So I was walking home from the store the other day through some back alley sidestreets when I stumbled upon a dried up and sad looking Christmas tree lying right in the middle of the lane. It had been blown there by the wind I guess, or maybe just carelessly dumped there by someone who wanted to get rid of it. It had lost most of its needles and a few of the branches were snapped and barely hanging on, and I felt kind of depressed honestly when I bent down to pick it up. Just as I was dragging it to the side of the curb though, I spotted a single piece of tinsel clinging to one of the branches…a little thread of silver that flashed and sparkled and danced in the air, and you know what, it made me smile.
As I continued on my way back home I couldn’t help but think about that withered up tree, and how it relates to the year that we all just went through. 2020 was so incredibly difficult in so many ways, and all that the world wanted to do when January 1st rolled around was to throw the year out in the trash and to move on, and so did I. But what that little tree got me thinking about over the last week or so was that as difficult as last year was, there was a little thread of silver that came out of 2020, and that thread of silver is the promise of change.
As much as 2020 brought disillusion and disruption to our world and to our lives, I believe that 2021 will bring action and accountability, which will ultimately change so much of our world for the better. I believe that 2020 will serve as a wake up call, which will bring about, at the very least, social and environmental change that will end up strengthening the fabric of the global community.
On a smaller scale, I also believe that the events of last year will mobilize us as a school community to become stronger, and better, and in many ways it already has. We’ve committed to some transformative initiatives that were bolstered by last year’s events, and which have given us a renewed sense of purpose. Like our JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) work, our peer on peer safeguarding work, our focus on assessment, and so much more. I know it’s easy to simply throw away 2020 and to not look back, and to be thankful that it’s finally over. People want to set their sights firmly on the hope for a brighter 2021, and I get it.
For so many people in the world, 2020 was a disastrous year, and now it’s a collective loud scream of good riddance. That said, I do believe that just like the sad little tree that I found when I was walking home, if you look carefully enough at that terrible year that has just passed, you might just find a small thread of silver that you can take with you into 2021. A little thread of silver that will give you some hope, and hopefully call you to action, because action is what 2021 desperately needs. Have a wonderful week everyone and remember to be great for our kids and good to each other.
Quote of the Week…
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change
– Wayne Dyer
Inspiring Videos –
TED Talk – Overcoming Challenges
TED Talk – 3 Secrets of Resilient People
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