I am a fixer.
As long as I can remember, I have been a fixer. It’s likely the reason I do what I do, both for a living and in my interactions with others.
Communication problem. I’ll work to fix it.
Unhappy with your lunch kid? I’ll try and fix it.
Need more money to get the new, shiny, must-have item for the home? I’ll work more and fix that too. Maybe.
In reading Jerry Colonna’s “Reboot,” I came across this idea in his interactions with his therapist. “This too shall pass” Dr. Sayres would say to Mr. Colonna. Things got you down? Riding a wave of happiness? Both of these things will pass.
While clearly apparent to the point of nausea, I wonder this: how much do we really grasp the concept of “this too shall pass?”
When I’m trying to fix, do I allow something to be, to happen, and to maybe become a learning experience? If not a learning experience for myself, then maybe one for a student or my own child.
I can say all I want about the pace of life today and how it’s hard to let something be, but there is a true and necessary lesson there. By letting things be, by allowing things to pass, whether good or bad, are we robbing ourselves of a worthy experience?
It could be learning.
It could seeing the gravity of a situation.
It could be evident in the reflection after an event.
No matter what nugget you pull out, the lesson remains. Know that everything will change, everything will pass, whether you perceive to be good or bad.
For us educators, this is practical advice for the school year. Of course, safety first- but there might be times when students will gain from figuring something out. There might be times when a rich learning experience is fostered through allowing something to happen.
When you think you have a moment, allow yourself to sit and see what has passed today already. You might surprise yourself with how inaction and observation will give you greater peace.
