The New Normal

It is hard to believe how briskly our world is changing, or maybe this new normal is just reaching its adolescence.  My daughter is a 2001 baby and had but a few short months before the world as we knew it changed forever.  Dates or location names are now adjectives reflecting what happened on that day, by terrorists of all stripes.   Security measures change as new tactics emerge, grow and develop.  What for this generation began as a massive coordinated attack now changes to somewhat smaller, yet no less devastating ones.  As a moody teenager pushing boundaries, the nature of these terror groups have changed, whether scattered or splintered, the tactics are being refined.

Our kids have had active shooter drills since Kindergarten, it is as normal to them as a fire drill.  I have the responsibility of training my staff on what to do or how to best attempt to react in an active shooter situation.  These are all things in our new normal.

I try to keep perspective, that statistically these things are rare.  I try to remain positive yet my heart aches for so many affected daily.  There was a threat, though found not credible, at my child's school earlier this week.  It all does feel very real.   We cannot live in fear or stop living, paralyzed by it.  We will travel next year and introduce our kids to the beauty and history of Europe.  We will send our kids to school as we trust that our wonderful educators will do all they can to keep them safe.  We will continue to go to movies or concerts. We must live fully even in this new normal.  The hope is that these volatile teenage years will pass and a new understanding will emerge to drive our world forward.  My heart goes out to Paris.