Stagnant Water

God has blessed me with a very good memory.  At this time in my life I am most grateful for that blessing, even though, I do occasionally drop the ball and forget something "today" - I remember my life's milestones pretty vividly.

Growing up, I attended a VERY small school in the Texas panhandle.  How small was it? You ask.

This was my entire 8th grade graduating class!

Pringle Elementary 1964

I remember that night like it was yesterday.  There were a lot of tears - we had been very sheltered in the 8 years we walked the halls of that little school.  We had the equivalent of a private school education and we had great teachers!  I'm not sure about the other 6, but I did not attend a pre-school or Kindergarten.  I just started off in 1st grade, a little only child, and, for me, the first time I had experienced more than just a few other children remotely my age.  Needless to say, we were all pretty tight...some of us still are.  I do often wonder what happened to Gary Kelley, Freddie Mayfield, Sharon Freeman & Karen Blanton.  But I know exactly where Canon Knight and Mary Hembree are and we talk from time to time.  

I remember the somber yet celebratory mood of the evening and the knowledge that after the tears and speeches, we would be headed to Borger for a Bar-B-Q dinner at Sutphens with our sponsors and parents.

When I was this age, I was pretty smart...smart enough to be the Salutatorian of the class.  No one could outsmart Karen - she was hands down the smartest chick I've ever known.  As the Salutatorian, it fell to me to address the assembly.  Back then, no one trusted you to write your own speech (and honestly, I'm not sure they should have....then....or now.)  My speech was written by my English teacher, Rita Chisum.

Mrs. Chisum was a great teacher, one I always tried not to disappoint.  Disappointing Mrs. Chisum hurt......because she hurt for you.  She was a fabulous role model and she gave me great words to say on an important night.
Unfortunately, I can't remember the whole speech but I do remember one part of it, "Our lives must be always moving forward to remain fresh and full of promise.   Like a river, we must be continually flowing - for standing water grows stagnant and stale.  Nothing good grows in stagnant water."

Over the course of my lifetime, this phrase has played out many times.  And, I must admit that it has been a primary driving factor in what I do.
It is the reason that I recently stepped out of my work comfort zone to learn something new.  I went in an entirely different direction than the one I had spent my entire working career traveling.  It is challenging, fast paced...it can be frustrating and the environment is busy and loud.  I have to be quick....I have to be accurate and most of all....I have to be mentally alert, well rested and focused.  There is no skating through my job as there is a great deal of accountability.

There is also a great deal of satisfaction in knowing I still have the capacity to learn new things, to thrive in new environments and to be productive.  I feel lucky.

And I hope somewhere in some way I have made ALL of my teachers proud of the lump of wet clay they had a hand in molding into a person who is not content to stagnate.