Look Again

It was a hard week. I keep my commitment to this blog every week. I write even when I don’t feel like it. I’m often reminded of what Todd Whitaker says, “When the principal sneezes everybody gets a cold.” I think people often look to leaders to see if they feel hopeful. They look to leaders for confidence that we can figure out hard things together. And when we do, we all become more confident in our ability to do hard things. Good, hard things.

I didn’t want to write this week. There were days when smiling took more effort. There were days when feeling hopeful felt extra hard. There were people who saw me cry. There were people who saw me struggling.

I pushed through. And I will push through like we all do.

I’m writing this week for those might be struggling too. For those who spend too much of their inner thought life thinking about work. I’m writing this week for those of us who are struggling to hold it together. I’m writing for those of us who some may say care too much or take the work too seriously.

And I’m writing to say that I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry for caring deeply. I’m not sorry for taking the work so seriously. I mean, is there anything in the world more important than growing the potential in others? Is there any greater cause than education?

I’m not sorry for showing my emotions. I’m not sorry for being imperfect in front of others.

We don’t need shiny, perfect people in schools. We need deeply human people who are brave enough to care. Brave enough to show how much they care.

People who are bold enough to believe that maybe we can make a transformational difference.

If last week was heavy, set it down. Allow yourself and others a fresh start. A new page turned. But please don’t stop trying, caring, or showing up.

“When everything around you seems dark, look again, you may be the light.” – Rumi