Reflection on Reflection

By Roger Hove
President, International Schools Services, Inc.

It has happened many times in the past:
       a solution that had eluded me suddenly surfaced,
       from a confused situation – clarity emerged,
       inspiration bubbled forth,
       a novel approach took form.

While such events have occurred on many occasions over the years, I had never really taken the time to determine why they happened when they happened. Such events have occurred most recently when I would travel long distances . . . many times while on long flights. But why, at such times, should such providential thinking occur? Perhaps the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, a reknowned Vietnamese monk, help provide an answer:

If we are too busy, if we are carried away every day by our projects, our uncertainty, our craving, how can we have the time to stop and look deeply into the situation . . . . ?

So, when have such occasions occurred? In reflecting on this question, in my life they have occurred while on long flights, while ill in bed, while gazing in the distance at a tranquil sea, or, as is the case at present, while sitting for several hours in a departure lounge between flights. They have occurred at a time when circumstances, whether planned or unplanned, have caused my mind to be cleared from the constant minute-by-minute busyness of the life I have created. Perhaps a lesson can be learned here. Events in our lives that may appear to be routine, boring or even wasted time, may be some of the most constructive and productive times that we have. Is it possible to look forward to that next long, boring flight?

Roger Hove

President