Where and how do we find sparks? Sparks are interests, activities, passions, and people that you find in life where when you find them you truly love doing them or spending time with them. Time goes away and you are in pure flow and joy. Sometimes sparks fade or stay going a long time.
I have 2 kids that are one and three, so I think about finding sparks for them a lot. At this age, it’s pretty easy. A truck, a doll, a playground have all acted as sparks for them. My oldest is now loving swim class but it took a few months and wasn’t a spark from the beginning.
This passed week, I donated to the high school I spent two years at to support a fundraiser. I was happy to do this because I was reminded of the sparks that school gave me at a crucial time in my life from seventeen to nineteen years old. Some small and big sparks I found there.
- Got to pursue hockey at a high level and connected me to new friends and the college I went to.
- Got to develop tighter relationships with teachers since they lived on campus.
- One teacher gave me some of my favorite books today.
- Took a current events class on the 2008 presidential election and got to write about it.
- Developed my writing skills in classes that were challenging for me.
- Got to be part of a tight community that I wasn’t feeling in my first high school.
This is a quick list of things that gave me a spark during my time at Lawrence Academy. I think the main gist is know your current sparks and make time for them. Find new sparks too. For parents, be patient and observe so you don’t miss when your kids have found a spark or when you can nudge them to things that might become sparks.