Embracing the Unexpected
I hear the screeching whir of a saw, the thumping of a hammer. From the front desk of the school, I look up from my paperwork compliance Google sheet to take a peek outside.
A dilapidated tripping hazard becoming something new!
As the project took form, it looked like a sort of flower bed. Or was someone going to plant a tree? Would our little ones be able to plant inside of it? Possibilities ran through my head.
Planters, and perhaps some more planters? A corridor of plants in Brooklyn!
It’s the beginning of a school year - I expect there to be certain changes. The weather has cooled, new children join our program, while returning children come back with new stories from their summers, asking for important adults in the school.
But I did not expect to see the previously overgrown and dilapidated tree beds to be given a new shape - a wooden container of what could be - a container that invites me to imagine what’s possible - a container that provoked my imagination due to the surprise and pleasant aesthetic.
I find comfort in the ritual of the beginning of the school year and I find inspiration in the surprises along the way. A dear mentor of mine, Wendy Cole, often tells me
“Rafa, to build community, you need ritual and surprise.”
Rituals and surprises are needed to build community and to sustain awe within myself. I wonder how our physical space in the school can ground in ritual while allowing space for the surprises. I wonder how our relationships will provide both comfort and space for growth when the unexpected comes along. I hope to anchor in the present to embrace that which has yet to come.
Abrazos,
Rafa
