Just a few final thoughts before the first day of school on Monday.  You have your master schedule prepared. The curriculum is in place. The classrooms are decorated.  The drinking fountains work. So do the alarm bells. Buses are gassed up and ready to run.

But what about the most important component in the whole system? That would be you.  Are you taking good care of yourself?

I offer just one suggestion about this.  Seeing as how it’s going to get awfully busy starting Monday, now is the time to figure out when and where you can carve out some time for yourself on a daily basis. This is not selfish.  It’s necessary self-care, so that you can be useful to others. Your car needs regular maintenance, and so do you.

So figure out the physical location where you can enjoy some quiet time for reflection.  Consider creating a “Sacred Space” in your home.  Figure out a time of day when you can regularly, i.e., daily, commit to spending some time there.  My experience with this is that you don’t need a lot of time—but you do need to be consistent about this, disciplined.

St. Augustine once observed that it was necessary for him to spend one hour a day in prayer and meditation, except when he had an exceptionally busy, stressful day.  On those days he needed two hours.

DAWG BONE: HAVE A RESTFUL WEEKEND!