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| Photo by A. Fisher |
A couple of weeks ago, my daughter’s classmates from last
year had a reunion of sorts, and got together to ride the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
Although we were a group of close to 30 kids and parents all in one car, and the
atmosphere was therefore rambunctious and loud, for me it was actually a
relaxing and leisurely trip. These are not words I typically use to describe my
days!! The train ride from Cumberland to Frostburg was about 45 minutes,
through mountainous, rural, western Maryland. It was a gorgeous day, with the
autumn leaves just beginning to show. Not only was it picturesque, I was a
captive audience. After about an hour walking around Frostburg, we got back on
the train for our return trip. As I was driving to and from this excursion (2
hours each way- more leisure time), I reflected on my family, my work, my
goals, and my relationships. Without the normal pressures of time commitments,
appointments, schedules, and other expectations, I was able to think deeply and
creatively about a variety of things. During this very productive “down time,” I
was reminded how important it is for busy people to regularly change their
routine in order to build in time for rest and reflection. In my definition of
“busy people” I automatically include parents! How often do we schedule time
for ourselves to just stop, think and reflect?
At Seneca Academy, we promote balance as one of our IB/PYP attributes, and teach this concept to
our students. We ask them to balance academic time with active time, reading
time, creative time, social time, technology time, etc. We ask them to balance
their focus on learning about math with learning about social science, language,
music, writing, etc. But are we, as adults, practicing what we preach? By
balancing the busy, hectic times in our lives with restful and reflective times,
we allow ourselves to move from reacting to reflecting; from focusing on
details to focusing on the big picture. The most important aspects of our lives
can then become clear. And we model what we expect from our children. By taking the time to drive out west for a fun activity
with my daughter, I was reminded, once again, of the need for balance in my own
life as well.
Seneca Academy
15601 Germantown Road
Darnestown, Maryland 20874
Phone: (301) 869-3728
Fax: (301) 869-3348
Seneca Academy
15601 Germantown Road
Darnestown, Maryland 20874
Phone: (301) 869-3728
Fax: (301) 869-3348
