Reclaim The Break
Yall- it’s time to reclaim the holiday break.
Educators are some seriously busy people and in our house we go about a hundred miles an hour for weeks on end and it is truly time for a break. I have learned over the years, that we often have a hard time giving ourselves permission to actually “break” from our norms. Today, I worked to change that.
I am giving myself permission to take a real break this year and here is why: the clock is ticking.
My oldest child is a senior. She’s a very good student as well as a good person. She’s been accepted to college and she’s leaving. (We all know they don’t really come back after graduation, even if they are physically close by.) And not only that, she has siblings. My two youngest are in third grade. They need to spend time with their sister before she heads off for adventures that most likely won’t include them for many years.
On top of that, everyone has worked their rear ends off this semester. I know you have because I have seen it. Teachers, administrators, parents…we have been running around like crazy making it all happen all day everyday. Lesson plans were completed, minutes from PLC’s were submitted, walk-throughs were done, homework and projects checked off and all the extra-curricular stuff miraculously happened. And we all ate (almost) 3 meals a day.
Do not get me wrong…I am a huge fan of work. I lean towards being Type A in most things and I am a relentless list-maker. I thrive on results. But I also believe we need a break from the norm so we can recharge and reconnect with each other. Sharpen the saw, right?
Let’s just slow this thing down for a minute.
What if we all agreed to just take a break when the break is actually happening? That way we don’t have to worry about falling behind, not responding to the email, missing the phone call, not being “ready” when January and 2017 gets here. How nice would it be to just be present for the entire break and save 2017’s issues for 2017? Being present is hard, especially when everything is moving in fast forward. I know I want the memories of our break to be about the time we spent with each other, not all the errands mom made everyone do or checking off lists.
I promise you I will hit the ground running in 2017. But first, I am reclaiming my break.
I plan to do a whole lot of nothing. My kids will rejoice if my goals include to laugh, make cookies, read, play a game, look out the window, sing along with the radio, ponder insignificant stuff, listen more and just BE.
I encourage you to do some of the same mundane tasks and post your adventures of being present and embracing the simple things while you reclaim your break. ERG has even created a 10 day challenge to #ReclaimTheBreak so make sure you post your pictures!
~ A
