On the Horizon

 

I woke up the other morning and stepped outside just in time to see the awesome sunrise in our neighborhood and really enjoyed the moment of quiet and calm that surrounded me. I'm not a coffee drinker, but it was one of those moments you see in the Folgers commercial where someone is waking up at the break of dawn, the sun is creeping in through the windows, and they are staring off into the distance while sipping on a cup coffee as they enjoy the splendor of the world around them. For me, it was a guy in his gym shorts, tee shirt, and barefoot walking out to get the Sunday paper, but I bet you still have the Folgers commercial jingle in your head.

Ordinarily, I am never getting up early enough on the weekends to see the sunrise, but I have found that as I age, I am getting up earlier and earlier on the weekends. I'm not exactly sure why my biological clock is working this way, but it certainly has helped me learn to appreciate little things like the sunrise and the silence and still of the morning. It has given me an opportunity to reflect and ponder on some really big things and examine what is on the horizon, both literally and figuratively. I know that is a very "meta" statement, but bear with me on this one.

When we look at a sunrise, or sunset for that matter, we see the horizon and we know inherently that it is so far away that we really couldn't catch it. It doesn't matter to us because we are really just focused on the beauty in front of us. Conversely, we often refer to "on the horizon" in colloquial terms to describe something that is about to happen or right around the corner. The juxtaposition of the literal distance of the horizon and our figurative use of the language is pretty jarring and makes you really think about what is actually on the horizon. Did I mention that this particular blog post was going to be a little "meta."

No matter how we use the term, I think it is important for us all to look at what is on the horizon for each of us, but also take a moment to enjoy the present moment we are in. That is a really tough ask for educators in late April because the end of the school year is approaching and this particular school year has been exponentially tougher than any we have ever had. The key, however, is to embrace the little joys we have each day and use them to fuel our passion to look at what is on the horizon, which is the elusive summer break. If you are like any of the educators I know, it really isn't a "break" at all because teachers are always working, but it will be a break from the daily grind of always having to be "on" in front of students. On the horizon is a beautiful tapestry of colors, but we should also enjoy the watercolor mess that we are experiencing now because there is certainly a lot of joy to be found in it as well. Keep plugging away and keep chasing that horizon. You may not actually reach it, but the pursuit of it is way better than criticizing how it could look and feel better.

#ONWARD #CONNECT