Get out there!
My son was putting up an impressive fight about having to go outside and help his dad with chores instead of his preferred activity, reading a book. The fresh air will be good for you, I said. You might learn something, I said. You get to hang out with your dad, I said. And then, finally: GET OUT THERE. THIS IS LIFE. LIFE IS WORK, AND YOU NEED TO FIND A WAY TO ENJOY IT. Maybe a bit dramatic, I'll concede, but I stand by it. So much of life is simply hard work, and it doesn't have to be seen as pointless drudgery, a necessary evil to get through so that we can enjoy the results of our labor. Too often, when we start a project, all that we are envisioning is the outcome, and we forget to account for the work that will happen along the way. I plant a garden in the spring, dreaming of a delicious home-grown tomato but forgetting about the hours of weeding. I assign a project to my students, thinking of them presenting all they have learned, not accounting for all the guidance that...