With the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Covid and re-opening of in-person classes, these two incoming seniors wanted to make sure that they could still connect with their classmates.

Last March, as the pandemic took hold, Kaitlyn and Bella saw the seniors in their high school lose the opportunity to experience key moments to mark the celebration of their final year: prom, spring break and graduation came and went without the typical fanfare. That's when they decided to create a ritual to make sure their senior class would have moments to experience and savor together.

They invited their fellow classmates and friends to join them for a Senior Sunrise to celebrate their last first day of school together. As they pulled into the school parking lot just like they had done in years past, they felt an overwhelming sense of normalcy. Remaining 6 ft apart and masked, the girls did not feel disconnected by the physical distancing. The girls reflected, “So much of school is being together socially. We really hope in-person instruction will return soon, we miss our teachers too!” While aware of their longing to be back in their familiar setting, the girls described feelings of happiness, hope and connection from watching the sunrise together in this way. When asked if they will do another Senior Sunrise at the end the year, Bella replied, “We are thinking a Senior Sunset would be more fitting.”
 
Mindfulness is about taking time out to pause and feel the richness and beauty of ordinary moment. These two seniors tapped into their own wisdom to create a ritual to help them be present to the moment, to feel more connected to one another and to the natural world, and to instill a memory that they could savor. We can take inspiration from these students: to remember that even in times of hardship we can derive meaning and joy by creating experiences from ordinary moments we so often take for granted. We can develop simple rituals that help us re-discover pleasure in our present circumstances and a sense of hope for a better tomorrow.