Two grandsons and a niece graduate from
high school this week. All week, I've been trying to come up with
some kind of wisdom to posit with these young people. Graduating high
school is really a big thing, but the truth is that from my vantage
point at 64, all I can see is that they are babes with only vague
ideas about what they want to do next.
And I don't think it should be
otherwise. I don't see how a young person of 17 or 18 can possible
know what he or she wants to do with the rest of life. It seems crazy
to me to ask a kid to not only keep going to school—i.e. college--
but also to choose a major which will lead to life work. So the fact
that these kids have only loosely defined plans for the next year or
so doesn't bother me.
I do think they need to go somewhere
and do something. I just don't think school is necessarily that
thing. A summer of work and some good times with friends is a great
next step after high school. Then it depends on the kid what will
come after that.
These three don't have a great deal in
common except for the fact that each of them has been super engaged
in sports during high school. As I was making their graduation
cards, I realized that I was tapping into this sporting interest for
images for the cards. Then early this morning when I was cutting,
arranging, and pasting pictures of bicycles and skiing onto the
cards, I had a flash that the athletic learning that took place
during my teen years has been the most enduring skill set in my life.
I certainly learned concepts in
Geometry and facts in Government and read classics in English class while in high school,
but it was the skill set that I developed as a competitive swimmer
that has been with me every step of the way into adulthood, middle
age, and on into my twilight years.
I learned to roll out of bed and get to
work early, even when my body was screaming for sleep. I learned to
push through fatigue, exertion, breathlessness, disappointment, and
pain for greater gain. I learned to cooperate, respect authority, and
recognize my self-worth. I learned to win and lose. I learned to
laugh, congratulate, and lean into hard work. I learned how it feels
to come in last and to be first, second, or tenth. I learned how to
be coached and how to mentor. And most of all I learned how to
celebrate!
So graduates—August, Cody, and
Sabrina—remember what you learned on the ski slope, the soccer
field, the bike trail, the softball diamond, the yoga mat! Those were
the lessons that are full of life! And celebrate this landmark
accomplishment.
