I can feel life pulling me in a new direction, and with this pull there is a bit of melancholy at the paths I'll leave behind--paths that have been vital and dynamic, but paths that no longer fit the destination I am pulled towards.
I have always followed life's pulls--I have always listened to the voices, experiences, and feelings around me to forward my course, and I have always been satisfied by this choice overall. Though, at times, the directions I've taken have been challenging, they have been well directed and right for me.
It will be interesting to see how I feel about this new direction in ten years, when I have traveled the path for a while. How will the post I write today feel then? Long ago I wrote a similar post, then reread it ten years later to find that I was exactly where I'd predicted I would be--it was satisfying and affirming telling me that it's good to trust your instinct, values, and the energy around you when making choices even if those choices don't feel perfectly right and good at the moment when you choose.
So where am I being pulled?
I am being pulled towards more reading, research, writing, and reflection. I am being pulled away from the day-to-day decisions towards following the lead of so many bright and inspired younger colleagues and family members who surround me. I am further being pulled into the direction of children's desires, needs, and challenges towards finding ways to serve children better--children in my school, children in my family, and children in society. How can my reading, research, reflection, and writing help to elevate what we can do for children close to home and far away?
I am drawn towards greater synthesis and the integration of multiple ideas that result in good questions and resulting research and reading. I want to know what others think about the big questions that lead us forward as a people.
I am grateful for this pull and what seems like the space and time to answer its call. I'm curious about how this trail will unfold in the days to come.
