The Hive Mind

I feel like words like community and village have been overused and now kind of cliché (guilty of using them myself). So, I will put my spin on the ‘collective’ and call it “The Hive Mind”. I believe that only by working together does the Hive… survive (good rhyme I know :P). Every one of us brings something special and unique to the Hive. Where one may fall short another is sure to excel. No one can do it all by themselves. As the saying goes, "jack of all trades, master of none". And I’d rather a master of one.

I went camping for the first time recently and I couldn’t help myself but think of the experience through the lens of The Hive Mind. We all brought something to the Hive. Setting up tents, tarps, cooking, cleaning, watching the kids, making the fire, and so many more. Yes, it was a lot of work in my opinion but watching the Hive operate and find efficiencies was uplifting and energizing. I really like the quote by Albert Einstein, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” We all have “superpowers”. And I know that if the Hive comes together and recognizes everyone’s gifts; we just might make some honey.

Authentic Self

At some point in my life, someone mentioned to me that the way I type is like how I speak in person. So here is me, trying to put my authentic, random, weird self onto this blog. In case it needed to be said, I’m not perfect and obviously I don’t have all the answers. But I believe that together, we will find more.

I thought about this quote yesterday. “It takes a village to raise a child”. And I couldn’t agree more. There are a lot of things that children can learn from one person. But maybe even twice as much from 2. When I think of this, I imagine, a soccer coach teaching my child soccer, a pickleball coach, pickleball, a math teacher who loves math, and a painter who can give my child the confidence to paint from the heart. I want my child to be educated by a village of people passionate about their craft.

That’s really all I have to say for now.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

On that note. I will not use AI to write anything on this blog from this point on. You will get the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Why I’ve Grown to Appreciate Games Without Luck

For a long time, I didn’t really think about luck in games. I just played. But looking back, I realize how often luck became a scapegoat for why things didn’t go my way.

If someone was dealt the right cards, they usually won.If someone kept rolling doubles, they moved further ahead.

And when I won because of those things, I’d usually say out loud: “Wow, I got lucky.” Because deep down, I knew it had very little to do with my skill or my decisions.

I never really felt like I earned those wins. And on the flip side, when I lost, it was easy to blame bad cards or an unlucky roll instead of looking at myself.

That’s probably why I’ve grown to appreciate games like chess.

In chess, I win or lose based entirely on my own choices. If I lose, it’s because I was outplayed or I made a bad decision. There’s no dice, no random draw, no luck to point at. Just me, my thinking, and the consequences of my moves.

Don’t get me wrong… losing still hurts. But I can live with those results because they are mine.

Over time, I realized that kind of personal accountability is something I really value. Owning your decisions. Learning from “mistakes”. Understanding that outcomes are connected to the choices you make.

Watching kids play games without luck, I see those same moments happening in real time. They learn how to win without rubbing it in. How to lose without blaming everything else. How to reflect, adjust, and try again… all while still having fun.

That’s why these types of games stick with me.

Not because they’re “better,” but because they quietly teach sportsmanship, responsibility, and resilience without ever needing a lecture.

And seeing that play out at A New School reminds me why creating the right environment matters. Creating a place where kids can explore, make choices, and learn from them, all at their own pace.