"We were all so young, you know. We were still our best selves." From: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett That line comes toward the end of the book The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. At his point in the novel, characters that the reader has followed through decades of their lives now are afforded the opportunity to reflect on the way their lives have unfolded. To be able to look back on your life's journey strikes me as a remarkable privilege. To be able to link the dots and trace the evolution of a life allows a person the chance to make some sense of their story in a way that they could never make sense of it when they were at the beginning or middle of their story.
Having known you for about 25 years now, I can confidently say that you were a pretty great self when you were younger, too. You were working harder than any other teacher I’ve known (and that’s a very HIGH bar!!) to give our children the best and most generous and kind education possible. And, at the same time, working to be the best human you could be in all the other areas besides career. And your post also reminds me of a refrigerator magnet that you gave me a few years ago. It says “Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards.” So true!
“And, like me, I suspect their even better selves will emerge as the years go by.”
And
“The young people I know are open and curious and their openness and curiosity will lead to even more kindness and insight. “
But to tie the beginning to the end, I suspect that the approach to “open and curious” grows, gets bigger and better. We are not less of our better selves as we mature, unless we stop trying.
Having known you for about 25 years now, I can confidently say that you were a pretty great self when you were younger, too. You were working harder than any other teacher I’ve known (and that’s a very HIGH bar!!) to give our children the best and most generous and kind education possible. And, at the same time, working to be the best human you could be in all the other areas besides career. And your post also reminds me of a refrigerator magnet that you gave me a few years ago. It says “Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards.” So true!
I appreciate these:
“And, like me, I suspect their even better selves will emerge as the years go by.”
And
“The young people I know are open and curious and their openness and curiosity will lead to even more kindness and insight. “
But to tie the beginning to the end, I suspect that the approach to “open and curious” grows, gets bigger and better. We are not less of our better selves as we mature, unless we stop trying.