A very good evening, Monks,
Recently, my wife informed me, that I shouldn't think too much about this blog thing because only four people are reading it.
Maybe so. But to those four - I'm sorry.
It's just.....today was so awesome, but it was busy. Not like, "email busy" although it was that, too. But in the higher-ed world, it was October busy. April busy. Start of school busy.
There's an adrenaline rush that comes with being busy. Getting things done, talking to people, solving problems, answering questions (or not). It's the stuff of life.
Full disclosure, in a moment of culinary panic, I took up a trusted colleague's offer to grab me something for lunch. Twenty minutes later, there I was, at my computer, in a virtual call with our director of facilities, camera off, wolfing down a personal pepperoni pizza from Little Caesars. Meat-sweats co-habitating with mid-90s temperature sweat. It was not my best moment. It was not pretty.
So that's what I want to write about today. I was scheduled, based on my blog agenda I outlined for myself back in July, to discuss wastewater septic testing. Which I will still do, as it's very interesting and worth talking about.
But tonight, I want to talk about measuring up, disappointing people, doing your best, and staying busy. Being enough.
I hope, Monks, that you'll find our campus accepting of all your efforts. While we all have high expectations, for ourselves, and sometimes, for others, I hope we can be a campus that extends kindness, patience, and understanding when our today best just isn't our best ever. When we try and manage all the obligations in our lives, and still fall short.
And even when I commit to writing a good morning blog every morning until move-in day, until I don't, and it becomes a good evening blog. Just this once. So far.
Just know, you've got a campus full of people - faculty, staff, other students.....all of us have these moments. We've had them, (in my case, are having them, now) and I'm sure we will have them in the future. Ironically, it's something that we all have in common. Making the effort, falling short, and making the effort again.
So, Students, if I had any meaningful takeaways from this blog post - it's to be kind and understanding in the face of disappointment. To marshal patience.....even when you're seriously.at.your.limit. To be accepting of someone's best, even if it falls short of your expectations. Give yourself a darn break, won't you? Get after it tomorrow.
That's what I'm going to do. Driving off-campus tonight, there was a spectacular sunset over Sebago Lake. Maybe one of you four readers out there saw it from the lakefront. It reminded me, tomorrow's a new day. Let's get after it.
See you bright and early in the morning. 12 days left.
Matt
Matt Goodwin is the Dean of Students at Saint Joseph’s College.
Along with a team of kind, patient, and compassionate Campus Life professionals in the areas of Student Engagement & Residential Living, Counseling Center, Health & Wellness Center, Campus Safety, and the Mercy Center, Campus Life supports students’ holistic personal development, learning, and empowerment in service to a global community.
