College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
As a child I participated in a theatrical production about fire. The production has three movements. At one point we danced around a pile of TVs on stage to represent a large bonfire. Later we were asked to escape a burning building. When asked what I would take from my home in a fire I quickly answered car keys. Apparently at 8 years old I was going to drive away from that burning mess.
I waited all day for a package. It never came. I felt a little sad and all I wanted to do was eat some junk food. Did I binge and get upset? No, I understood that amid COVID-19 more people are shopping online, I understood that my order was a luxury and not a necessity. How do I deal with disappointment, it’s a typical pattern.
Address Disappointment
What’s the point?
Have you ever had those moments where you wonder why you’re doing something?
You take a moment and think, no one cares, no one wants this, no one notices this.
That’s when you have to look inside and ask, why? Is this for you or is it to please others. Now is a great time to stop, reassess and find compromise.
Have you ever stared at an object so beautiful that you couldn’t look away? The stars in the night sky, the face of your child, the ocean at sunset.
Have you ever heard a sound so comfortable that you lost track of time? The laughter of a child, your favorite childhood song, crickets in the forest.
On my quest to further understand memory encoding I decided to delve into the biological processes that create memory. As an educator it’s important that I understand this process because my goal is memory retention.
When my life comes to a close I wonder what stories they’ll tell. Will there be narratives of bravery in the face of adversity, stories of compassion in moments of trouble or quips about the funny things I said.
There’s no way to know exactly what history will report so, I must live my life in away so that everything is worthy of note.
Failure only comes to those who lack passion and love for the task at hand.
There is no success without passion. There is no love without understanding. There is no power without cooperation. The reality is that the greatest leaders are followers, playing a role in a successful system. The sun will rise tomorrow but, will you be here to enjoy that warmth?
There are three important elements I consider when trying to take a good, long distance picture. Stability, clarity and purpose.
First, to get a clear picture, I need to make sure that the camera is stable. So, I use a tri-pod.
Second, when I zoom in, the atmosphere tends to wash out the image. To see the image clearly, I need to take photographs on a clear day and use editing software to render a usable image.
My brand, is persistence.
I once thought my brand was perfection. But as I looked around I realized my life was far from perfect. It’s amazing for what I have but, far from perfect. As such, I am a poster child for blind optimism.