Everywhere I look, there are signs of normalcy returning to our world as we emerge from our pandemic existence. The word “normal” courses through my mind a lot these days. For many, this means simply returning to life as we knew it before the pandemic. However, after deep consideration, I’ve decided that I don’t want to go back to normal. In retrospect, normal should have never been normal. We deserve so much more.

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As I approach the end of another calendar year, I reflect on what has passed, what I have learned, and what life presents me in the new year ahead. I have always thought that my birthday is a far more important time for reflection as it is, in fact, the start of a new year. However, as this year comes to a close I find great solace in the words of Sun Tzu from “The Art of War”. In my humble opinion, it is one of the most profound statements written.

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As the story goes in Aesop’s Fables, there was a goose that laid a golden egg every day. The owners of the goose, believing that the golden eggs were due to some internal lump of gold, killed the goose. Their short-sighted desire for gold removed the capacity to produce the golden eggs in the first place. In Austin, we have our own musical golden goose, and we’re slowly but steadily killing it.

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Horses will do what horses will do. You’ve done your utmost best by walking alongside the student, the patient, or the family member to lead them to the proverbial water. In the end, they still refuse to drink from the fountain of your guidance, wisdom, and support. While this might provoke frustration or disbelief - or worse - we have many choices in what to do when the inevitable happens.

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