We Don’t Have to Carry the Load Alone

It takes courage to accept support.

This has been a tough week at work. But not in the same way it is sometime tough when you are a principal. This wasn’t a week filled with violence or really bad behaviour. It has been a tough week for our kids – regulating emotions, dealing with horrific situations, learning how to take responsibility when they react out of anger, fear or frustration. This is the hard work that happens in the office.

I have been learning something so very important from these kids. It takes courage to accept support. It takes courage to say, “I can’t handle my world right now and I really need you to support me.” I am honoured and humbled every time a young person comes into my office and asks me if they can run something by me because they need to do something really hard and are looking for support.

Carrying the weight of others’ struggles does weigh on us too. I am blessed in my work to have others who tell me when they are worried I am taking on too much. I have support offered to me all the time. I wrote about having the courage to ask for help. But the other side to that is having the courage to accept the support when it is offered.

So, my students, my children, my friends, my colleagues, thank you for teaching me how to accept support and for having the courage to take the support when it is offered. I am going to have the courage to be more like you.