Back in the 90s it was all I could do to get into college. My grades sucked. My attitude sucked. I came from little means and from afar it probably looked like I had a one way ticket to Palookaville.
Thankfully I had some athletic ability and a coach who doubled as our schools guidance counselor. He arranged for some trustee at a small Northeastern PA school to grab some head cases and bring them all for a campus visit. I remember it being kinda late for all this. January? February?
I had taken the SATs a few times and distinctly remember falling asleep during one test. You guessed it, my scores didnt afford me the luxury of being lazy in the classroom. Listen, I was undiagnosed adhd with some ocd sprinkled in for good measure. That is my diagnosis from having lived on Earth nearly 50 years. It has gotten better, but I am clearly still ill.
In any event I took the tour. The campus had some pretty buildings. It was located on the Susquehanna River and charming. My big takeaways were 1) it was so mountainous headed into town they had runaway truck ramps and 2) the school seemed to have interest in me.
It would be the only school I visited. My coach/counselor pleaded with their Admissions department a few weeks later to accept me. "Hes a good kid, will work hard to give it his all. He just needs a chance."
That was it. That was the extent of my process. There was really no other choice. The plan was to go to college. First in my family to do so and my parents probably went further into debt to make it happen.
But I didnt fuck it up. Coach was right and I did get my shit together. I double majored. I deans listed. I managed to spend time getting to know myself and various drugs and drink. It was a proper college experience without ANY real foresight on what/how to do it.
Fast forward to 2020 and I am prepared to send off my only child to college. The process, to say the least, has been markedly different.
Before we began in earnest our official tours, sometime in her junior year, this was a young woman who has been on many college campuses.
A trip to DC inevitably meant a walk around Georgetown. Vacations in NC were often times sidetracked with strolls through Duke, or UNC Wilmington, Chapel Hill, and NC State. She knew the formula well. How are the cafeterias gluten free options? Does their gym have Peloton machines? What kind of entertainment do they bring in? A list, right? Otherwise what are we talking about really?
Ok maybe it wasn't that obnoxious, but holy shit these schools are friggin amazing. On a visit to LA last year we walked Loyola Marymount. Overlooking the Pacific and City of Angels on pristine lawns it was easy to fall in love. But who can go to school there?? It is too pretty!! I cant send someone 3000 miles away and expect her to go to class. It is a country club with classes.
Good news is she got deferred!
Not really good news, but you get the point.
The greater issue is how can these kids enjoy their final year? I detailed my senior year process, not that others should follow. Admittedly my process was too lax and I was fortunate. I had classmates that were in a different grind and made significant efforts to get to "the" school. However I would see those same students gathered around the keg each weekend. There was ample time for fun and the innocence of age 17.
WE INTERRUPT THIS SHITTY BLOG TO BRING YOU COVID 19 PANDEMIC!!!!
Yeah, so, about enjoying senior year... I started that train of thought a few weeks back. Remember, when there were things??
Now NYC school seems like distant memory. My daughter will likely spend her last half year of high school in her bedroom. No prom. No final sports season. No walk down the aisle in her schools majestic church.
This is the new normal.
And enough of the self pity and "Oh shit she has been robbed of those memories." Sure, it is unfortunate. But as I was saying above the high school experience had been a bust anyway. She may have had some great memories. Her (and her mother's) planned Italy trip didn't happen either. BUMMER FOR SURE!
Interrupted. All of it.
OK, so now what? My daughter is gonna be fine. So, too are her classmates. If anyone is able to learn remotely and adapt to an ever changing world, its these kids. College and/or whatever future will happen. Things will get back to normal.
But how will WE handle it?
This is the cleanse and purge we so desperately needed.
The Earth is cleaning its air and water.
We are less reliant on cars for a bit.
We are seeing how the blue collar and service industry is more vital than many perceive. How much do you think fast food workers should make now? How about gas station attendants? Grocery store clerks? Bankers? TEACHERS???
