April 22, 2020

Reimagining Our Future, From Home

Over the last few months, we have meditated on some important themes – of challenges overcome, the value of perseverance, and the critical investments we make in each other. But just as there is time for grit and determination, it is also vital to take time for reflection, remembrance, and renewal. This year, the transition to spring feels particularly meaningful.

The onset of longer days and warmer weather beckons us to spend precious moments outside, while close to home. Spring holidays – Easter, Passover, and this week, the start of Ramadan – provide a space for meditation, reflection, and community. Earth Day tomorrow also presents an occasion to acknowledge the natural world as a profound symbol for our own resilience, as well as to remember our role in stewarding and defending the air, water and land that support our very lives. All of this is evidence that we are connected in ways that are wide-ranging and powerful.

I recently rediscovered a line from the poem “On Houses” by Lebanon-born writer and artist Kahlil Gibran. It reads, “but you, children of space, you restless in rest, you shall not be trapped nor tamed. Your house shall be not an anchor but a mast.”

While we are at home –impatient for action and new beginnings – we have a chance to consider our own place in the world and the ways that our own privilege and opportunity form the basis of our ability to bring positive change. There is a different and undeniable strength in stillness. As we look to what lies ahead, let us use this time with intention to build a future that we are proud of, driven by shared values in the spirit of public service.