We exchanged a letter, the Dean of Admission and I in which he said Mazal Tov and I said thank you. It was one of those surreal moments to me that I could not have predicted but smile at because life is funny.
It is like when you meet someone who tells you that if they had a boy they would have named them Joshua and a million other little things happen that provide connections.
Life is so very funny and sometimes those aforementioned connections come in the strangest ways. The most recent was when I discovered one of my father’s first cousin’s family lived a couple doors down from my great-grandparents in Chicago.
There is no familial relationship between them so I suspect it is just a coincidence with no mystery behind it. I am not sure if the families even knew each other and only have one shot at confirming as everyone is gone but one cousin.
The one cousin who is left will be 97 soon. I have left word asking if he remembers them.
Sometimes I wonder about why people do or do not do things and whether their motivation is based upon logic, reason or something else.
Some might say the same about me and I suppose some answers could be found in letters written and conversations had or yet to be.
Presentation/How You Say It
A thousand years ago a college professor in a graphic arts class told me my presentations were of inferior quality and that I ought to work harder.
I pushed back and asked if he paid attention to what was being said and not the packaging it was wrapped in.
He tried to motivate me by suggesting if I used that approach with dating I was unlikely to get very far.
“Professor, I try not to date the shallow women who are more interested in what I look like, drive or have in my pocket. If they listen to my words, if they hear my voice I do just fine. Maybe your issue is focusing too hard on the exterior and not what lies inside.”
That last part didn’t endear me or win any points. I didn’t think his criticism was valid and believed he didn’t like me.
I still don’t think he liked me, but he probably wasn’t too far afield in suggesting I pay more attention to the packaging.
There is value in it and I am less skilled at some of that than at crafting content. Certainly more interested in pushing hard to produce something with the idea that I can adapt, adjust and polish on the fly.
That has its place but there are moments when it is better to measure twice and cut once.
It is a conversation I have had with the kids and colleagues. Ample time has been spent discussing presentation because sometimes you won’t be heard unless craft and package in particular ways.
Sometimes I think it is silly but experience has taught me to be selective about when I try to push the river.
Take A Chance & Just Write
Got a couple of songs floating around inside my head and the advice I have given so many times.
“Take a chance and just write. Put pen to paper and share the raw and honest thoughts and see what happens. Follow it up in person and then do it all again.”
There is magic waiting for those who have the will to reach for it. You don’t manifest it solely by thought, it comes through action too for those who dare to try.
Sometimes you hear an answer and sometimes not. Some say silence is agreement, some say it is something else.
But if you never take a chance you never find out anything now do you.
That is the purpose of posting, seeking answers to a thousand different questions, some profound and some not so much at all.
Words can be water or wine as some have said–both can be sources of joy and life. They can also be less…desirable.
But those who sit in the dark while others toil know none of the gain. You have to reach for the prize in order to secure it or content yourself to never know.
