The Necessary Privilege

[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!

Melanie Faith

Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.

Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.

The Society of Professional Journalists

In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.

I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.

Maxine Greene

Philosopher and Education Scholar

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A Necessary Privilege

A necessary privilege is something that we might need convincing to appreciate. It is something that, a first glance, might not feel like a good thing. It is something that our natural pace and inclination might not initially embrace. It is something that might take time to take hold. It is something that, on balance, leaves us better off but takes while to warm up to.

Mornings are a necessary privilege.

I am not an early riser but I still believe in seizing the morning. Mornings are a time to connect with what matters. Morning are about the importance of coming out of the gate strong. They are a privilege because they are are elementally optimistic. They make failure a temporary situation – there will always be another morning to do better. They teach us, through repetition, that we are hopeful and resilient.

Practice is a necessary privilege.

I believe in practice. I am motivated by seeing growth over time. I learned I love practice during musical rehearsals as a child. Perfecting large musical numbers was thrilling. Now, my yoga practice teaches me that inches of progress are still progress. Distance running teaches me the value of training. Training is practice. Daily writing is practice. I become a stronger writer when I write. There are practice muscles that build when we practice. Practice means showing up, and showing up is important whatever we do.

Love is a necessary privilege.

Love is the most vital necessary privilege. To love one another is what we are all called to do. Poet Mary Oliver reminds us we must let the small animal of our body love what it loves. We must trust. We must forgive. We must reach out. We must grieve. We must do it all again and again and again. We must not relent when we are tested and hurt. We must not retreat to isolation and fear. We will never get it all right. We must simply love.