This is where the inequality between classes comes back and bites us? If we were invaded by several countries our military would be ready to handle anything and everything! Do we need all the weapons? Why do we buy guns when a virus hits anyway? Can you shoot this thing dead? We do love our shiny weapons? Can our country really be full of small dicked fraidy cats?
The bigger question is: Can a brother get a hospital bed? Respirator? Affordable Health Care??
Is this the Country we want? Is this the best we are?
So this cleanse should be teaching us to value ALL workers. The chain should be reassessed. It must be.
The way we work must be different. There will be more remote or stay at home labor. Meetings will be virtual or replaced by emails. Shouldn't they have been years ago anyway?
That is not to say offices will be obsolete. But it must be re-imagined. Will employers be mindful of what is needed? Will they pivot correctly?
Will this get us off our asses? Will we get outside and walk/bike/work out more? We should! We have been the past few weeks.
Move. Change. Pivot. The signs are all there.
Macro changes have forced us to look inward. Do we need to horde toilet paper? Do we need ALL the things?
Or do we only need a connection? Cooperation? Shared views of the joy that has been staring at us all along?
The news of the day is horrifying, don't mistake me. I have to be in NYC here and there for work and the vibe and scene is eerie. I measured a job yesterday in Holmdel NJ (at a large mall like structure.) NO one was in the massive building and I was certain I was in a reboot of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. It is dystopian. It is scary. I get it.
It is not, however, end times. This is an opportunity to look within. To find out what really matters and how you plan on spending the rest of your days here.
We have been given a look into how fragile this all is. How will you be remembered?
I am hopeful we will all be part of the solution- and make each day better than the last.
Peace
HB
Thankfully I had some athletic ability and a coach who doubled as our schools guidance counselor. He arranged for some trustee at a small Northeastern PA school to grab some head cases and bring them all for a campus visit. I remember it being kinda late for all this. January? February?
I had taken the SATs a few times and distinctly remember falling asleep during one test. You guessed it, my scores didnt afford me the luxury of being lazy in the classroom. Listen, I was undiagnosed adhd with some ocd sprinkled in for good measure. That is my diagnosis from having lived on Earth nearly 50 years. It has gotten better, but I am clearly still ill.
In any event I took the tour. The campus had some pretty buildings. It was located on the Susquehanna River and charming. My big takeaways were 1) it was so mountainous headed into town they had runaway truck ramps and 2) the school seemed to have interest in me.
It would be the only school I visited. My coach/counselor pleaded with their Admissions department a few weeks later to accept me. "Hes a good kid, will work hard to give it his all. He just needs a chance."
That was it. That was the extent of my process. There was really no other choice. The plan was to go to college. First in my family to do so and my parents probably went further into debt to make it happen.
But I didnt fuck it up. Coach was right and I did get my shit together. I double majored. I deans listed. I managed to spend time getting to know myself and various drugs and drink. It was a proper college experience without ANY real foresight on what/how to do it.
Fast forward to 2020 and I am prepared to send off my only child to college. The process, to say the least, has been markedly different.
Before we began in earnest our official tours, sometime in her junior year, this was a young woman who has been on many college campuses.
A trip to DC inevitably meant a walk around Georgetown. Vacations in NC were often times sidetracked with strolls through Duke, or UNC Wilmington, Chapel Hill, and NC State. She knew the formula well. How are the cafeterias gluten free options? Does their gym have Peloton machines? What kind of entertainment do they bring in? A list, right? Otherwise what are we talking about really?
Ok maybe it wasn't that obnoxious, but holy shit these schools are friggin amazing. On a visit to LA last year we walked Loyola Marymount. Overlooking the Pacific and City of Angels on pristine lawns it was easy to fall in love. But who can go to school there?? It is too pretty!! I cant send someone 3000 miles away and expect her to go to class. It is a country club with classes.
