Blog Archives
The Gift
Graduation was less than a week ago, as I write this post. The main speaker throughout was the President of Western Michigan University. It turned out to be a beautiful day in Michigan on the day of the graduation ceremony. In fact, one of the first really nice weather days in awhile, since Spring has been slow in bringing the warmer weather. Dr. Dunn stated that for a closing he usually quotes a well-known leader, such as Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy, or someone similar. For this one ceremony (I cannot confirm the other two), he decided to “Change it up” and return to a time when we were all much younger:
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
I LOVED his choice. It is a good representation for college graduates, too. We have ended one path and have a choice of where we can go next. It is quite an emotional mix of excitement, anxiety, and sadness.
As a part of dealing with my own emotional stew, I signed up for a writing workshop (mentioned in Identity Thief) about rewriting your life. The first week was about the past and the second week was about the present. (Next week, I am attending the 3rd and final session). The part of the discussion I found interesting was the definition of “present.” Since the past is done and dead, and the future is not guaranteed, the present is a gift. Everyday, right now, is a gift.It is such a great way to look at the moment. What are you going to do with your gift today?
On that particular graduation day, I had many, many gifts that deserve acknowledging. Besides the beautiful weather, a gift was being able to celebrate the ceremony with my mom and her husband and also with my brother and sister-in-law afterwards at dinner. Plus, for the ceremony, it was a gift to have friends there, most of whom were my classmates. Another gift, unrelated to graduation, was a new cafe that opened in my neighborhood which is focused on open mics and poetry. I had a chance to meet the owner and look around briefly before going out for the night. That, of course, brings me to the gift of my friends who were able to celebrate following my ceremony, at the bar. It goes further than that, though, since the lead singer of the band that was playing is also one of my friends. He may not have been hired to be there for me, yet, in a sense, he was. I’m so excited that Nate and the 9ers were there. Don’t try to hire them for a wedding or other function, though. They are a combination of Nate’s former band mates (it can vary for each show) who play for the fun of it, without practicing or having a set list. If it sounds like a party, that’s cause it always is, which was a great way to end graduation day.
The celebration began several days before, thanks to the Haworth College of Business, for all the MBA and MSA graduates. I had family represented by my brother, and a close (“sister”) friend there, many classmates, plus faculty and staff. I am even ok about the speech we were required to give before receiving a gift to go along with our certificates of achievement. It’s been a wonderful week.
This all ties back to the Dr. Suess quote, since graduation is done, school is done (for now), and it is time to steer. What do you think?
Thanks for reading (and commenting)!
sundayswithstacy 