What are you most proud of in your life?
This is an interesting prompt, and one that I could get very long-winded with, making lists of all kinds of things. But, as I often quote, brevity is the soul of wit, and I want this to be a witty (though not funny, just insightful) post.
So: What am I most proud of in my life? Actually, there are so many things, with my professional accomplishments and personal achievements that brought me here to this point of my life. When I take a moment to reflect on where I am and what I’ve become, I see a vast storehouse of information and experience that I’ve accumulated along the way. (And could we work on that singularity thing so I can upload my consciousness before it’s lost?)
In a recent blog post I mentioned a retirement party arranged for me. Students from across the 17 years of teaching at that campus attended. Everyone who spoke had wonderfully kind and complimentary things to say. In that moment I realized that the true legacy of my life is my students.
Again: What am I most proud of? My teaching, my work, and my interactions with the students. I’ve often been told (by former students) how important the theatre productions were for them, socially and developmentally. One law student was asked by a mentor why he was so good at oral arguments, and he cited his theatre experience.
One of the major regrets of my life has been not having a child. But, as it turns out, even though I have no biological children of my own, I can claim the hundreds (thousands?) of students who passed before me in my 31 years of teaching.
(And the IRS auditor rolls his eyes when he sees the number of dependents I’ve listed on my next return.)
(And in the end, I did try to be funny with my wit.)
MUSOFYR 