By Adam C. Rohdie
Our Upper School History Teacher Jim Cullen wrote the following piece on his Substack just before Thanksgiving and I was struck by his sincere admiration of a co-worker, and her ability to see the sunny side of life—every day. He also wonders at the motivation behind her work, is it to earn a living or simply to spread happiness or both? No matter the reason, no matter the work, as educators, parents, and guardians of our youth, I hope we instill in them a sense of passion and positivity as they prepare to pursue their life’s purpose.
Thankful for the Thankful
As someone who lacks a sunny disposition, I’ve learned to appreciate those who have one. To a great extent, I regard this as a God-given gift—the result of a genetic endowment that is only one of life’s many mysteries. However, I also recognize that, like many gifted individuals, this attribute is one whose value grows and deepens with time and disciplined application.
The people who, in my childhood, were known by the now antiquated term “lunch ladies”—individuals who prepare and serve food to children—are linchpin figures, and usually end up in such a role because it requires a good dollop of social skills. I happen to work in a well-endowed institution where the dining services operation, like so many others at the school, is first-rate. However, even in that context, my colleague Antoinette stands out in a category of her own. For Antoinette, every single day is, to quote her, “a beautiful day!” and if it happens to be raining cats and dogs, there will be a twinkle in her eye as she says so. Any given morning will provide an opportunity to help her garden, prompt her to cook something to reflect the weather, or to soak up the sunshine. Antoinette is on the job at dawn, and I will sometimes find her manning a catering table thirteen hours later at a school function with the same bright expression, even as fatigue asserts its claim on her. She makes an omelette with the same brio she replaces a tray of home fries, and banters with the kitchen staff all day long. (Her nickname for me: “young man.”) You find yourself smiling despite yourself.
Antoinette is married to our assistant director of technology—a similarly sunny Colombian native with whom she has a daughter who graduated from the school—and at one point owned a beloved local delicatessen that she sold. So it’s not clear to me that she actually needs this job. For the money, anyway. I hope any students reading these words will understand that good work is so much more than a degree, a title, or a salary.
Gratitude is a complicated emotion. It can’t be willed into existence, and is a gift in its own right when we find it conferred upon us, accompanied as it sometimes is with earned humility. Like the elusive and yet irresistible grace of God, as the Pilgrims who celebrated that first Thanksgiving in the fall of 1621 understood it. I’m glad they came. And that Antoinette followed.
– By Jim Cullen, Greenwich Country Day School, Upper School History Teacher
This holiday season, I hope you all find a little space to see life’s sunny side. Let’s show our children that there’s joy to be found—and shared—every single day.
Adam C. Rohdie is Head of School, history teacher, and coach at Greenwich Country Day School.
