Wednesday, May 5, 2010
I met with my management team as a group for the first time in eight weeks. Instead of a long drawn out meeting, the time together was actually rather short. They’ve kept me, and each other, in the loop, and while I was gone what needed to be taken care of and worked on was attended to well.
Sometimes, when I get stuck in all of the immediate issues needing my attention, I break out of the rut by working on things far into the future.
As I’ve wondered how long my recovery after surgery will be and what I will or won’t be able to do, I haven’t looked too far past May 25. But, good long range planning helps me make good decisions about how to be a good steward of my time today.
So, I took my calendar, which goes until August 2011, and started working backwards on some of the events and projects that are farthest out. It gave me both a new perspective and a burst of creative energy.
The high school boys had an inipi (sweat lodge) ceremony for the last Sons of Tradition session of the year. One of the elders from the nearby Crow Creek reservation came to campus to lead the prayer ceremony.
We always make participation optional, and some students chose instead to help with the fire or the meal. It was the first inipi for two of our students, and I listened as Chris shared how good he felt after going in and praying with others in that traditional way.
I joined the group for the feed afterwards – delicious Indian Tacos with freshly made fry bread.