By Stacy Giddings, Director of Development
As a child, I remember sitting in the backseat of my parent’s four-door sedan and witnessing a mild disagreement. We were lost, and an age-old debate ensued. My mom wanted my dad to pull over and ask for directions to which he declined and recited his mantra that he must “keep the wheels moving.”
This creed has stuck with me, and in many ways, I have adopted it as my own. Using the phrase metaphorically, I feel like a better and more productive version of myself when I am checking things off my to-do list. I feel pride in creating an independent forward motion. During this time of home-confinement, there are many times during the day that I feel idle and sluggish. My frustration is not boredom. In fact, I am often overwhelmed by my new responsibilities as a homeschooling teacher and full-time stay-at-home mom.
Upon reflection, I’ve discovered that my mantra of “keep the wheels moving” was not only metaphorical. It was also literal. I felt great achievement as a mom when I was physically taking the kids somewhere to experience something new. Driving them to the library for storytime, parks for playdates, and to exhibits at the zoo or museum filled me with satisfaction that these outings could potentially create core memories and lessons that would carry with them into the future.
Without the forward motion of my wheels, I must face new ways to progress while complying with my idle environment. I know many others empathize with this restless struggle of finding new ways to “keep the wheels moving.” I think our desire for progressive action may be satisfied by forward-thinking. If we believe and channel energy into forward-thinking, that is progress. Uplifting sentiments like: “We’ve got this!” “We’re in this together!” “Hope is here!” unite us as a powerful tribe of forward-thinkers. We must have faith that better days are ahead. We will persevere by reprioritizing faith and hope, and shifting them from the shotgun seat, merely along for the ride, to the destination in our journey. Let us search for and find contentment in our belief that better days are ahead, and that is enough to “keep the wheels moving.”