Here at the District, we aren’t immune to the holiday hustle and bustle, and we sent the wrong newsletter! Check out the December issue below.
The Perspective from Here
Stimulus - Pause - Response
Have you ever had that moment where someone shares a comment, and you reply instantly? Or there is a problem and you feel the need to provide a solution right then and there. What about the time your child kept putting an extra granola bar in her lunch bag? Each day you took it out, stating she had enough food in her bag and that granola bars were expensive.
We often get caught in the cycle of having an answer or interrupting a process, thinking it will speed things up or make less work in the long run. I know I am repeating myself when I say, we are moving too fast. As a result of our "To Do" list along with work and home pressures, we go into auto pilot of stimulus - response. Solve this issue so we can check it off our list and move to the next. Sound familiar?
Life is not a conveyor belt. We are meant to build connections, to build relationships, and this takes time - time to pause so you can pay attention to what is really being asked for or needed. I know. Easier said than done. But what if we took that pause, that breath, even occasionally, what would change?
Perhaps your friend just needed an ear and a shoulder - no response from you other than connection. What about that problem? A problem is best solved through collaboration when everyone's perspective can be heard and part of the solution. And did you know that the extra granola bar was for a friend at school who never has enough food?
As we head into what many call, "the busiest time of the year", I hope you find time to pause amongst all the stimuli, to connect and really be part of the moment.
That's the perspective from here.
Stay well,
Pam Rennie, BA, BEd, RECE
