And it starts...

Term has started with a bang! Two UVI Prefects took the initiative to wake up the boarders on the first morning of term to the sound of pipes! There were many smiles and some good laughs: a new and creative way to wake up the boys from the depths of their summer slumber, I feel! One of the these Pied pipers has kindly agreed to pipe at my wedding later this year. I am always amazed that I forget just how busy the school day (and night!) is. As well as sucking up my energy, though, it energises me. It is working with and for others that drives, energises and enthuses me. Conversely, the biggest frustration is when we squander that opportunity through apathy or, worse, cynicism. Investing in opportunities to actively participate ensure the focus of our lives is less on the superficial and passive. No matter the task, our depth of involvement will largely determine our depth of satisfaction: involvement fires the spirit and even the essential quality of compassion. My call to action, though, comes with one crucial caveat. I am not a believer in thrills without skills. The feelings gained by gulping down such off-the-shelf experiences are too often trivial. I often tell me students that it is far better to build healthy relationships in which our increasing knowledge of a place, skill, person – or even ourselves – provides an evergreen source of satisfaction. The reason being that there is quite a sense of progress to be had from knowing better than buying bigger.