“Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.” - Thomas Edison
I don’t know about you, but these days I feel like much of society has the attention span of gnats. We aim to play the long game but are interrupted by something shiny on aisle six. We set goals, make those bucket lists, and say ‘someday’ more times than we can count.
We dream of tomorrows, write in sharpie on calendars, and book the trip as far out as the airlines will allow, yet sometimes with all that future prep, we neglect the joy of the present moment.
How do we allow for goal setting and planning while simultaneously feeling all the feelings of today?
If much of our tomorrows are made up of todays, we must not lose sight of all the goodness of the now while making room for our laters. It’s a classic conundrum of epic proportion…and at one point or another, we all fall into the trap. It’s how we climb out that’s the making of our story.
How do we alter the script to invite balance into the frame and shift our perspective to appreciate the moment for all that it is?
This time of year is filled with growth and grace, gratitude and gravity, and milestone moments a plenty. In the northern hemisphere, spring is officially fully sprung, streets and eyeballs are full of pollen, and college graduations are on the horizon. The herbs and plants on everyone’s balconies are a sweet reminder that we’ve put winter to bed, and the photos of seniors in caps and gowns that flood our feeds are another reminder of the tender precipice between endings and beginnings.
At this time of year, college seniors may find themselves in the throes of senioritis; teachers and highschoolers are much the same. The epidemic strikes annually, fluttering beneath the surface until it gains so much force that it erupts and fills the room with energy that sizzles everything it touches. It’s that underlying frizzle that adds sparks and sparkle to every conversation, event, and moment. It’s a full personification of ‘are we there yet’ and it envelops all. It’s as if we want to run to the finish line in order to get there, yet somehow, we’d also like to do it in slow motion, savor each step, hug every person along the route, and make sure to snap a mindful image to remember it forever. How do we do both in equal fashion?
This past week, history was made in London. On a path that’s been run for 45 years, this year, the seemingly unreachable finally attained. A human, a runner from Kenya, officially broke the 2-hour time to complete a marathon. For decades it’s been an impossible thought, a feat that no one could do…until they did.
Consider how many moments, how many todays happened while dreaming of the tomorrow where that barrier could be broken. With that number on a vision board, consider how many young athletes dreamt, pursued, aimed for, and still will tackle that distance at a speed we’ve never before seen? They train, they stumble, they cross a finish line, they fall, they try again, they get hurt, they succeed, they triumph, they ice their knees, and get back up to do it again sometimes aiming for something the world has yet to see. Every finish line crossed is the beginning of another dream, and every sound of the start gun a chance to start anew.
Lindsey Vonn is at the beginning again. Her today is the beginning of life after the crash, sparking strength, tenacity, and resilience that never ceases to amaze. Recently, she spoke about a hope that one day people won’t even remember the crash, the ending of that beginning. Artemis II astronauts had similar words for their mission. Theirs, one that touched the hearts of the entire globe, is one they hope people don’t even remember…not because they don’t want to be thought of, but because this particular mission is only the tipping point of a larger space conversation. This initiative is decades-long and already has multiple planned missions. Theirs is only the beginning. The four astronauts aboard Integrity and the entire global ground team all part of a larger purpose: ending a quiet chasm within NASA and the beginning of creating a human presence on the moon.
Artemis II Crew Rise-ing To the Occasion. Photo via flickr cc: NASA
While every beginning is another beginning’s end, the trick is how to respect the space of both; intertwining the moments, allowing for the wonder and excitement of the next while experiencing the fullness of the present and offering gratitude to the space within.
Dr. Edith Eger passed away this week. A Holocaust survivor, clinical psychologist, author of The Gift and The Choice, Dr. Eger spent decades teaching people to deal with trauma and believe fully that we always, always have a choice. As a young child and skilled ballerina, in Auschwitz she was forced to dance for Dr. Joseph Mengele. The Nazis murdered her family, she faced horrific circumstances, and survived the atrocities of The Holocaust. For decades she never spoke about her story, and then she did. Paying homage to her mother, she spoke of the powerful lessons taught to her: that no one can take away what you set in your mind and that our attitude, regardless of circumstance, is always our choice. The beginning of her story made of nightmares, the liberation of those camps, the ending and the beginning of an entire new life story. Her spirit, full of light and joy, of survival, of rebuilding, of purpose, forgiveness, and using her voice for good. She lived with zest, vitality, and changed millions of lives for the better.
In life, we celebrate our beginnings and we honor the endings. Noticing the growth and the goodness, the strength and the story, the building and the becoming, and all of the messiness in between.
As we close some doors and nudge others open, can we take a moment’s pause in the here and now before diving head first into next? Before we fling the caps at graduation, or close the school doors and hit the camp buses, can we appreciate that we’re living in a timeline we once dreamt of while doing our best to set in motion our next dreams and manifest the next chapters of our own personal plot twists?
Whether you’re in the throes of the planning stages or immersed in the now moments, can you take a breath, sit with where you are right now, and give yourself space to fully feel it all?
Imagine what the world could look like if we gave ourselves permission to wait a minute and let today settle before stepping into tomorrow?
