Perspective

I spent some time at Nick's school last night. It was an opportunity to meet his teachers and walk through his schedule. There's something interesting that happens when you go to school as a parent on a night like last night. Our actions somewhat mirror those of an eighth-grader. Last night we listened to the principle give us instructions. We listened for the bell to signal the beginning of each class. We walked through through the halls, talked to our friends (other parents) in between classes and then entered each classroom, found our seats, listened to the teacher, took notes and anxiously waited for the bell to ring to signal the end of each class. Judging from our actions, we looked liked eighth-graders. But we're not. Our identity is much deeper than what is observable from the outside. Within us lie experiences that give us identity, perspective and purpose. In the world we live in, we sometimes allow the "externals" to define us much more so than we should.