WEEKEND MUSING: DARE WE?Dear Usdan community: About 10 years ago, I was walking around Nolita in Manhattan with a dear friend who cracks me up. We were peeking at a store window that had incredibly cool bathing suits, like nothing I had owned or even seen before. My friend turned to me and said “dare we?”. She proceeded to head inside. “Dare we?” just made me laugh so hard. For years, I’ve been saying it to myself when there is something I want that is in front of me, something that is actually not very naughty, but enough out of the range of the possible that I need a little boost to indulge. Work this week, honestly, was tough. With so much uncertainty in the months ahead, I’ve been working with my brilliant colleagues and our dedicated board to decide what the best path forward is for Usdan. For its kids and families, and for the institution itself. What happens if we open in June, July? What happens if we aren’t allowed to open at all? What happens if we decide not to open and then learn we could have? How can we plan for all of these scenarios simultaneously when time and our resources as a nonprofit are extremely tight? I keep thinking about this dream I have. You may have had it too, especially if you live in a small apartment or home. It’s the dream when you see a door in your home and think, “What’s that?”. Then you go and open the door and, dumbfounded, remember that you have a whole other room you aren’t using. I keep wanting to find that kind of door in my brain. Maybe behind that door is the solution to this summer. At the end of one work day, I felt down and worried and insufficient for not being able to figure this out. Knowing myself, I set out on a long walk to rebalance, and called some friends. The “Dare we?” friend was free to talk. In seconds, she had me hysterically laughing. The uncontrollable feeling of my stomach chortling was so unfamiliar and so refreshing. I realized that I had not laughed like that in weeks. A closed part of me re-opened, and I had a realization. I told my friend how happy she was making me at a time when I truly needed the boost. Then, I asked her: “Wait, did anyone say we aren’t allowed to laugh our way through this quarantine? I know my kids can’t go to school; I know my colleagues and I cannot work together in the office as we love to do; I am positive I cannot see plays or go to museums, but did I miss the Executive Order banning laughter? We’re still allowed to laugh, right?” Is laughter truly an option for us? Have people realized this option all this time and I just came to it? Can we laugh through this? Dare we? Dare we? Wishing you some laughs this weekend, Lauren Brandt Schloss, Executive Director USDAN'S FUTURE NEEDS U!For over fifty years, Usdan has brought together world-class teachers and visitings artists to teach and collaborate with campers ages 5 to 18 in nature. Due to the pandemic, we are experiencing a major decline in tuition income and greater expenses overall. If it matters to you that Usdan makes it through this difficult time, please consider making a donation today. Your generosity will help us build creative resources for our community to keep creativity alive when we need it most, and support our mission to instill in young people the desire and drive to creatively contribute to the world now and for the rest of their lives. Looking for ways to stay creatively engaged with your children at home? |