The Last Step

It doesn’t feel real yet. I would guess that is mostly because it is the start of a holiday weekend. But ask me on Monday afternoon and I’ll most certainly tell you that I feel the change. Today was my last day at the office. I am, at the moment, unemployed. This is of course by choice. On Monday morning I will start my first day of student teaching. This is the final step of my current degree program.

I really enjoyed working at the funeral home. I felt that I was good at my job. In addition to working at the funeral home I also had the opportunity to teach mortuary science classes at Vincennes University. Even though I am leaving the daily grind of the office I will continue to teach those courses. I know what you’re thinking. Why leave if I loved the job, right? Well…it is a complex answer, but for this purpose I’ll answer it simply. More often than not I felt trapped. And nobody puts Andy in a corner.

Wordless Wednesday: I Am Here

...but I'm glad to be here.

Autonom-o-u-s-e (to be sung)

If you were to ask me who I believe has been most influential person in our society my answer may not surprise you. It is the reasoning behind my answer that throws a curve. The answer is simple. Walt Disney. Try to find one person who doesn’t recognize the name. Walt Disney was a dreamer with the means to make his dreams come true and in doing so has enabled for anyone to enter a cleverly crafted world of fantasy. Without a doubt the man was a genius.

I grew up in Orlando, Florida. I had a parent who once worked for Walt Disney World. I do not have the best opinion of WDW. Most people I have talked to about this issue have lumped Walt Disney in the same category as Sam Walton. They say things like, “If Walt were alive today he would be ashamed of what his company has become.” I disagree. I believe that WDW in Florida is exactly what Walt always dreamed. Had Walt lived to see the park open and be further developed I believe that it would be a much larger monster than it already is.

I came across an article today from a 1995 edition of The American Prospect. I encourage you to read the article here. It outlines the foundation of Walt’s plan for the Florida property. This article goes beyond the normal Disney secrets of land purchasing and details the ultimate goal of a Utopian society. Okay…don’t leave me yet. If you’ve ever been to Disney you will know that EPCOT was built to display Walt’s vision for a utopia. (Of course, you also know that a Utopian society looks great on paper but will never operate smoothly as long as people are involved.) But it extends beyond EPCOT. The entire park is the utopia of which Walt dreamed. Walt Disney World is in Florida but is not of Florida. It is the largest single site employer in the country. But the most impressive part is that the entire property is completely autonomous.

After reading this article I still believe that Walt is the most influential person of our society. But now I’m not sure if I should be impressed by his genius…or very frightened.

Separation

I’ve been told that it takes a special person to do my job. Someone who can separate mortality from sensation. Work from life. I’ve had friends tell me of their concern that this job would change the spirit of who I am. Possibly rob myself of my own essence. It is more frequent, however, that I have friends ask me how I am able to do what it is that I do. In the short time that I have been doing this job there have been only a handful of times that I have not been able to separate. And for that I am grateful.

I don’t know how to react when people tell me that they were please that it was me who walked into the room at 3:00 AM. I don’t understand how others can find comfort when they know that I am the one doing the work. Work that they dare not imagine. But what I understand least is my reaction when a complete stranger grabs my hand and says, “Take care of her.” I tend to only reply with pursed lips and a genuine nod.

This week our community lost a supremely influential woman. A woman who has lived the last few years of her life out of the public as she slowly slipped away. I am glad that I have had the opportunity to recently spend time with her. Our visits were short but always left me with a smile. I wasn’t working the morning that she passed away. I couldn’t have been happier that I was not the one. I don’t think I would have been able to do it. To walk into her empty room and see her at her most unguarded moment. I would not have been able to separate my work from her influence on my life. Even the next day at work I avoided going into the room where she was. I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to.

Did she know her time was up? The last time I saw her she was having lunch with the others. I walked over to her and she patted my arm like always. She was such a flirt. But this was different. This last time she looked at me still holding my hand and asked, “Are you going to play in the band again this year?” I couldn’t help it….with tears in my eyes I said, “Of course, Mary, of course.” She squeezed my hand and I left.

You're Never Fully Dressed...

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines a smile as:

Smile (n.) A facial expression in which the eyes brighten and the corners of the mouth curve slightly upward and which expresses especially amusement, pleasure, approval, or sometimes scorn.

I define a smile as a simple and free gesture that can brighten your day – or the day of the people around you.

A smile can spark a conversation or help you make a new friend. A smile can attract people to you and ignite a new relationship.

A smile is the single most important thing you can do to enhance your outward beauty.

A smile can transmit a message of 10,000 words in a split second.

A smile can defuse even the most tense of conflicts.

A smile can melt hearts.

If a butterfly gently flapping its wings in Pekin can cause rain instead of sunshine in Central Park, then imagine what your smile can do. Small actions have big consequences. So today, a gentle reminder to flex the most important muscle you’ve got: Smile. Both at yourself and at others; it can change the world.

How do you plan to change the world?

(Can you find the movie quote? Put your guess in the comments and you just might win a prize!)

All of that.....for nothing

It is something that you just need to experience firsthand to understand. You can feel it inside you. You don’t blink. You can’t breath. And from the moment you first experience it you know that you have seen history. I consider myself lucky.

But it seems that my luck is about to run out. In June of 2011 the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, Florida will launch the last manned Space Shuttle. The Shuttle program has long outlived the expected lifespan. And while I knew that the end was near, it saddens me to know that there is nothing to replace the Space Shuttle.

You see, I grew up on the Space Coast. The space program was ever much a part of my life as it was the nearly four thousand employees that drove through the gates every day. So when President Obama decided to cancel the Constellation program which was to replace our aging Shuttle fleet, I was disturbed that he just didn’t understand why Americans needed to be in space. I felt like the bottom line was getting in the way of real progress.

Do we need to build a permanent structure on the moon? Yes. Do we need to develop a real plan to send astronauts to Mars and beyond? Yes! Do we need to move above and beyond Low Earth Orbit in a routine manned space program? Yes!!! Why, you ask? Exploration is human nature. Something is out there. Somewhere there is something that we have never seen before. What if Columbus had been satisfied with just salt?

I recently read an article on the economic impact of canceling manned missions to space. Sure, this will take billions of dollars off the national budget. Yes, this will allow private industry to take over a government run operation. But the bad outweighs the good. Titusville, Florida is just about as close as you can get to a modern company town. The article I read involved an interview with one of the estimated four thousand that are about to be unemployed. He was a member of the shuttle close-out crew. For the last 28 years this guy has strapped people to rockets. With the no future manned programs he will be out of a job.

It saddens me to see my hometown shutting down, closing doors, and going out of business. The once vibrant business community and tourist Mecca will soon have nothing to offer. Sure, the Kennedy Space Center will still have a visitor center well worth the visit, but the livelihood of a city is on the line.

I was there for the first Florida landing. I was there for the Challenger. I was there for Sally Ride’s first shot….and her second. I’ve seen an entire highway (A1A) stand still and thousands of witnesses collectively hold their breath. I’ve walked down the beach and seen The Bird sitting there poised ready to go. I can honestly tell you that it is the most impressive and awe inspiring thing I’ve ever seen. I hope that I’m able to go to the last one…