It’s the end of the school year and I have been packing my office away, setting breakable things where they are safe, hiding tiny items away so they can’t be lost, and throwing away things that I’ve had since the previous year and haven’t used. I have taken food out of my desk so it doesn’t go bad over the summer and cleaned out the fridge. And I have packed up some books that I intend to read over the summer to take home with me.
In a school building, summer shut down feels a little like wintertime, where everyone disappears and the place that is a hub of constant activity goes quiet. The lights aren’t on in all the hallways and some workdays I don’t see a single person unless I go looking. Of course educators aren’t hibernating, but they are taking a well-deserved rest after yet another busy season of teaching, grading, and surviving insanity.
Today is my last workday for the 24-25 school year, and I won’t be back in the building until August. I’m looking forward to a change of pace and some time off and away. (Okay, I may go back in and get new books if I read all the ones I’m taking home, but that doesn’t count!)
The cleaning up of loose ends and throwing stuff away almost feels like a new year change. I guess it actually is for us, since the school year turns over during the summer from one to another. It is good to have time to clean out the old in preparation to bring in the new. Even the plants and trees have a season of going dormant in order to prepare for a new season of growth to come. While summer is a time of explosive grown for outdoor plants, it’s a time that many people take off and enjoy a break. Which we all need to do. Regularly.
Rest is not something we enjoy doing in this busy age of go, go, go. Sometimes we are so focused on breathing in, on getting the oxygen (or other things) that we need (or think we need) that we forget about the importance of breathing out, which gets rid of the carbon dioxide that our bodies don’t need. But we need the exhale too. We need to let go and clear out what we don’t need.
New starts don’t have to wait for January 1. There are so many new starts during the year that we should take advantage of and observe–celebrate even!
Zechariah 4:10 (NLT): “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin.”
A new season can start at any point. We don’t have to wait for a new physical season, or a new month, or a new year to begin. We can start here, today.
For me, I’m slowing down and taking a short rest season away from work, so that I can return in August refreshed and ready for another year. It’s the same cycle every year, but every part of it should be embraced, both the busy inhales and the quiet slow exhales.
Where do you need to exhale and slow down today? You can do that at any moment; you don’t have to wait for the “perfect time” to observe breathing out. I hope you’ll find it today.
Blessings,
~Lynne
Leave a Reply