven days back home in Nebraska! Family time is always cherished for me, especially since it is so rare with all of my siblings spread out over the country. The visit was a little bittersweet, as we said goodbye to the home my grandparents have lived in for the past 40 years. It was a beautiful piece of property, and a lot of my childhood memories were made there. My grandmother decided it was time to downsize for simplicity purposes, so her and my mother have spent the last five months going through all of her belongings. What a daunting task; going through 40 years of memories! My visit seemed short, even though it was long compared to most of the vacation time non-education professionals have available to them. That is one of the best things about working in education; you work so hard for several months at a time, and then I do not feel guilty about taking that time away to spend with family. I was talking with my colleagues before school was out, and we agreed that we could not think of another career where you get a definitive beginning and end so frequently throughout the duration of a career. Sometimes my friends will make comments about how lucky I am to have the summer off; yes, I am VERY lucky. But I am also lucky because I get to invest myself so strongly for 10 months in a career that I love. Summer is the perfect time for me to rejuvenate, but also for me to remember every year how much I love my job. So now here I am, my first true summer Friday. I have spent this past week catching up on appointments, laundry, household chores, and sleep. Summer Fridays are always special to me; it has the anticipation of a great weekend ahead, plus it always allows for me to reflect on my week. This week I was able to go to the library, get my hair done in the middle of the day (WHAT?!?!), and stroll through a few of my favorite stores at a leisurely paces as opposed to being on a timed mission. My husband and I even attended a street festival last night, on a WEEKDAY night! Yes, summer definitely has its perks! I hope that you are enjoying your summer Friday, or if you are not quite there, then I hope you do when you get your first one. Enjoy your sweet time and do whatever you need to do to rejuvenate and get prepared for next year. Yes, eventually I am going to be spending some summer Fridays planning and dreaming about next year. But until then, I will stick to enjoying the current moment. Happy Summer Friday! |