Tuesday, June 21, 2005Rocking the WorldThis blog has been culled from an email I sent last week. I sent it the morning after an emotional graduation day as my son said good-bye to the school he's been attending for the last eight years. It was a moving and exhausting day. And I wasn't ready to stop the conversation with the parents, teachers and administrators that had gone through the experience with me.During the luncheon, we had all stood up to say something about what the years at Walden had meant to us. I don't remember anyone actually finishing their statements before tears overcame them. My friend Bridget summed it all up by simply imploring everyone to read my book (as a writer who could ASK for more?) Then, when it was my turn... MY turn -- the articulate writer, the writer of The (Aforementioned) Book, the person who loves words and lives and breathes great beautiful sentences -- I stood up and completely froze. In front of my favorite and most trusted people in the world, after the endorsement of the century... I stood up, forgot the names of just about everyone I wanted to mention, totally blanked, and then sat down, only to relive the debacle over and over again for the next 12 hours. To top it off, there was a nice-sized earthquake about 15 minutes later... something I could've used SO well to launch a brilliant metaphoric riff that really would have done justice to the moment. But it was too late and I'd had my moment of, ah, glory. So this is what I wrote to everyone the next day. Because Walden is very much about conservation and economy of resources, I'm sure my fellow Walden people will forgive a little recycling of content... I don't know what happens when I stand up to speak in front of people, but my brain usually goes one way and my tongue goes another; I have no control over what ensues. So, with the help of a good night's sleep and a shower (where all good ideas occur), here's what I really meant to say... Yesterday, we rocked the world. Literally. And in intent. I don't think it was the least bit accidental that we had an earthquake right in the middle of the luncheon. We were doing big things. We were ushering in the future. What I thought during the earthquake (after "Yikes! An earthquake!") was along the lines of "OK, then, bring it on. There is no one I'd rather be smothered in rubble with than this group of people." Which really is a declaration of love and trust. The two things that are really what Walden is all about. Henry David Thoreau did not start out to create a Movement. When he decided to go hang out by the pond for awhile he didn't wait for petitions to be signed or congress to say it was OK. He didn't do it so there'd be a school named after him or a blog invoking his name many years later. He didn't do it to change the world, and he didn't do it FOR anyone else. He just... did it. He followed his instincts, gave credence to his heart's instructions, and went to go think things over for awhile. And he had the good sense to write a lot of his thoughts down. One person. One person created a legacy that we are still mining and getting juicy riches from. One person listened, and followed, and cared to share his experiences. Yesterday, we sent 22 very similar people out into the world. Twenty-two young people who, with the love and guidance of us as parents and teachers, now have a clue that it's OK to listen to their heart and follow its directions, with respect and decency and their wise minds. From Belle and her guitar, to Matthew Goldstein bringing politics to the podium. To the beautiful music of Jed and Amelia, to the tender heart of Julianne. Every one of those brave, articulate, caring young men and women who spoke yesterday have learned the beginnings of wisdom. They are all individuals who know their individuality and worth. What an incredible gift to the world. And it's not just the twenty two children. As Bob Inman said, he felt like a better parent just being around the community. We all got to share in that sense of wonder and decency and respect and care. We all left the school play or the back to school nights feeling a little more like HDT and a little less like the unabomber (the other guy who went off into the woods). At least I did. When people shake their heads and tsk about how the world is going to hell in a handbasket, I want to remember yesterday and have the force of mind to say No, it's not. I've seen where the world is going. And it's good. It's at least twenty-two people better than it was 12 years ago. # posted by Katherine Doughtie Nolan @ 12:52 PM  
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