New year, better you

It's hard to believe that 2018 is here and we're all working away trying to fit puzzle pieces together and already looking into the start of summer. But, really, take a pause. Take a breath. Feel the air around you. I know it's hard. So many of us have a hard time being present, since the way of the world seems to be living 6 months into the future. But right now is all we can be sure of.

When the ball dropped a few years ago on New Years Eve, so many of my friends, colleagues, acquaintances and family members took to social media and starting posting their resolutions, the big changes they'd hoped for themselves. The next year sounded awfully similar. I started to think, maybe making small strides was the way to go. Not to resolve to be a whole different person, and to broaden our intentions but instead to make small attempts to better the way we are living. Tiny adjustments over time can lead to monumental changes. If you want to eat healthier start by drinking a cup of water per day, or eating one fruit mid-day. If you want to work out more, start by parking in the furthest spot from the store, even if there is one right up front.

One of our students recently decided that our "Quote of the Week" should be "A [Man] who moves mountains must first start with small stones". I wouldn't presume to tell anyone how to live, but rather offer what has been helpful to me. I wrote out a list in gold pen of ways to better myself, my life, my family life, and my students lives while they are with us... and I look at it daily and make tiny changes. I can say that I have bettered myself. I do not believe we should reinvent the wheel every time the season changes or every time a ball drops, but maybe, spin the wheel at a different pace and see if gets you where you want to be.