Today I participated in a rather peculiar event. At the high school I went to, homecoming queen is not a popularity or beauty contest but rather an interview based recognition by a panel of alums who grill the candidates one at a time. In a twisted respect it is gratifying, but I'll keep that soap box for another day.
There are 4 candidates for each. The girls were all ok... one had ratty nail polish and said "definitely" 27 times in 10 minutes - yes I counted, however, I may have missed the first few. The second girl could best be described as a hippy, but would never be accused of being a conversationalist. Finally #3 was polished and had a stellar resume. She made eye contact, smiled and provided articulate answers to our various questions. Candidate #4 let her true self shine through, she put on no airs... when we asked what she drew from her prep school education she shared that it wasn't her education that taught her the most important thing in her life, but life itself. She offered to us that all people are intrinsically good and should be treated with respect and kindness, those who do not appear good are really the most needful of kindness. She hoped that she could live up to this lesson for the rest of her life.
How insightful from a 17 year old girl!
The boys were a different animal! They gave one word answers, one showed up in a Hawaiian shirt and one with a lei?... The first one was flippant and his resume stated that his weakness was that he wasn't nice to everyone... I almost actually laughed out loud. The one that really resounded with me was #3. He spoke on the fact that he has learned to learn from his mistakes... amazing... he really should share this with adults, especially those involved in relationships or contemplating new ones. Of course that sent me off thinking about mistakes... is that what they are? Are they divine lessons specially crafted specifically for each of us and do we learn a lesson or are mistakes a life-size experiment supporting operant conditioning? I suppose the actions that we affirmatively take are most generally based on a reason, so does the action proving to be a mistake invalidate the reason or is it all just part of the process?
No matter how we couch mistakes, they each lay a brick in the foundation of who we are. Sometimes the mistake bricks are laid with much more stability and fortitude than the fortunate bricks. How have your bricks been laid; Who laid them; Do you take accountability for the straight ones and those that are off kilter? This is a tremendous reflection item for meditation or prayer. Look inside yourself and see where the bricks came from.
Oh ya... Girl #3 and Boy #2 (who didn't provoke any insightful thought, but was well spoken and brought much to the community at the school and town at large) were the alum selections and they will be honored on Saturday, as will I as the member of the Alumni Council, for community service. - I do a lot in the community, well more than the others at least.
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