I’m picturing a high school football game complete with all the pieces that make it an American tradition. Stadium seating. Cheesy announcers. High school teenagers in the bleachers, socializing, flirting and checking their Instagram feed. Hot dogs and candy. And of course, cheerleaders. Get the picture? Good. Now let’s home in on those cheerleaders.
The cheerleaders are singing a chant and it’s a familiar one. It is the “Victory” chant, that goes like this:
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
That’s the Wolverine’s battle cry!
Victory, victory, ooooh victory!
Now that the stage is set, I want to change it around a bit. Instead, I’m picturing myself and our TDRPD team cheering away-but we are cheering a different chant to a different audience. Our audience is the community, the kids and families that call this place home. Our chant sounds like this:
B-U-R-N-O-U-T
That’s the way we spell maybe!
Burnout, exhaustion, ooooh indecision!
Here we are, in October of 2021 and the #MountainForward gas tank needs some refueling.
I'm not one to dwell on negativity. In fact, I am quite the opposite- I’m a “glass is half full,” “a smile is the window to your heart,” and a “let’s get to yes” kind of person. But it has been rough lately for several reasons. TDRPD is still short staffed. We still have monster waitlists for childcare programs. And we are still in a global pandemic. Staff is balancing all this while trying to decide if we can host another Halloween event, bring the Ski Swap back for 2021 and how the heck to get all the families the childcare they so desperately need. It’s been hard to get to yes.
I know that our team at TDRPD are not the only ones experiencing burnout. Burnout is everywhere- spanning every demographic and every situation. The virus is almost at its two-year anniversary and not showing any signs of disappearing. People are tired and nerves are fried. But this is a #MountainForward post, I remind myself. It is time to persevere! To keep moving! To sing a different chant.
So, we do. We lift one another up by covering shifts, sharing nice words and having fun at work. We take time off to be with family, exercise, find solitude and play. We listen, learn, adapt and persevere. And we know that we are winners. Our programs, parks, facilities and staff (that we do have) rock. We are winning, overall, as a District. We are victorious and we can’t be brought down.
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
That’s the District’s battle cry!
Victory, victory, ooooh vctory!