The Journey of Change
“Change is the only constant in life. Ones ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.”—Benjamin Franklin
This week learners were reminded of Benjamin Franklin’s words not only by the Spring flowers on the trees changing from buds to blooms but also in their studio environment. They are changing and evolving every day, learning accountability and how to participate and take charge of their learning and their studio government. Change is sometimes hard but it is also reliable and necessary for each of our hero’s journeys.
One of my favorite heroes of change is Po, the Panda from the movie Kung Fu Panda. Most recently I watched his latest adventure in Kung Fu Panda 3 (worth watching all 3 movies) and I was struck by Po’s journey to find his true self, his chi. In a nutshell, the declared Dragon Warrior is on a journey of self identity—Is he a panda, is he the son of a noodle maker, is he a kung fu master, is he a teacher, a warrior? Po must save not only his fellow travelers from the villain bull stealing chi but also his new-found Panda family, his mentors, and everyone he loves.
My favorite scene is when Po sacrifices himself. He chooses to lean in to the hard battle although what comes next is unknown. By making this choice Po inspires his fellow travelers to find their chi—who they are. They each name “a father, a friend, a dumpling kicker, a hugger, a nunchuck chick…” Po’s family, friends, community supported him and in turn they grew together, they too changed and found themselves, they found their chi.
As we often ask learners—what is the lesson learned—the reason I share this Panda story is because learners at Acton are just like Po, they are changing and the world is changing around them. This is constant, inevitable. Even though as their parents we want to protect them from hard moments it is in these moments of hard that heroes are defined. We must allow the pain and stand by them with a hug, an ear, a cheer. Writer, activist, and motivational speaker Glennon Doyle shares “what if pain—like love—is just a place brave people visit?” Her work along with Dr. Brené Brown shares that in order to grow into our best selves we must feel, be vulnerable, and lean in to the hard, “first the pain, then the rising.”
Sometimes we can even choose the lesson, just like my family recently chose to grow our family by a hamster. My family chose a hamster over another pet because we want our children to experience 3 lessons: responsibility, the love bond with animals, and loss. In 2-3 years we will have to say goodbye.
So, as we say goodbye to a friend, to a Guide, to a family member, our beloved dog or hamster we must lean in to the feeling of pain and honor the lesson.Yes change is hard but it also can be beautiful. Beautiful because we have the privilege of sharing in the journey with our children. Just like the turtle Master Oogway we hope that one day soon you can tell your learner the following “You’ve grown, you’ve grown up as I hoped you would…the universe needed you…you finally became the Panda you were always meant to be.”