Tick Tock

Well, another day, another milestone. Today was spent with my youngest daughter accompanying her around the campus of Kings College for an open house and early admission. She hasn't fully decided on which path she will take but it looks like she will start at Kings before moving onto Dal...time will tell in the end but here are her first steps into the next chapter of her life. Such an exciting thing to be a part of as a parent.

While we sat through the normal sales pitches and student accounts I thought about how we were both looking at the day from different perspectives. She's nervous, probably a little terrified at what is coming down the mountain at her...the whole adulty thing. While she is thinking about how much reading and essay writing she will have to do compared to her high school studies and wondering if she can manage it all, I'm thinking about the wonderful opportunity in front of her and how I wish I could simply go back to school just because. Perspective here my friends.

And then a professor got up to do a short lecture on the Odyssey, which was really interesting for me. Not only for the subject matter but for the interpretation that he brought to the table. You see, I never went to university and I have always felt like I missed something important to the education of me. The exposure to an entire world of literature is one thing, the opportunity to discuss, debate and have my mind opened to new ideas is what I am talking about. Critical thinking. It's a thing.

Next came a journalism prof talking about the "gods" of today, corporate interests, politicians and celebrities that vie for our attention while using us up like so many disposable napkins. Interesting again, he related the previous talk on the Odyssey to todays world and how journalists play a vital role in informing the public. I was loving this. I leaned over to my daughter and told her that maybe I would like to sit in on her classes sometime...you should have seen the look of horror on her face. So you know I will be going at some point.

I started to think about how experience shapes our view of what we are doing, seeing and reading. My daughter is seventeen and I am nudging fifty, of course, our experiences are going to colour the view of the prism we look at the world with. This talk of the gods brought to mind a quote from the West Wing and Aaron Sorkin, who was quoting Oscar Wilde who was probably quoting an Italian proverb...and I now quote here.

"Quando dio vuole castigarci ci manda quello che desideriamo." 

"When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers."

Which got me thinking about the laugh the gods must be having with Drumph in office. I guess that's a roundabout way to critical thinking or as I like to call it, my tangential brain. A "what if" moment comes to me here, what if I had gone to university? What if indeed. Who's to say really but just thinking about that road not taken is an exercise in opening the mind a bit.

As a side note, at the end of the day we gathered in a lecture hall for the final message and notices og acceptance and lo and behold, the dean of students got up to sppeak and he could easily pass for Aaron Sorkin...hilarious.

But back to the point at hand. That ticking noise in the background is the passage of time for another significant day in the life of my daughter and in mine. I'm not ashamed to say I teared up, again, at the significance of the moment. Shyly and with some trepidation she will be venturing out into the world. Discovering new things, making new friends and taking even more steps into the future....you're going to be just fine sweetie. And daddy is always here if you need something.

Ciao
D