4-26-2019

Mary’s Minute

“If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine.”                                                                                              ~ Morris West

It is that time of year when we have sunshine and storms, so this quote struck me as relevant.  Obviously the quote is metaphorical, but I am taking it literally for a minute.  This week we had both sunshine and rain.  The sunshine has been absolutely wonderful, beginning with a perfect day on Easter Sunday.  The sunshine is absolutely invigorating.  It is tough to be in a bad mood when you are outside on a beautiful spring day in Perry County.  As sure as the sunshine can put us in a great mood, equally indisputable is how rainy days can get us down.  Sure, we can work on strategies to fight the grumpies when the rain won’t stop, but I think this quote reminds us that the most important thing we can do is embrace the sunshine.  We need to live in the moment and enjoy the sunshine, not looking ahead to the next storm. 

We literally and figuratively need to enjoy the sunshine.  We need to embrace the moment.  Yes, we need to prepare for the “storms” of life, but if we focus on them too much we forget to take in the happiness that is to be gained in enjoying the life in real time.

This is spring in Perry County; this is life.  We have sunny days, and we have storms.  We have great times, and we have worries.  Don’t look ahead to the storms and uncertainties so much that we fail to enjoy the sunshine.  The sunshine – the good times – are too wonderful to miss.  Sunshine is breathtaking, and life is truly good! 

           

                                                                          Have a great week!

                                                                                              Mary

4-12-2019

Mary’s Minute

“Caretakers of a legacy.”

                                                        ~ Stanford University Maintenance Truck

There is a parable that is told in slightly different ways, but the core of the story is that three different stonecutters are asked what they are doing.  The first replies that he is laboring to cut stone to make a living; the second responds that he is building a building; and the third responds enthusiastically that he is creating a great cathedral. 

I believe strongly in the need to find jobs that we love in order to be happy in life, but this story reminds us that it isn’t just the job, but our attitude/ perspective.  When we see that our job is valued and important, it is easier to find joy in it. 

I saw the quote, “Caretakers of a legacy,” on the back of a maintenance truck, and it reminded me how the perspective we take on the jobs we do make a difference.  Instead of thinking of our job as the menial tasks at hand, think of it in terms of what it contributes to the past, the future, or a mission.  Everyone who works at a school is building tomorrow’s future.  Our cooks do not simply cook meals, they provide nourishment for our students to learn and grow. 

The men and women at Stanford who cut the grass and pick up trash see their jobs as taking care of a great legacy that spans of a century. 

If you would take a minute to reflect on your job and consider how you can frame it, linking it to a legacy or the future.  Then the next time you are feeling discouraged, think of how important your role is.  What you do is part of something grander than we may imagine on a day to day basis.  You are part of a legacy – you are building the future.

                                                                    Have a great week!

                                                                                          Mary                                    

4-5-2019

Mary’s Minute

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”    

                                                                 ~ Stephen Hawking

Since I am writing this thinking of the changes related to my son Bill, I think it is appropriate to use a quote from a theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking. (Bill’s life goal is to become a theoretical physicist.)  I am a parent of a high school senior, and fellow parents and teachers can relate to that feeling of knowing we are sending our children/students off into the world to face much change.  We too are thinking of the changes in our lives that will come as our children leave the nest. 

There are a lot of types of change – taking a new job, moving into a new house, going off to college, changes in family makeup through births and deaths, illness, success.  Some change is perceived as good, and some as bad.  Another kind of change is not a reflection of a physical change, but one that occurs in our minds.  Whether are change is good, bad, physical, or emotional, the way we react to it is still the key to a successful transition into the new. 

We must learn to adapt, and maybe part of the ability to adapt comes in not seeing change as something abrupt, but part of the wonderful fluid nature of living.  Change represents the ebb and flow of life, which is a beautiful thing. 

We are intelligent creatures; we can adapt to change, seeing it not as something to endure, but as something beautiful.  Dealing with change may require the use of some strategies, from deep breathing to creating new routines.  It also requires us to relax and trust that change is part of the wonderful gift of living, and that our ability to adapt is one way to demonstrate our intelligence.

                                                                 Have a great week!

                                                                                  Mary