Happy New Year, 2022!
Just after writing that sentence, I feel I need to also write this: “Here we go again, huh?”
You don’t need to hear from me how, almost 2 years since Covid became our new reality, we seem to just keep slipping back to where we were, with no end in sight.
It’s easy for us all to wake up in January and realize that we are just doing the same things again: Going about our daily lives, getting kids to school, going to work, or whatever else.
While that can seem overwhelming, I want to look at those words from a different perspective.
It is the slow, determined consistency that creates lasting results. Sometimes that slow consistency seems tedious, like we are simply treading water day in and day out. And we’d prefer immediate results — clear indications that we are making significant progress. But when it comes to making positive changes in the world, it’s the brutal consistency that will do it.
I reflect on that in our work in Lesotho. Being involved in development and relief work, as we are with PCC and MAF, forces us to realize that true results come with time and consistency.
We have started to see some examples of this in the children and staff at Pulane Children’s Centre. The Centre has been open 13 years, and every year that passes we see how the committed love and security provided by the staff and community at PCC rubs off on the children. We are often joyfully surprised at the good choices children are making, and even their willingness to engage in hard conversations after making poor choices. Our staff continue to gain confidence and ownership of their roles. There are few things that delight Emily more than hearing our managers say, “We’ve been discussing this situation and have an idea we want to try.”
When it comes to the support MAF provides through aviation, we also get glimpses of how important consistency is. It’s no good being safe one day, and throwing that all out the window the next. Day after day we have to make sure we are consistently safe, effective, and providing the best service we can to support the healthcare system in the mountains. Helping one person, or one community, at a time and doing it again the next day with the same focus and determination.
It’s tempting to only write stories when we have big, interesting events that happen: Life saving flights, PCC children getting top marks in their classes at school, or new and exciting projects. But the reality is that the most effective work is done in the day to day consistency. That’s what makes the difference.
So as we all step into this new year, join me in refreshing our determination to be consistent.
Consistently keeping ourselves and our families as safe as we can from Covid.
Consistently being patient and seeking understanding in the midst of disagreements.
Consistently working for good in our communities.
