Valued, Accepted, Celebrated
A Mission Moment share by Humble Haven’s Founder, Suzanne Burns
A couple of weeks ago I sat at a table with educators and school administrators to review my daughter’s progress, goals, and plan for her future supports within the school environment. Within that conversation, I realized that June’s Kindergarten classroom had grown into its own, thriving ecosystem. Just like so many public school classrooms, hers is filled with kids of different backgrounds, races, communication styles, and abilities.
June is currently considered non-verbal and yet, she has classmates that “speak June”, are “her best friend”, help her find her glasses when she loses them, and even help pinch the triangle of her chocolate milk carton open when she can’t quite get it.
In being confronted by June’s classroom ecosystem, I couldn’t help but think of Humble Haven – a space that brings people of different abilities and backgrounds together to form and sustain a web of support.
It got me thinking, what’s the recipe to make it work? And where I’ve landed is that these ecosystems of my life that don’t just survive, but thrive are ones that value, accept, and celebrate those that are a part of it.
While Humble Haven offers a core group of services, I often hear from students that “every teacher is so different”. Things like…
Cyn’s calming voice, cues, and soulful way of leading.
Billy’s steady, strong, and comforting instruction.
Camille’s ability to push and nurture students all at the same time.
Rachel’s encouraging nature to help new students get acclimated to the studio and when trying something new.
Team members and students at Humble Haven certainly have experiences and interests in common, but no two are exactly alike. So how do we get to valuing, accepting, and celebrating one another when we can be a little or a lot different?
We show up as ourselves and allow others to do the same. We allow the yoga practice to teach us about awareness and residing in the present moment so we can wholly see ourselves and others.
Take a moment to acknowledge what you value, accept, and celebrate about yourself today and do the same for those you find yourself sharing space with. And may our individual ecosystems, big and small, be the start of spreading value, acceptance, and celebration.