Day 14: Woosah. Rubs Ears. Woosah. Rubs Ears.
I took a break from writing the memoirs this weekend. Not because I didn't think of some. I had a couple.. but they were ones I did not want to post. A little too personal.. but no less meaningful.
Today, however, it's the first day of class! I can't believe it's here already. All this work has come up to this day. I'm a little anxious and feeling overwhelmed with everything that I am a part of. I was just offered the position as NASPA Graduate Associate which is awesome, but that's one more responsibility. I seriously hope I have not overloaded.
I've started meditating. It's pretty awesome.. I sat outside this morning around 7:45 and meditated for 15 minutes. I think it helped but today I can't help the anxious feeling that it's about to begin. My last first day of class for my master's degree...
Day 15: Some Dreams Are Relays, Not Sprints.
This was taken from Julian Castro's speech at the Democratic National Convention. His actual quote was "the American Dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon-- but a relay."
When he said that, I cried. Finally, I thought, someone gets it. I typically don't reflect like this during a politician's speech, but I thought about my parents. My mom never went to college but she has always encouraged my sisters and I to excel. When she realized our best in school was As and Bs, she challenged us to do more. She came to almost every school function any of us were involved in, from marching band performances and concerts to tennis matches. She sat tall at each of our graduations and quietly celebrated with each of us as we received our college acceptances, and job offers. My father dropped out of college and joined the Marines in his early 20s. 25 years later he would earn his BA in Criminal Justice at NCCU and his MA in Public Administration. He has always embodied hard work, perseverance and believing in ones self. When I think of my parents, the baton they passed on to my sisters and I were not only their dreams, but their values and beliefs. They passed on the belief that we are the combination of two very strong families: the Puou's and Carpenter's. We are the Carpenter girls. We carry all their dreams but also our own. It's a burden and a honor.
Finally, someone acknowledged that there is a privilege to be able to fulfill the American Dream in their lifetime. My parents will not be rich in their lifetime. However, I may and my children definitely will. My children will grow up with an inheritance and they will know this was made through the sacrifices provided by their grandparents, their great grandparents and Tutus. They did not do this on their own. They are standing on the very strong shoulders of those who came before them.
Every American is.
