52 Weeks Begin Now: Week Nine: The Collapsible Day.
The Collapsible Day
Essential Questions: If we were to collapse today into its most meaningful and essential moments, what would they be? What would be the experiences that mattered most or that best reflect our essential selves in these 24 hours? If this is difficult to answer and it all seems a blur of positive or negative or something in between, we are likely moving too fast, or sleep walking through our experience on autopilot, letting our habits of mind guide our trek.
As a child, I remember driving to Golden BC once a month to visit my grandmother. My family got in the car, and sped past the glorious countryside. In one deep breath, we literally lept from Calgary to Golden. Had we really been in the mountains? Much of it I slept through, and more often than not, I would try to read a book or something else to while away the time. However, recently, I have been driving to Golden, or past it, on my own. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I am not a very strong driver, and get tired easily. Therefore, I need to stop and rest, and literally get out of the car. In doing so, I am experiencing this familiar trek in very unfamiliar ways.
I see through my driver’s seat window a whole new experience on this journey and others, and in the end, when I reflect on my day of travel, I appreciate the various moments of the journey because I have to stay awake, pay attention and really understand where I am going.
Today in Retrospect: If I were to collapse today, September 25, 2012, I would realize that I was running through much of it to get things done; make people happy; and to insure that students are learning optimally in my new school. However, there were a few moments that I believe I could harvest for this exercise:
- When I woke up, I took my time. I appreciated the breeze coming in the window, and how it was just chilly enough to want to stay in bed under the cozy comforter. The ride to work was beautiful, and once again, the ocean stuns me with its beauty, especially on a blue sky day like today.
- I laughed a lot today. I find the office staff particularly friendly and they like to joke as much as I do. We appreciate the humour in the moments that we share together.
- I was invited by a staff member to the theatre, and accepted because I have time to go.
- I sat with my group of students in my teacher advisory group, and we talked today, more authentically than we have in the past. They are still not sure of me, and me of them. We hedge ourselves tentatively around each other in our daily ten minutes together to discuss announcements and review attendance. Terry Fox was our topic today, and perhaps the meaning behind his cancer run touched us in a special way.
- I worked with teachers over lunch around the topic of professional development, asking ourselves how we can support the growth of teachers around their work with students and their understanding of education with each other. It was exciting work, and enjoyable enough for us to want to meet again tomorrow to continue the conversation.
- I grappled with a teacher around the topic of planning ahead, and the value of being accountable. His students are challenging ones with special needs.
- At two o’clock, sushi never tasted so good, but I ate it too quickly because I had waited too long.
- A nice hug from my Comox realtor made me realize that tomorrow, everything from my Calgary home gets moved here, and this is the final steps of my relocation to the island. On Monday, I get the keys to my new house. Next week, the furniture and boxes will arrive, and then the unpacking begins.
- A bike ride to Goose Spit this evening reminded me of the extraordinary beauty of this town, province and country. How lucky I am to be healthy and wealthy enough to live here.
Take Two: Distilling Further: In retrospect, I believe that I captured the highlights of today, but I do not believe that I truly savored these experiences. I did not bite into these juicy minutes and seconds and relish them with a presence that would have made them tastier. I was and always seem to be cognizant of the time, and the bells, and the next meetings. I am often thinking ahead about what the outcomes might be, or where we will go from here. I am a navigator, and trying to get myself and others to places in interesting, productive and efficient ways.
Therefore, if I were to distill my experiences down to the truly delicious and essential moments, where I was truly in “bliss” and feeling happy or at peace, I would say that it looked more like this:
- Lying in bed, pressing snooze, and hearing the birds through the window was the best nine minutes of the day.
- Getting some messages on Facebook from good friends was very special.
- Tasting a good chocolate bar after the sushi was really what made this meal.
- Talking to a nice man on the beach by Goose Spit as he brushed his blind dog made the bike ride worthwhile.
- Sitting for a long time by the ocean with no reason to hurry, was truly engaging. I just sat there and looked out at the ocean, breathing in the experience with every part of me.
- The wind and sun on my face during my bike ride, especially down hill, was also spectacular. It reminded me of being a child again on my first bike.
- And finally, knowing that I had time to write my thoughts and feelings in this blog tonight held a special happiness all of its own.
I think that it is important to take time to collapse our days, and examine them in depth. What really mattered today? It is an interesting exercise, and forces me to be more present in my experiences so that when I de-centre and distill them down in this type of in-depth review, the day in retrospect holds vibrant moments to remember fondly.
Namaste