Good news is she got deferred!
Not really good news, but you get the point.
The greater issue is how can these kids enjoy their final year? I detailed my senior year process, not that others should follow. Admittedly my process was too lax and I was fortunate. I had classmates that were in a different grind and made significant efforts to get to "the" school. However I would see those same students gathered around the keg each weekend. There was ample time for fun and the innocence of age 17.
WE INTERRUPT THIS SHITTY BLOG TO BRING YOU COVID 19 PANDEMIC!!!!
Yeah, so, about enjoying senior year... I started that train of thought a few weeks back. Remember, when there were things??
Now NYC school seems like distant memory. My daughter will likely spend her last half year of high school in her bedroom. No prom. No final sports season. No walk down the aisle in her schools majestic church.
This is the new normal.
And enough of the self pity and "Oh shit she has been robbed of those memories." Sure, it is unfortunate. But as I was saying above the high school experience had been a bust anyway. She may have had some great memories. Her (and her mother's) planned Italy trip didn't happen either. BUMMER FOR SURE!
Interrupted. All of it.
OK, so now what? My daughter is gonna be fine. So, too are her classmates. If anyone is able to learn remotely and adapt to an ever changing world, its these kids. College and/or whatever future will happen. Things will get back to normal.
But how will WE handle it?
This is the cleanse and purge we so desperately needed.
The Earth is cleaning its air and water.
We are less reliant on cars for a bit.
We are seeing how the blue collar and service industry is more vital than many perceive. How much do you think fast food workers should make now? How about gas station attendants? Grocery store clerks? Bankers? TEACHERS???
This is where the inequality between classes comes back and bites us? If we were invaded by several countries our military would be ready to handle anything and everything! Do we need all the weapons? Why do we buy guns when a virus hits anyway? Can you shoot this thing dead? We do love our shiny weapons? Can our country really be full of small dicked fraidy cats?
The bigger question is: Can a brother get a hospital bed? Respirator? Affordable Health Care??
Is this the Country we want? Is this the best we are?
So this cleanse should be teaching us to value ALL workers. The chain should be reassessed. It must be.
The way we work must be different. There will be more remote or stay at home labor. Meetings will be virtual or replaced by emails. Shouldn't they have been years ago anyway?
That is not to say offices will be obsolete. But it must be re-imagined. Will employers be mindful of what is needed? Will they pivot correctly?
Will this get us off our asses? Will we get outside and walk/bike/work out more? We should! We have been the past few weeks.
Move. Change. Pivot. The signs are all there.
Macro changes have forced us to look inward. Do we need to horde toilet paper? Do we need ALL the things?
Or do we only need a connection? Cooperation? Shared views of the joy that has been staring at us all along?
The news of the day is horrifying, don't mistake me. I have to be in NYC here and there for work and the vibe and scene is eerie. I measured a job yesterday in Holmdel NJ (at a large mall like structure.) NO one was in the massive building and I was certain I was in a reboot of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. It is dystopian. It is scary. I get it.
It is not, however, end times. This is an opportunity to look within. To find out what really matters and how you plan on spending the rest of your days here.
We have been given a look into how fragile this all is. How will you be remembered?
I am hopeful we will all be part of the solution- and make each day better than the last.
Peace
HB
I enjoyed reading this Henry. I feel like we are talking in person the way you write my friend. Zach was able to finish his senior year of HS last yr and I realized he was lucky to. Now his first yr of college is interrupted but it's no big deal compared to the last yr of HS. But I agree these kids adapt well. Keep on keeping on in NYC brother love!
ReplyDeletehey there- thanks and great to hear from you. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE lets get together when this all ends. Much peace and love. H
ReplyDeleteHenry... this is awesome... and so beautifully written... thank you for this... Much love to you and your family... and yes I hope there is a change and greater appreciation... especially for those in the service industry .... Covid 19 has, I hope, made everyone more aware .
ReplyDelete