A Time for Reflection

Posted on Posted in Jeremy

This week, we move with excitement and anticipation. There are numerous events and several graduation ceremonies, and we find ourselves on the cusp of witnessing the closing of one chapter as we are gifted with glimpses of the next. Graduates will embark on new careers or engage in more education. Faculty and staff will reflect on the academic year and begin dreaming of the next. 

I find that no matter your status—student, faculty member, or staff member— this is a good time for overall reflection. What did you hope to accomplish? Did you do so? Or, did you find new and enriching goals that you had not imagined for yourself? Overall, what did you take away from the 2022-2023 academic year? This, of course, is not limited to your academic or professional life; rather, this type of reflection can incorporate multiple layers of being.  

Last week, I asked students from the various Spiritual Life groups that I advise to reflect on how they spiritually evolved this academic year, particularly after so many wonderful weekly or bi-weekly gatherings. I was amazed by how the participants formulated meaningful responses in a short amount of time. Some articulated that they had found the sacred in unexpected ways, and some expressed a newfound realization that community assists with spiritual development. This is to say that reflection does not have to be burdensome; one can take a few minutes here and there to look inward. You may find the results to be nourishing and even enlightening. 

As you are reflecting on your life, both professional and personal, remember that your own experience of this academic year matters. You matter. Your efforts and accomplishments (no matter how small they were) have worth. Remember this as you look back at the 2022-2023 academic year and as you begin to boldly envision the coming months. What a gift it is to be present in this very unique moment in time. Let us check in with ourselves and then dream of all the goodness to come. In the end, reflection is not about focusing on perceived failures; rather, it is about strengthening ourselves as we move forward together on this magnificently sacred planet.