Well, Maybe...

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Yesterday, there was news of the potential retirement of one of the greatest athletes any generation has ever seen, Tom Brady. Whether you like him or not, hopefully, you can respect what he has been able to achieve throughout his career, if in fact, this is the end. I mention him because recently in his ESPN series, he presented us with a Chinese proverb that has influenced his career and I found it striking and relevant to all of our lives. The Chinese proverb goes like this:


A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
A few days later the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out “Your horse has returned and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” and the farmer replied “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the mares and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The villagers cried “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all the able-bodied young men for the army. The farmer’s son wasn’t conscripted, because he was still recovering from his injury. His neighbors shouted “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!”, to which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

The moral of this story is that very few events can truly be judged as good or bad, lucky or unlucky, fortunate or unfortunate at the time that they occur. In many situations, only time will tell the whole story. All too often we’re tempted to throw a lot of energy into things that look fantastic on the surface but that may not pay off in the end; equally, we can be drawn into venting our spleens and passing judgment on a minor annoyance or temporary dissatisfaction as if it was the end of the world. Basically, the human psyche has been developed into a mindset that we must react immediately to everything. Our world craves immediacy more than ever before. Patience being a virtue is virtually non-existent. Unfortunately, we are going to experience many of these events, emotions, and feelings in the coming weeks as things related to COVID will change fast and furiously. That's only a portion of whatever a person may encounter over the coming months. In the moment, everything can be bad or good but without time and history to determine how an event will be viewed, there is no real way to determine the correct emotion of a given moment. Ultimately, life brings with it many peaks and valleys, much of which is outside our circle of influence. Throughout history, we have continued to progress and persevere not because people have fought over every little thing, but because we have worked together to find common ground that is acceptable for the masses. There is never any situation that is perfect for everyone, only situations that aim to address the given objective. As we move forward through the coming weeks and things return to a "more normal" state, please keep this in mind that the answer to whether or not something is good or bad, is currently, "well, maybe."  

Rhapsody Collegiate Invitational

Rome Free Academy’s Rhapsody Show Choir will be hosting their Collegiate A Cappella Invitational on Saturday, February 5 at 7:30pm in the RFA Auditorium.  Three college groups will be performing, along with a special guest appearance from RFA’s Select Choir, and show choir Rhapsody.  Tickets are $5, and can be purchased at the door or in advance at the Jervis Public Library or from members of Rhapsody. The three college groups coming to participate and compete are the Union College Dutch Pipers, the Pointercounts from SUNY Potsdam, and Stay Tuned from SUNY Potsdam.

BOE Vacancy

This week, the Board of Education experienced an unanticipated vacancy with the resignation of one of its members. They are currently searching for a candidate to fulfill the seat until the election in May. Interested individuals should submit a letter of interest and a resume to the Board president before February 7, 2022. For more information, please see our website at: https://www.romecsd.org/news_page/school_board_vacancy. 

Upcoming Capital Referendum

This past week, the Board of Education authorized a capital referendum to be voted on by the community that will include security upgrades at all schools, minor building condition survey improvements at all buildings, continued major infrastructure upgrade at RFA including a new fire alarm system, additional roofing, and other needed repairs after 20 years, and a new athletic complex at RFA that includes new tennis courts, a synthetic turf baseball and softball field, and additional practice surfaces for our student-athletes. The vote is scheduled for March 22 and will be utilizing a portion of our capital reserve to ensure that there is a 0% tax impact on our community. More information, including public meetings and presentations regarding the project, will be held over the coming weeks, stay tuned.


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