8-30-2019

Mary’s Minute

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” 

                                                                ~ Buddha    

                                                

If you look in a thesaurus, joy is listed as a synonym for happy.  I think we spend a lot of time focused on happiness when our true quest is joy.  Striving for happiness -- even choosing happiness -- is a great goal.  Real joy is something deeper.  I believe that we can be happy without experiencing joy, and I think there are times that we feel joy in our souls, even if we are not happy in the moment.  I recently talked to someone who had lost a child, and what he expressed to me is that he didn’t feel like he could ever feel joy again.  He would find happiness in life, but true joy had been stripped from him.  I hope for his sake that he can find joy again, but it made me realize the difference.  

I believe we can find joy in many of the same ways we find happiness: by being grateful, through reflection, by surrounding ourselves with positive people and experiences, and by helping others.  I think finding joy takes more work than just finding happiness.  It requires deep appreciation and finding our purpose in life.  I think to really find joy we must see how we can make a difference to others. 

I wish you happiness, and most of all, I wish you joy! 

                                                                  Have a great long weekend!

                                                                                             Mary

8-23-2019

Mary’s Minute

“Wake up from accidental living.”

                                                                           ~ John O’Leary 

Some people experience events in their lives that push them into a period of awakening.  For Greg Matthews it came when he was attacked by an 800 pound grizzly bear and narrowly escaped death.  (He tells his story of awakening in his book Wild Awakening:  How a Raging Grizzly Healed his Wounded Heart.)  For John O’Leary it came after being burned over 100% of his body, which he shares in his book On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life.  For these people life forced them to look in the mirror and make positive changes.  

Some of us need to create our own awakening of sorts.  We need to choose a moment that forces us to challenge our “accidental” living and spring into a period of deliberate action.  

Reflection is the key to this process of awakening and can also be triggered by events that affect us indirectly.  This week we lost a dear colleague, and in mourning, the Perry Central family feels is a sense of awakening.  We are reminded of a short life lived well.  We are reminded how uncertain life is.  We are reminded that every day, every interaction matters!  

Reflecting on the brevity of life and a life well lived are not the same as an attack by a bear or a tragic fire, but they are opportunities for an awakening.  In the sadness that follows, I hope that you can find peace that comes from waking up from accidental living.  

                                                                        I wish you well. 

                                                                                    Mary

8-16-19

Mary’s Minute

“Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come.”                                                                                                 ~ Zig Ziglar                                                                                       

“You are more than you appear to be - Life is greater than you have ever known it - The best is yet to come.                                                                          ~ Ernest Holmes

I think that we tend to use the expression, “The best is yet to come,” to express hope in situations that are somewhat bleak.  I like to think of myself as an optimist, and on first glance this expression makes me think of optimism in the face of defeat.  I have been listening to a lot of John O’Leary podcasts (johnolearyinspires.com), which I highly recommend.  John says that he starts each morning by saying to himself, “the best is yet to come,” not believing that his current situation is bad, but from a state of optimism.  Life is good, but when we live in a state of optimism we know that it can always be better.  

We always want to see the best in our current situation, but working from a state of goal-driven optimism we also believe that life can be even better!  

Be happy today, but believe that tomorrow you will be even happier.

Believe that Perry Central is a great school, but know that tomorrow we can be even better.

Celebrate your successes in life today, but believe that tomorrow you will be even more successful.

                                                                      The best is yet to come!

                                                                                      Have a great week!

                                                                                                     Mary

8-9-2019

Mary’s Minute

“It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.” 
                                                                                         ― Roy T. Bennett

I have always felt like I was pretty open to change, but at the same time, I feel fortunate to have rested in the cocoon of a nurturing work environment Perry Central has provided. 

As the new school year begins, I have my typical feelings of optimism and excitement that a new year brings.  Perry Central has a great team, and a lot of new and wonderful things happening.  In addition to these warm fuzzy feelings, I am also feeling a little anxiety about change.

In the next five months, I will leave the comfort of Perry Central, and also leave my baby boy 2,000 miles from home.  I definitely feel like I am stepping out of my comfort zone.  I admit it is a little scary, but mostly I am excited about the opportunity to change, grow, and transform.

I am fortunate that I have planned my changes.  We do not always have the option.  Darlene Davis certainly wasn’t planning to start her school year recovering from brain surgery, but since it has been forced upon her, she is facing it with strength and grace.  She will certainly change, grow, and transform.

Whether your changes are planned or unplanned, I hope as this school year begins, you can push through the walls of your comfort zone to change, grow, and transform.

                                                          Welcome back!

                                                                              Mary