All things new...
The year 2022 is upon us and, ready or not, we have to figure out a way to deal with it. Christmas breaks are braking, New Year 's resolution are resolving, old is gone and new is in. I can remember the feeling at school the first day staff reported back after Christmas break. For janitors it is just another work day as they have been working during the break, but for other staff it is a day of re-engagement and knocking off the fine film of rust that inevitably forms during a two week break. There is a sense of newness in the air as a new semester begins. Chants of "Halfway Done!" fill the hallways as staff share their experiences encountered during the break. Staff workdays are always lighter the day after Christmas break, smiles are always broader and moods are always brighter. But somewhere, deep down in places that teachers don't talk about, there is a small cauldron of anxiety beginning to churn as the anticipation and realization of the next day begins to bubble up inside of them. Because the next day...students return!
Any time we say goodbye to an old year and welcome in a new one there is anticipation, excitement, and yes, some dread. For the past two years we have believed deep in our souls that each succeeding year would be better than the last. Covid will be under control, masks are a thing of the past, normalcy will rule the day. And for the past two years we have been punched dead in the face with the reality that things don't always go as planned, a new year doesn't always wipe out old problems, and, sometimes, things linger. But hope endures that this year will shine bright on the dark places of the previous year. So, for all of teachers, and everyone reading this post, I would like to share an original poem I wrote just for you. May these words bring you hope for the new year, excitement for things to come, and a little bit of closure to an old year that was, well, not exactly what we were expecting. Here we go...
Last year was supposed to be better, how could it get any worse? But the song that was played, day after day, just seemed to repeat the same verse. And as the notes of the day were repeated, a familiar tune began to emerge Fear kept on strumming, and masks kept on humming, and we saw not a break but a surge. Now 2022 is upon us, and we pray that we all can just cope. But the one thing we lack that we have to get back, is an undying sense of new hope. Hope that things will get better, that brighter days will return That the anxiety and fear, that plagued us last year, won't sit in our bellies and burn.
So here is what I'm recommending, a new mantra you might like to say, It simply reminds us to help hope, somehow, find us , it's three simple words...Seize the Day! In Latin it's called Carpe Diem, but live each day is simply what's meant, To take each day that's given and fill it with livin', and fill it to the fullest extent. For tomorrow has never been promised and yesterday is already gone, If your going to make your way, then today is the day, if , in life, you are going to move on. We can't live our lives for the future, if our lives are wrapped up in the past, The only real way is to live day after day, if we ever expect it to last.
I've spent many days fearing the future, and regretting the things I've done wrong, The future brings fear, the past brings a tear, and makes all of the nights seem so long. But what if this new year was different? What if "now" was the moment observed? What if my focus on living, was to concentrate on giving, each day the attention deserved? This is my hope for your new year, that you strive to seize every day. That every fiber of your being is focused on seeing your life in a beautiful way.
So here is to you in your new year, to your dreams and the hope you can see 'em. To one simple phrase that will rule your days, so get out there and just Carpe Diem!
See ya next time!
Derek