Growing up, my son Patrick thought he should get out of going to school on St. Patrick’s Day. It was his day after all. Spring break coincided with his special day this year, reaffirming his belief that St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday and it’s his day. This year we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by traveling with the family to Chattanooga, Tenn., one of our favorite towns, visiting Sewanee: The University of the South and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga along the way. My son Patrick celebrates his namesake’s day by living his best life: making people around him laugh, inspiring his family with his amazing character, and of course, enjoying chocolate milkshakes.
It got me thinking: if there was a Golden Educational Consulting Day that everyone in the world knew about and celebrated, what would it be like?
I would imagine it would be a day devoted to education of any form. Sure, it would be a celebration of higher education, but it would be a day devoted to life-long something. People would share “I was today old when I learned . . . “ posts on social media highlighting the one new thing they learned that day and how it changed them for the better. It would be a day to celebrate teachers and professors who mentored and shaped our lives. On GEC Day, it would be a tradition to help connect one young person to higher education, whether that is through mentorship, or sharing the story of your own educational path.
It would be a day committed to positive emotional health and self-love. It would be a day off from school or work so that you could focus on those PDF activities (playtime, downtime, and family time) that we know are so important for people of all ages to stay in healthy balance.
And of course, it would be a day to celebrate colleges and universities all over the world as the amazing places of learning, teaching, research, and self-discovery they are. Colleges truly represent the creative hope of the human race; we pooled our resources as a people and created communities designed to change the world through creating and sharing knowledge. Colleges transform the world, by transforming people to serve that world. What could be more noble and inspiring than that?
That would be worth celebrating.
So let me ask you: if you had a day named after you, and the whole world celebrated it, what would it be like? What would people do on your day? Would they perform community service? Would people gather with their families? Would they make special foods? Answering this one question is a great way to gain clarity on the things you hold closest to your heart, your values, your relationships with those you love, the work you were put on this earth to complete.
Not working with us yet? Feeling stressed by the college search process? Let's chat.
Comments