The end of a school year has just as much excitement and energy as the beginning of a school year. I would argue that the difference between the two however, is that the end of the year has more of a frenetic pace. This “frenzy” implies a lack of control, described by chaotic situations, hectic schedules, and crazed, high-energy efforts. The month of May says, “I am here: hang on the best you can!” There are longer days of sunlight, spring-cleaning happens, yard work begins, spring sports’ games are played – sometimes with a game every day because of weather situations – and often are mixed with another sport in the same afternoon while at school, units come to a conclusion with tests, projects, concerts, and then finally graduation with graduation parties. A lot happens in May, and the older our children and we get, that frenzied pace only seems to intensify.
In these days, is it possible to pause and take a breath? Can a quiet moment happen in a chaotic situation or while expending all that high-energy? I offer an example to answer these questions:
“I was blessed. I was told I had three months to live.” These are the words of Eugene O’Kelly, the former chairman and CEO of KPMG, one of the four big accounting firms, in his memoir Chasing Daylight. At just 53 years old, he was told he had brain cancer. So with his remaining days, he set out to live. He made some defining moments, to talk to, to visit with, to be in the presence of those that mattered the most to him, creating perfect days. He questioned, “Do you see perfect days [in your calendar] already, or could they be hidden, and you have to find a way to unlock them? If I told you to aim to create 30 perfect days, could you? How long would it take: 30 days, 6 months, 10 years, never?”
Since he did not have all this time, he immediately set about defining a plan that made or unlocked those perfect days or gratitude and pleasure. “I felt like I was living a week in a day, a month in a week, a year in a month” as he met with his friends, family members, and partner and lived. He was given the opportunity to live, and he took it, and that is why he felt blessed. He had made moments that mattered, and probably are still mattering for those that still live.
Back to my questions, because they are the great trap of life: the Mays and moments of chaos are going to happen, so we never take that trip, we never get together for that lunch, we never have that conversation we meant to have. The years go by, May comes and goes, and graduation day is celebrated, all within the trap of Someday holding us. I have felt it, I have lived it, and as an educator, I annually experience it. But I have taken action steps to share in the zeal that O’Kelly experienced in those moments that matter. I challenge you to join me: With fewer than twenty days of the 2026–27 school year, join me in looking at your calendar, and instead of getting caught up in anxiety, make or unlock moments of gratitude and pleasure. Within the frenzy, make the end of this year the one of memory.
Weeks at a Glance
- Spring Concert Series: Band Concert - Tuesday, April 28, starting at 5:30 pm @ SHS
- Science MCA: 5th and 8th grades - Tuesday, April 28, during science class
- National Junior Honor Society Ceremony - Friday, May 1, starting at 5:30 pm @ SHS
- Teacher Appreciation Week - Monday, May 4 - Friday, May 8
- Spring Concert Series: Choir Concert - Tuesday, May 5, starting at 5:30 pm @ SHS