In This Weird World, Write it Down!

I read an interesting article by Anne Bromley (UVA) back on March 20th about writing things down.  In this weird world...during this pandemic...write down your thoughts, feelings, joys, and troubles. 

It struck me as such an important idea and one that I have only halfheartedly followed.  

So today I tried something, and I wanted to share it with all of you.  I wrote a letter to my future self!  I actually did this earlier this year as part of a leadership professional development.  We wrote letters to ourselves in September and then read them and reflected on them in March.  This is an extended version of that idea.  You could do this for yourself by writing a letter and sealing it for a designated period of time, or you could utilize a website to help facilitate it.  I used the website https://www.futureme.org/.  On this site, you can write a letter and have it emailed to yourself in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, or on a specific date of your choice.  I love this activity because it allows you to write and reflect on your present life and then read it at some point in the future.  I chose to send my letter to myself on June 13th of next year, which should be around when next school year ends.  Who knows what the next year will bring in terms of how education "looks."  We are about to start virtual learning, and it is possible that virtual learning will return in some way even into the fall of 2020.  This pandemic is turning our world on its side.  

I am also writing and reflecting by using an app to journal and write my thoughts.  I like the iOS app Day One.  It syncs between my devices and pulls in my Facebook posts, too.  

I want to remember this time.  

This situation is slightly reminiscent of one of my favorite books- Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl.  She was a teenager experiencing something unique and scary.  She had to hide while growing up and living in very close quarters with seven other people.  I know that what we are experiencing is a cakewalk compared to what people all over this world have experienced, but it doesn't make our stories less important to tell.  Write it down now so that in 100 years your grandchildren will have a record of it to share with their children.  You are in charge today of the primary documents of the future.  

So go write.  Share your joys, frustrations, thoughts, feelings.  Share what school looks like.  Share how much TV you're watching or how you are getting your groceries.  

Your story matters!