“We’re here because we’re here, because we’re here because we’re here…” I first heard these words sung, by my brother, when I was a young girl.  Any of you who came up through the Boy Scout movement, will recognize this questionable war chant but for the better part of my life, I have allowed those words to resonate throughout my being and they have meant something different to me at different times.

I am a goalsetter.

Even from my earliest days in elementary school when the Main Librarian from our downtown public library would show up in school in June, and present a summer reading program to all of us, I would think about how many books I would read that summer and make a plan. After that, I would make a promise to myself to keep waking up early and to ride my bike a certain number of times a day. I would promise myself to make my bed, even through the long summer days and, the thing is, for the most part, I remember being able to make rules for myself and keep them.

As a teacher, I make professional goals all of the time and I reflect on them, evaluating and adjusting and looking for resources to help me meet these goals. I also still create short term personal goals.  

When I was asked if I had the heart to work with a team of people to help a ministry student achieve his goals, my answer was, of course I do. And I am thrilled to be working with someone who is driven and excited about his calling. As I read through his goals, I began to wonder about my own personal ones. I always seem to have so many professional dreams that I have to pare my goals down to only three but for personal goals, I rarely set more than one at a time. And then I thought again. Well maybe that’s a good thing. Quite a few years ago now, my minister and friend suggested that I read the book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and for me, it was profound. I began to work at unitasking and on being present in as many moments as I could. And I became better and better at it and, it is time for me to work at this again.

My one personal goal for the rest of this year will be to live in the present moment as much as possible. To look my KinderKids on their level and listen to their words, to smile warmly and notice nature, to enjoy each bite of food that I put in my body, to feel the warm earthy slate on the floor at my desk, through the soles of my feet, and let it warm my body, to breathe deeply and be grateful for all of the tiny miracles that are before me each day and to continually remind myself that I am here because I’m here…

~ Ellyn