The Next Chapter

One last look from the Colorado deck

O you who first amid so great a darkness were able to raise aloft a light so clear, illumining the blessings of life, you I follow . . .

Lucretius, On the Nature of Things

I have plenty of waiting room time on my hands this morning, as I’m having my vehicle serviced after our 2-week Colorado Odyssey.

Reading Lucretius made me suddenly sit up straight in my chair, and scribble the following in my journal:

This is what I want: to be a beacon to anyone in darkness. To hold out hope. To let them know “it is in you.” Aristotle told us: the oak is in the acorn. It will come out. You have something precious inside you and it will emerge. Don’t suppress it. Nurture it. Write out your thoughts honestly in a journal. Read good writers, good thinkers. Feed yourself. You have it inside you. You have yet to see what can happen if you stay out of your own way.

Retired now from teaching, I haven’t lost the passion to help others trying to find their way in life. And though I no longer walk into an assembly of students seated before me (and believe me, I DON’T REGRET not having a fall semester waiting!), I still hope, through blogging and social conversation, I still have something positive to offer anyone questioning his/her path in life.

Three teachers had the most profound impact on my life when I found myself struggling, and I intend to write tributes to all three in the time ahead. I have always hoped that in my years of service I may have been able to offer the same for at least a few. I believe all teachers have ached for that sense of value.

Thanks for reading.

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