Tuesday, August 24, 2010

 

Gratitude Project

Day 12 - New Beginnings


I’m a sucker for new beginnings…I’ve written about this before. I believe at their core, people are either fundamentally pessimistic or optimistic. For all my existential angst and attraction to the darker side of life, I find hope continually bobbing up inside me like an irrepressible cork. I am grateful to the universe and to my DNA for whatever chemical cocktail allows this to be so.


Of all new beginnings, the beginning of the school year is my favorite. I used to be so excited before the first day of school that I couldn’t sleep all night. I agonized over my first day outfit. I loved going to Mapes, my local 5 and 10, and squeezing through the crowds in the narrow aisles to pick out my school supplies. Because each time the school year started, it was a chance to become a new person, to re-write (and improve) the script.


One of the great things about the job I now have - university professor - is that I get to continue living by the familiar academic calendar. I am guaranteed two new beginnings a year, two chances to become a better teacher, a kinder advisor, a more thoughtful colleague, a more efficient worker, a smarter and more articulate person.


A fresh start. There is nothing else like it. A get-out-of-jail-free, leave-all-your-mess-behind, finally-get-to-be-your-best-self new day.


Photo: Michael Josh Villaneuva

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