What makes your heart sing?

If you’re one of the six people that has been on this website before, you’ll notice that I changed things up and have a new masthead and new tag line. The old tag line was author.creator.advisor. Those nouns felt too big and too limiting, which I recognize is a complete contradiction and yet, still feels true. I also wanted something brighter and more playful to greet those that join me in this space. I’ve been struggling with what this website should be. It’s here to promote my book, of course, but there’s so much more I want to share in this blog that relates back to the book and how it ties back to my education, my teaching and my work with college students. I wanted to create a space that can hold all that. And I wanted a visual that reminds me to keep it light, have fun with it, and embrace the joy in the journey. 

So why a little girl on a swing? When my son was little, our house backed up to a lovely little park and we spent a ton of time there. Much of it was spent on the bridge over the creek, throwing rocks and sticks into the water below and delighting in their journey away from us. But, IF we could just get over that bridge, a private playground awaited us most mornings. It had maybe 5 pieces of equipment and the swings were definitely my favorite. Sitting Conor on my lap and watching his sweet little face burst with joy as we swung higher and higher warmed every cockle in my heart. I like to imagine that we were a Rockwellian portrait of mother and child in those moments. 

But my choice of the little girl on the swing has more to do with what you wouldn’t see if you happened upon us. For me, there’s always a moment when swinging switches from mundane to exhilarating - when I get that feeling in my stomach that’s so good it’s hard to sustain. That is right on the edge of “is this a good feeling or a terrible feeling?” Where you’re questioning whether you really want to continue. That is my current state of mind. Equal parts excitement and fear about what’s next. The possibilities are exciting but the reality of the learning curve, the uncertainty, the obstacles (real and imagined) bring up a fair amount of fear and resistance for me. But I remember that every time we were at that park, I asked Conor if he wanted to swing. Sometimes he said no. (He was a contrarian always). But I kept going back for that feeling. And I think we all need to keep going back for that feeling. It is literally being outside your comfort zone. Sometimes just for a few seconds. But that may be all it takes to renew your enthusiasm and reignite the excitement for whatever comes next. That spark. That knowing that something more is possible and absolutely attainable. 

The picture also fits with this idea that I am a champion of play. The stakes in education, and especially in higher ed where I spent the last 11 years, have gotten so high. So many SHOULDs in my conversations with students and so much anxiety. I often quote my friend Erin who asks “What makes your heart sing?” That feeling I got swinging? I felt it in my stomach but it was, in fact, my heart singing. We don’t ask that enough. I’ll share more about the questions we do ask and how we might change them to create less stress and more actual learning in future posts. For now, I just want to encourage you to reconnect with your childlike enthusiasm for things and know that it is absolutely okay to play.