Take a deep breath… all change…

31st May 2020

So much has happened in the past few months it’s difficult to know where to start!  Time has, on the one hand, whizzed by with barely a moment to pause and think (before a new change  has been made or guidance document written or updated), and on the other it’s gone really slowly – is it really only just over 2 months since our ‘normal’ became completely abnormal?!

Change is the only certainty in life – some would also say death and taxes, of course.  And the size and frequency of the changes have, in my mind, been the key challenge for us all.  The magnitude of the change to our liberty, willingly kept to by the majority, is mind-blowing.  The frequency of the ‘rules’ changing can be confusing and disruptive, particularly if there is debate around who is following them (or not as the case may be).  The impact of these changes is going to be huge for everyone, particularly the younger generations.  With the intensity of impact of these changes I’ve learned a lot about myself, and those around me; how we react under pressure, need a sense of community and collegiality, and have different approaches to loyalty, service and responsibility.

I’ve been bowled over (though am also unsurprised) by the dedication of my colleagues to do the best by their students, having had huge change thrust upon them with very little time to prepare.  I’ve had to find new ways of thinking and operating, and draw on sometimes rusty tools in order to cope.  Most people have.  I’ve spent more time trying to understand myself and those around me, and how I can be my best self in this new world, and am now getting excited about the opportunities this will bring for us all.

Because as schools and businesses reopen and we start to emerge, I mostly feel really grateful for these changes, for being forced to think in new ways, and to visualise life differently.  Of course there have been moments of despair and frustration and, at the other end, joy and elation.  There is so much to learn from this experience.  It’s been the best of times and the worst of times, but as the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”  Take a deep breath, and lets enjoy the new chapter of our changed world, instead of hankering over re-reading the previous chapter…