Melissa,
I love the summer reading list! I will have to add mine, if I can get it down to only a few books.
For the past few days, I have been in a whirlwind of graduation activities. I've been to luncheons, dinners, receptions, ceremonies, banquets, and everything else. Apparently, you need a lot of food to get through these events! I have met parents and grandparents, newborns and partners. I can see why politicians love commencements - there is a captive, happy, well-dressed audience who are emotionally vulnerable. I shed a few tears over some of my departing students.
I have heard some wonderfully inspiring words from colleagues and students as they reflected on this time of year, rich with so many possibilities. When I spoke at a student luncheon on Friday, my intention was to also offer some words of inspiration. But that didn't go exactly as I planned. Instead, I spoke about uncertainty. (Now I understand why I don't get invited to give more commencement talks...I should stick to happier topics!)
Beneath the beautiful dresses and freshly-cleaned suits lurked unsettled souls. Many people are still anxiously waiting to hear about jobs; some have already heard and the news wasn't good. Some are preparing to move back into their parents' house, a move they never thought they would make again. Some are just uncertain about what the future holds, whether the choices they have made are the right choices. Some are wondering if their hard work and sacrifices for a graduate degree have been in vain. So beneath the beautiful exteriors of freshly-scrubbed and newly-minted graduates, there was so much uncertainty that it was palpable to me. So I talked about it. And now I am writing about it.
I think that if there is anything good that can come out of a recession, it is to refocus our attention on those things that are truly important and valuable. I am reading lots of human interest stories of former investment bankers now teaching third grade math classes or honor students electing to major in education instead of business. But shouldn't some of our best and brightest want to pursue careers that impact our nation's future? Public service or education should not be alternate career choices, now that Wall Street is in shambles, but they have been and will always be necessary for the health of our country. Pursue these fields not because you can't get a higher paying job, but because you want to make a difference. Let the uncertainty of career paths available open up new possibilities for service.
I am reading stories about former executives who are now stay-at-home parents, negotiating the carpool lane and the soccer equipment. I pray that when, and if, they go back to their corporate lives, they will have gleaned something powerful about parenthood and the fact that most children just want more of their parents' time and love, and not all the materialistic crap we think they want. Perhaps it takes financial uncertainty to refocus our attention on lasting relationships with family and friends.
Uncertainty can be full of possibilities; it propels us to think more creatively, to dream different dreams, to focus on the tasks that most matter. Uncertainty doesn't have to be the fear of the unknown. Instead, it can be a vehicle for choosing a road or a path we never thought we would take. Or as Robert Frost says best:
| Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— | |
| I took the one less traveled by, | |
| And that has made all the difference. |
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