Simplicity
It has been great to see students and staff back at school this week. Schools certainly feel very empty and souless in the holiday break. It’s been good to hear from students about their holidays and what they did. How they have explored our State, read books and had some much needed down time with family. During the break I was fortunate enough to take a course on Mental Health First Aid. It was enlightening to learn new skills but also sobering to delve into mental health issues that are impacting on society. In particular, the impact of anxiety on so many of us. Interestingly this is not a new phenomenon. David Gillespie in his book Brain Reset writes,“In 350BCE, Aristotle, for example, described a pantophobe* as ‘the man who is by nature apt to fear everything’. Within the book there was a common theme: We live in an ever speeding world. At times it seems we need 25 hours in a day and 8 days in a week to get everything we need done. We never seem to have time to just stop. We seem to get to the weekend or next break and heave a sigh of relief and collapse. At times we can feel as though we lose sense of our true north. As Dante wrote: “In the middle of the journey of life I found myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost”.
I speak to many students who at times feel a sense of being a little lost. In a world where the 24 hour news cycles bring mostly bad news, it can seem for our children as though they are in a roller coaster out of control. I often talk with students about their circle of control and their circle of influence. That is, what are the things they can influence, but what are the things they can control? So many of us get confused between the two. I believe we also overthink our circle of control. I recently heard it said that the greatest joy can be found in simplicity. There can be so much joy in simply being. I wonder when was the last time many of us took our shoes off and walked barefoot on the grass (not necessarily ideal in winter!), or sat and watched a bird fly? Do we have time for that? At this time of year I often hear people discussing how they love sitting by an open fire. They don’t say with a phone, or my Facebook friends. They comment on the serenity and simplicity of the fire. I don’t want to sound like a copy writer for The Castle, but it is true. Great joy and serenity can be found in simplicity. I know the transforming power simplicity can have; every outdoor education trip returns students and staff both tired but relaxed. In her book Phosphorescence, Julia Baird writes: “In short: when we are exposed to sunlight, trees, water or even just a view of green leaves, we become happier, healthier and stronger … seek awe and nature daily”.
It is almost like we have to consciously stop at times. To give ourselves permission to be still. To take time to cook an agreeable meal, eat leisurely with friends and family, to contemplate and enjoy; to watch the flames of the fire or the trickle of a stream. Or as Raymond Redington on the Black List suggested, “Read a good book … and to sleep like I slept when I was a boy – give me that”.
In schools we often encourage our students to be mindful, to be joyful in the moment, to saviour it, not to immediately jump to what’s next. For our senior students what’s next is a mere 12 weeks until their Grade 12 journey comes to an end and exams are upon them. I know for the parents of these students it must seem like just a blink of an eye since they delivered a nervous 5 year old to school. This can be a stressful time. Time won’t slow down, in fact the opposite; it will seem to speed up. I hope we can encourage all around us to pause, and stop amid the noise. To reach out to teachers, tutors or house heads for help. Max Ehrmann wrote in Desiderate, or our desired things: “Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace they may be in silence”.
I hope amid the busy term ahead you and your children can remember to take time for yourselves. To practice good self-care, to walk in the fresh air and savour the silence, to sit by the open fire and have time for you and your loved ones, to read a good book, and to sleep like a child.
I’ll leave you with a final thought from Salvatore Quasimodo from his poem, It is now Evening:
Ognuno sta sols sul
Cuor della terr traffito
Da un raggio di sole
Everyone of us stands alone on the heart of the earth
Transfixed by a beam of sun;
And suddenly it is evening
(*a Greek word meaning – all fearing).
