Critically Thinking About the Ordinary, Vol. III

During opening remarks in our recent student development division meeting, Dean Smith asked, “Who do you want people to say you are?” He concluded the meeting with, “Show students how to have good and hard conversations.” Dr. Smith is known for his challenging questions and prompts. I have to admit since hearing his words, I haven’t thought of much else. 

Fifteen years from now, when asked how they survived being a college student in 2020, students will remember how we, as staff and faculty, lived through these days. They will remember our toxic positivity, or our authenticity. They will remember our transparency, or lack thereof. They will remember the conversations we avoided, and the ones we engaged. They will remember words of encouragement, and words of chastisement. They will remember our fortitude, our tenacity, our ability to navigate the gray, our generosity, our grace, our unapologetic way of continuing to invest in them, and our sacrifice to make sure they were not ignored during these days. They will remember how we pulled together as a university to stay safe and care for each other by wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, and washing our hands. When prompted, they may not even remember our names or our words, but they will remember. 

So, how do we do that? How do we live through these days authentic, transparent, engaged, encouraged, fortuitous, and tenacious? How do we increase our competence in navigating gray and continue to stretch our ability to pivot? We begin with taking care of ourselves. We practice wellness and seek opportunities to increase wellness. For me that means on a daily basis I: 

1) Breathe. Breath is at the core of our being. It is necessary and vital to optimal health. Practice being mindful of your breath. Take five minutes to sit still. Close your eyes and listen. Allow yourself to just breathe. Depending on your setting, light a candle or put a relaxing scent into your diffuser. If you are cautious about time, set a timer. 

2) Laugh. Laughter moves us from our reactive brain center to our creative brain center. Watch comedy sketches during lunch. Schedule a fun movie night. Be silly sometimes. Laugh at your humanness and at all the many ways humans are not perfect. Find out what makes you laugh and then make laughing a daily priority. 

3) Practice Self Care. Self care is knowing what you need to stay refreshed, rejuvenated, renewed, and creative. Walk. Nap, even if only for 5 minutes. Stay in touch with family. Pause for times of reflection. Read a good book. Play disc golf. Dance. Watch a movie. Do a Sudoku puzzle. Discover what renews, rejuvenates, and refreshes you… and do it. 

In taking care of ourselves, we are doing what we can to make sure we are at our best. When we are at our best, we are able to have hard conversations, sit with grief, be transparent, be okay with not being okay, engage others fully, navigate gray with tenacity and fortitude, and engage others with respect and care. Some days will be hard. Others, less hard. Some days we will only make it with the help of others. Other days, we will be the reason others make it. 

Honestly, there is no way to know how our lives impact others, or which word or concept we share will transform a life. We have no way to predict what students will remember about 2020 in five years, let alone fifteen, as 2020 has changed our world forever. Regardless, may students remember us at our best as individuals, and as a university. 

Carpe Diem (Seize the Day!), 

Katrina