Connection over Perfection

Many schools will take a much deserved winter break after this week. I’m so happy and excited for staff and students who are looking forward to this time away. I’m also holding space for those who may not be as excited.

During my time as an elementary principal, I saw an uptick in student behaviors the week before break. Some students rely on the routine of school. It’s a place where they feel safe, loved, and a place where they are well-fed. The challenges of home and/or the unknowns that come with many days away can be overwhelming and upsetting.

We may be working with adults who feel also feel a sense of foreboding about the time away. Perhaps it’s their first Christmas without a loved one. Maybe they be managing strained or complex relationships with family. Maybe they miss what was or long for what could be.

I’m simply writing this to say that we can make space for both. We can make space for joy and shared joy, and we can make space for calm care too.

In fact, we may experience both ourselves over the span of the next couple of weeks. There may be happy moments and moments of disappointment too. This is all a part of the human experience.

Instead of judging it or trying to change how we feel, we can simply notice and acknowledge, offering the same grace to ourselves that we hope to extend to others.

The magic of the holidays doesn’t require perfection. The magic is found in connection… with others and most of all, with ourselves.

If you sense a little sadness in others at work this week, kids and adults alike, try replacing “Have a great break” with “I’m excited to see you when we get back.”

This is a subtle way of letting others know, regardless of how they feel going into the break that they matter to us and that the other side of break has high potential too.