By Sam Keller - August 25, 2020
When I did Zoom calls with my 5-year old daughter this past spring because her preschool had gone remote, it was such a horrific experience for both of us that I became determined to avoid remote schooling this fall. She hated doing Zoom calls. And I didn't blame her one bit. But my wife felt that paying attention in school was her responsibility. So I had to get our preschooler to stare at an iPad even when she didn't want to. Sure enough, tension built up in our household.
And yet now I'm thankful it was such a miserable experience. Because for several years leading up to COVID, my life had been comfortable enough that I didn't have sufficient motivation to pursue audacious dreams. Sometimes, there's just not enough pain.
I'd never wish more pain on any of you, but that may be what you need. In my case, I had to get to the point where, as a father, it felt viscerally repulsive to think of my daughter starting kindergarten remotely. I had to create a different reality for her.
I bet this autumn, as millions of families experience continued remote learning, many of them will get to the breaking point. Not everyone can head off to Tahiti, obviously. But the discomfort will be intense enough to catalyze some cathartic changes.
May you receive whatever motivation you need to doggedly forge your dreams into reality.