Wherever you are in this edition, version, or volume, engage with the present, for today’s end is tomorrow’s beginning.
Step mindfully, we’re cheering you on the entire journey.
Tips and Tricks to stay present and plan for next
Enjoy where your feet are
“The future depends on what we do in the present” - Mahatma Gandhi
This moment - this present moment - it’s the only moment. For some reason, society has told us to continue to constantly plan for the future. From a young age, we’re organizing for life after high school, becoming an adult, and even some version of retirement. The dreaming is good, the scheduling of joy moments is great, the planning for tomorrow necessary. Doing it all with the awareness of the power in the present moment is priceless. ‘80s icon Ferris Bueller said it best, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
It’s important to schedule - that milestone trip, when the LSATs are, when the application is due, the joy moments, the fun outings, when summer camp begins. It’s important to focus on your next beginning, those steps along your life’s journey, the path you wish to chart - it’s yours, and it matters.
But before the beginning ends or the next beginning starts, can you enjoy where your feet are?
We teach kids test preparation, to ask curious questions, and to dream big dreams. How could life be different if we remembered to relish right where we are now, take a moment and to notice where we are, and realize that we dreamt of this moment, too? We can change the game by engaging in the magnitude of gratitude. How empowering is that?
Savor moments and chart a new path
“If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do love prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is be present in the present…Gratefully.” - Maya Angelou
I was the camper who struggled with change. As summer drew to a close, I found myself counting how many more lodge breakfasts, cabin nights, or council fires we’d have. In the drama of future planning, I missed parts of the here and now. Senior week in university was full of events, memory-making moments, and so many hugs. Yet, two days after graduation, I was off to travel with two friends and traverse Europe for three weeks. Planning for that adventure while simultaneously experiencing the ending of a four-year educational jaunt played tug of war on the heart. Each had merit; both deserved attention. Close the door, then open the next one.
Simone Biles showed up at press conferences in the recent Olympics, often reminding journalists to hold up, please let us savor the moment of what has transpired before asking us what’s next. This race, this exhibition, this competition, this routine whether heartbreak or joy-filled happened, we worked for it, it took grit, it’s a ride and a journey and we wish to savor it. If one of the best to do so can take a moment to acknowledge what is before bounding forward to next, so can we.
In the moving pieces of childhood to adulthood and every facet within, we keep pushing forward, floating from one milestone to the next sometimes without taking stock of where we are before we move ahead. Some do it annually, with New Year’s Eve gratitude jars and upcoming resolutions. What if we aimed to include that savoring daily? What if the homework we gave our students is life work, the kind where you write down three things you’re grateful for or what joys you had in your day? What if our dinner conversations involved what we savored within the last days of class, or the year with our sorority sisters, or the mission adventure that shifted our entire perspective, or how we were proud of ourselves today, or how we helped someone else along their way?
When we move from beginning to ending and ending to beginning, can we find our own way to give each chapter its due, release what we’re holding onto, and embrace the exploration of that new path? Our attitudes, our choice. Choose wisely.
Be here, now
“The power for creating a better future is contained in the present moment: You create a good future by creating a good present” - Eckhart Tolle
My yoga teacher, Amy, often begins classes with a bit of breathwork and a mantra, “be here, now.” Settling oneself on the mat, taking a moment to release everything that’s transpired prior to class and doing your best to carve out this quiet space amidst the noise of the day or what’s to come, “be here, now” evokes a power in the present moment. I recently took a sound bath with her. In one hour, floating in an outdoor pool, amidst the sounds of gongs and bowls and soothing rain sticks, all participants were present, fashioning time in their busy lives to be in that space. The entire time, be here, now taking precedence of it all.
In today’s fast-paced whirlwind of a world we’re in with AI elevating tech everything, people vying for our attention, and the dings of all of our devices stealing our focus, it’s hard to carve that space for the here and now.
Something is always calling to us, someone is often reminding us of our to-do list, and we fitfully think there’s somewhere we have to be.
Grounding ourselves even with a deep breath, a shoulder shrug, or a quick meditation can center us.
Whether it’s Insight Timer, Calm, Headspace, your favourite playlist, a cold plunge, a walk, a yoga session, a sip of water, your favourite snack, or your own version of anchoring in the moment - make those small changes, do them often. Ground yourself first, set the intentions, notice the now, then step forward. Life awaits.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life” - Mary Oliver
Please click the photo below for a collection of my Through the Eyes of an Educator columns:
Stacey Ebert, our Educational Travels Editor, is a traveler at heart who met her Australian-born husband while on a trip in New Zealand. Stacey was an extracurricular advisor and taught history in a Long Island public high school for over fifteen years, enjoying both the formal and informal educational practices. After a one year 'round the world honeymoon, travel and its many gifts changed her perspective. She has since left the educational world to focus on writing and travel. She is energetic and enthusiastic about long term travel, finding what makes you happy and making the leap. In her spare time she is an event planner, yogi, dark chocolate lover, and spends as much time as possible with her toes in the sand.
Check out her website at thegiftoftravel.wordpress.com for more of her travel musings.