Notes 5.11.12
Photos this week: I keep a few cactus plants in large terra cotta pots around the perimeter of our patio, and they are now blooming! Many cactus blossoms last for only one day ( some for only one night ) - many are pollinated by bats or insects of the night.
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It is the season of "Pomp and Circumstance" of flat black hats, academic stoles and Hawaiian leis... Graduation! As I sit and observe the line of students receiving their diplomas, it is a time of reflection for me. I think of the hard work that went into this moment for each student , and the wonderful sense of release . Commencement means "beginning", but really, this is only a stage in the process of becoming.
I think of the many choices made by each student to reach this point...Few people
experience a smooth path in their journey to "becoming”. Working with young adults, I am convinced
that this time in life is one of the most challenging, because it is a time of such critical decisions, made with limited resources.
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| barrel cactus |
In my own life, I remember the effects of chance conversations that opened up new
directions for me. Sometimes it is only a casual word that planted an idea and helped me to make a critical decision. But, there were times when I had to draw on whatever resources I had to make the
best decision I knew how to make at that time... to choose either the safe path or the
path of challenge. (How do we teach a
young child to walk the stony path between 'good' challenges and avoiding dangerous risks?)
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| Night blooming Cereus |
I guess this is where
the school of 'hard knocks' comes in. There are most certainly times of frustration
and anguish when the way seems foggy and steep.... Many tough decisions are lonely. What is the invisible, non-verbal, something
that we learned as a child that keeps us going when we cannot see the way? It can make all the difference.
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| Mammillaria sp. |
I wonder about the random events that have been thrust upon us -
moving to a new location as a child, meeting person X who played a pivotal place
in life.
I think about who we are and the decisions we have made about others - We create wide or narrow circles around the people we encounter... We either accept or reject others into or out of our community. I suppose this is really about fear - are we afraid of what we might lose by opening up to others? Who are 'the others' that we recognize as separate from ourselves. Where did we learn this? What are we afraid of?
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| Opuntia sp. |
If I had been born a woman, or black, or six
feet 4" tall, how would any of these changes have affected who I am
today? Suppose I had been born in
Afghanistan or North Korea ... What different decisions or opportunities would I be facing today? Suppose
instead of growing up in a loving home, I had been raised by abusive or impoverished parents... My
parents each produced a great variety of gametes all potentially available to fertilize the egg that became
me - talk about random chance - if I were the product of any different gamete
combination I would be a different person today!
When I work with interns I may appear as someone who has my "ducks in a
row" with regard to my teaching skills. I wish these folks could know the
challenges, blind alleys, and daily courage that led me to where I am today...(Far from feeling
like I have all the answers - I feel like I have all the questions... and some working conclusions that work for me most of the time...).
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| Mammillaria sp. |
I am aware of problems and questions in education that I
wish I could answer. I care so much for
individual students who for some reason don’t feel connected to the world of
hope and possibility - but have turned away by the age of 15 or 12... I see bright capable kids growing up in
blighted poverty ridden communities... with half a chance they could make major
contributions to our collective future... but their chances of surviving the streets, or
receiving the help they need... it is oh so slim... I look at a classroom of these kids so full
of hope and positive energy and I think about the chances of success... It
makes me wish so much that I could do more...
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| Barrel Cactus |
I fret over whether these eager new graduates will find work in todays economy, do they have the skills that they need? And then I remember the resilience of the human spirit. These folks will do alright . Most of them have the knowledge and adaptability to adjust to the world as they find it. Many will thrive. For them all, the processes of change and growth are not coming to any end with commencement - but instead truly "commencing" ... a new beginning.
So all these thoughts and more go through my mind as I sit listening to the names of all the graduating students being read. Adams to Zamora...
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