How Fascinating!

Today I am homeward bound after being gone from home for seven straight days.  It is a long time to be away from family, but as I've mentioned throughout the week it is well worth the investment.  These students from St. Edwards represent our future, so what could be more important than spending time developing them as young adults.  I can't think of a single thing.  ... Except maybe hugs from all my boys.

The ritual on the last night of Leadershape is for each of the Family Clusters to perform skits.   The only criteria is that they must include one leadership concept, assigned to them earlier in the day.  The skits are always very creative and help illuminate which points made over six days and eighty-four hours worth of content are most memorable. 

 

You can imagine with so much air time in front of these students that my co-lead and I were are fair game for lots of poking and prodding.  After all... to keep these students engaged we had to pull out a lot of stops.  We found ourselves doing things we might otherwise never do... start the wave, sing My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, and start the Conga Line.  Then of course there are all the things that aren't intended to be funny, but, that after six days, are quickly turned into a parody.  These are things such as impersonators of my co-lead entering the stage with a Diet Pepsi in hand (the drink he could not be found without); me wearing the same black sweat shirt I wore all week; hand gestures; and inflections to our voices.  It made for a fun-filled night with lots of laughter.

The one phrase that seemed to stick out most to students throughout the week, as made evident in their skits, was from a video they watched titled, "Radiating Possibility."  The video tells of passionate man who teaches young students in the New England Conservatory.  He makes five major points about life... "Live in the Front Row of Your Life," "See Mistakes as Fascinating," "Quiet Your Inner Voice," "Live in Possibility," and "Realize It Is All Invented."  

 

In the video he describes the importance of taking risks and not being scared to make mistakes. He,  in fact, demonstrates what one ought to do when they make a mistake.  He throws his hands in the air, raises his eyebrows, and then in a high-pitched and enthusiastic voice exclaims, "How fascinating!"  His rationale... mistakes are actually very similar to successes.  We learn when we do something well and we learn just as much when we make a mistake.  Both are valuable learning experiences.  So... "how fascinating!" 

I made lots of mistakes this past week and when I get back to Grapevine later today will embark on a whole new week of mistake-making.  But, I'm invigorated.  I am rejuvenated by the idea that I have high hopes and lots of vision.  The future of Highlowaha is bright and with the creativity and enthusiasm of this readership, we will do something big.  What, I don't know. What mistakes will we make a long the way?  I don't know that either.  But, you can be sure they will be fascinating.

Signing off until Monday....  Tomorrow I will take a well-deserved break and get re-connected with the other job I love so much... that of being a mother!