Coursera Week 1 homework

Write a letter (two pages or so) to a “straw man,” someone who is not a friend or family member, but who was a significant figure in your life as a child or young person. This should be, for example, an elementary school teacher, a soccer coach, a piano teacher, etc.—someone associated with a specific period in your life, a period long enough ago that you would not have a clear sense of events occurring beyond your neighborhood or region. Addressing your writing to an adult who would have had the social consciousness then that you have now will help you to maintain a mature perspective as you explore the memory.

In the letter, recount a specific personal event that had a notable impact on your life alone, and which occurred while you were, say, that teacher’s student. Incorporate references to what we’ll call a “global” event that made headlines in the newspapers at the time. Try to find a headline(s) as close to the date of the experience, as well as you can recall, as possible. If you cannot determine the exact date through your memory or others, approximate as best you can. In essence your letter is an attempt to connect your childhood experience to a larger social and historical consciousness you may not have had as a child.

This is a hard assignment for me. I really struggled to find the right person to write about. I finally settled on my high school youth minister. I really loved him but we had an unfortunate parting of ways. But while I was in high school, he was an extremely significant person in my life. I was going to write about our unfortunate parting of ways, but instead, I'm going to write about the ride home from NCYC. 

The National Catholic Youth Conference occurs on odd numbered years. Or it did. Not sure if it still does. I attended in '99, '01, and '03 (as a "chaperone." I put that in quotations because I was not a competent chaperone. I went to hang out with my friends who were still in high school.) Man, if I had started this blog just a few months earlier, I would have written about NCYC here!

Anyway.

The whole Diocese of Charleston contingent was on the same two charter busses, our bus probably had mostly upstate people. 

I just remembered that I'm supposed to be writing a letter. Not explaining NCYC to my nameless, faceless, and probably nonexistent readers.

Okay.

I don't think I'm going to do this right.

But okay.

Dear J,

Remember on the way home from NCYC? You took turns sitting with each of us to chat and connect. I didn't appreciate it then, but I really appreciate now how tired you must have been yet still chose to pour out to teenagers.

We talked about my future. I was days way from turning sixteen and it was my junior year. Your junior year of high school is the take the SAT, apply to colleges, think seriously about your future.

I was overwhelmed.

You know, almost twenty years later, I still get overwhelmed by large decisions.

I honestly don't remember anything you said. I just remember that I started crying. "I just want to wake up when I'm twenty-six." I had said. I'm almost thirty-six now. You were probably in your thirties then. 

I still feel like that overwhelmed girl that doesn't know what she's going to do.

Oof. I just realized that I don't think this event had a "notable impact on my life."

It's just something that I remember really well. I don't think it altered the course of anything. It's just something I remember because, well, I sometimes still feel like that girl. And I wish I could tell her that it will all be okay. Even if she never figures any of it out.

Dear Tiffany,

I know you feel like your entire future is hinging on the decisions you make right now.

And, honestly, in some ways it is. Every decision we make affects our lives. Butterfly effect and all.

However.

Let me just tell you that if you don't pick your college and your major and your career right now, it will be okay.

It will be more than okay.

It won't be perfect, but I think that's unavoidable.

I'd tell you not to stress, but I think that is unavoidable as well.

If I could give you some advice it would be this.

• Take care of yourself (exercise, eat healthy, drink water, get enough sleep).
• Don't waste time on boys who aren't worth your time. The attention you get from them isn't worth the value of your time. 
• Have confidence in the person that God created you to be. Even if you don't know what purpose your were created for.
• Pray about your problems. You don't need to always pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
• Also maybe start good habits today so you don't have to work so hard on them in twenty years. (Flossing, picking up your crap, journal.)

Annnd that's all the time I have for today. I don't think I was very good at this exercise. I will perhaps revisit is later.