Shadows of the Fall
The conflict has been present from the beginning. Being a working parent has felt like a chaotic push and pull that almost mirrors the stages of a toddler. Once you feel like you settle into a good rhythm, the pitcher throws a bottom-of-the-9th filthy curveball that no one could have seen coming. And there you are again, back to the drawing board, feeling like you are sucking wind at both jobs.
Every August, I am well aware of the scheduled freight train headed my way. The back-to-school supplies shopping, the start of school itself, both of my kids’ birthdays, the change in sports schedules – truly, the list stretches past the horizon line. August also wraps up another summer where it feels like only a few things have been checked off my list of fun things to do with my family.
Last year, I connected dots that until then had been left floating each year. I’d felt that I needed to be better organized, more prepared, and better at checking adventures off my list throughout the summer. Then the fog cleared.
I need to be more tender towards myself. I have 2 full-time jobs. One of which feels like the stakes could not be higher. My kids, of course. And the expectations I set for myself: that I should do both with impeccable strength, consistency, creativity, sensitivity, and compassion. That is the misstep.
Each season, Mother Earth presents us with physical changes that cue our bodies that a transition is happening. This fall, I choose to notice the shadows of the fall. To see all the goodness that happened leading up to August. To recognize the small. And, most importantly, to be tender. There is no sense in being so busy looking at the bar that I set so high in the clouds that I miss the sunrise in front of my face.
I invite you to consider – Are you watching the bar or the sunrise?
Signed,
Lauren Angerosa
Admissions Director
