My Reflections - Please Read

Wow! I was utterly impressed and amazed by the Crew members, of course including our Danny, who work and compete in such crazy conditions, in terms of weather, self discipline, and physical abilities. They are the epitome of teamwork; they even came up all lined up as a team to greet dad and me. One by one they shook our hands and said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Ribas.” On some days they get up before the crack of dawn for training and on others they meet again when most students move onto more relaxing activities after their classes. To top it off, they get “released” from Varsity Crew if their grades aren’t good enough. If it’s not self-discipline and self-motivation, I don’t know what it is! The Crew experience is parallel to leading an effective life, which takes a bit of passion, diligence, delayed gratification, strength, willingness and ability to learn and improve, tenacity, teamwork – all mixed together to create a satisfying and successful life. Just like Crew, nothing good comes easily. When they beat an easy opponent, they understand they are simply lucky to get a break. Each time that we lose or fail to accomplish something, we have the opportunity to learn from our experience and improve in the next try. The Crew races also mirror that fact of life. We win some and lose some but always strive for better results.

My returning to school and planning to obtain higher degrees has humbled me. It has put me in a category of learners, which at times puts me in disequilibria and makes me check myself. Now I realize that’s the real beauty of it; I have an opportunity to rethink and redo, to make even greater improvements in life. I understand that not everything I am learning is right or even useful, but the process of refining my thinking and understanding of my field, the greater world, and even myself is invaluable. So if you ever wonder why the hell you put yourself through something really hard, like getting a degree, quitting a bad habit, or finishing an outrageously difficult task, remember that the process is invaluable and can even make you a better person. It takes time to develop self – some people do it by working and some go to school. Both types are gaining skills and knowledge about a field while learning about themselves and how they can impact the world. I guess the third type is the leach, sucking up resources without learning how to contribute. So when you are fortunate enough to go to school or work, learn as much as you can in any given field that can extract your passion, diligence, delayed gratification, strength, ability to learn and improve, and perseverance; for sure you will learn about yourself and know how you can impact the world. The monetary rewards will follow, because you will have the expertise in your field and all the other ingredients for success. People who think they can become rich by simply being smart, they are just kidding themselves.

My last reflection came from Maxy. After he scratched his face open, I realized that I could only do so much to help him heal. I did what I could, which was to take him to the vet, give him medicine, and monitor his wound. If Max continued to scratch his face, I could force the Elizabethan cone on him and leave it on him day and night. Then when I took it off for any reason, he could start scratching all over again and the wound would reopen. Maxy taught me that ultimately people are independent creatures and must learn to help themselves. I believe in creating helpful opportunities and exposing people to them, but the key thing is that they must want to participate and improve. I wonder if Maxy knows the benefits of not having a wound, but all of us who care about him know an open wound could lead to an infection and even death. Fortunately, we have the awareness and ability to make sound choices. Use our life experience and education to guide us to a good life.

Love you guys,
Mama