A Changed Chapter. Thank you Will.

Sometimes life forces us to take a second look.  Suddenly driving past a familiar landmark elicits a new perspective, different emotions, and a longer stare.  Sometimes life’s experiences change how we will forever see and respond to everything.  We mourn and grieve the loss of the known and the comfortable, yet with each day we are forced to sit in the new and different, we find ourselves changed. Braver. Bolder. 

The natural tendency is to want to resist the change, the seeing of things in a new way, the who we are becoming as a result of the life altering experience. It’s when we allow ourselves to enter into this metamorphosis, we begin to realize the beauty we will embrace on the other side. It’s the realization that we aren’t supposed to view the world around us in the same way our entire lives. It’s looking at relationships differently, our purpose, our time, our selves. 

This is the gift and beauty of life if we are willing to open it, embrace it, and step into this renewed purpose.  Sometimes we don’t get a choice.  

My nephew had a stroke almost 2 weeks ago today. Life won't be the same for him or our family ever again. It will be different, better, renewed, and repurposed.  Tomorrow, he will spend his 7th birthday in the hospital engaged in intense rehabilitation creating new pathways in his brain.  

The corner of the couch I was sitting on that held me up when I heard the news won’t ever feel the same. A text message from my mother in the middle of a board meeting will always evoke emotion.  The gas station I stopped at on the way to my sister now holds new meaning to me. 

What has come in the past two weeks is the opportunity to rewrite his normal.  To rewrite normal for all those who know and love Will. He has reminded us that this is indeed an OPPORTUNITY.  An opportunity to see things in a new way, through a different lens. 

How are we rewriting the normal in education?  In this situation, we tell ourselves we get a choice to do this rewriting if we are up for it.  I don’t believe we really have a choice. It’s being rewritten right now.  What role are we brave enough to play in it? 

I don’t see school buildings the same way I used to, nor do I see children the same way.  In the past two weeks, my perspective and beliefs about what children are capable of has been challenged in the most beautiful way.  I am ready to rewrite the normal of public education.  

Thanks for the inspiration Will.  Happy Birthday. I love you.