A Bigger Pond

My students are a willful group and that has gotten them to this little pond we all share. They know every plant, every sound and the rocks that are safe to jump into deeper water. Having lived more life than most of us by the tender age of 17, they are reluctant to let go.

They have already felt parts of their life dissolving like sand under their toes and drawn out to sea. They know why it scares them to move to a bigger pond: the door between high school and college will have no handles should they want to return. They are hyper aware of the opportunities but the risk is in giving up the safety net and their sense of security.

It has been said that great achievement accompanies great risk. The juncture of moving from who we are to who we are becoming is a vast individual leap. It is not easy or slow or painless, and sometimes it means going it alone with nothing but warm memories. It takes a strong sense of self to scoop up life, tuck it under your arm and make a run for it.

Like settlers, they will have to find the courage to forge their path. With great fanfare and tears they will head off, facing challenges and unexpected setbacks. Some will make it to Iowa before turning back, learning about themselves how far is too far. Some will come over the Rockies and make a go of it in the beautiful, rich farmland of Colorado. And some will make it all the way to the Pacific, those big dreams tangible and real as they run towards the waves and the hard, wet sand.