Last month in my university freshman seminar class “How to Live a Fulfilling Life,” the students and I were scheduled to discuss an excerpt from the book Man’s Search for Meaning by Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl on a Monday afternoon.
It was a rare 80-degree day in Ohio in November; if our class had been held on campus in person instead of online, I would’ve moved class outside on the Oval to enjoy the weather together.
So I decided to call an audible: The new lesson would be “Carpe Diem” or “Seize the Day.” I canceled our class and encouraged the students to spend the afternoon outside. During the following week’s class session, the students seemed more engaged and invested in the course material than they’d been before the surprise cancellation.
Now that it’s December and classes are over, I try to take my own advice. When the sun shines briefly during a break in the rain or the snow stops temporarily, I try to stop what I’m doing and seize the moment to get outside in nature, even if just for a few minutes. Upon my return to my desk, I often find myself recharged.
Sunday Journal Prompt
Be on the lookout for moments to seize—unexpected breaks from your routine. How do they recharge you?
