Slow Down, Everyone!

I don’t know about you but it can be difficult for me to slow down enough to focus on the present. There’s so much going on in our lives that we’re always looking ahead, trying to plan our next move.

Never was this more obvious than my wedding day.  Anyone who has planned a wedding knows that all you do for months is plan ahead.

Just before the big day a friend gave me some advice.  She told me to stop before I walked down the aisle and pause for at least thirty seconds to take a good look at the guests and the church, since it would be the only time I would have a chance to make that memory.

Dad was tugging at my arm, yet I stopped and took time to let the image sink in.

Boy, am I glad I did!  I never had another opportunity to look at the church or the guests.  But that image is a memory I cherish.

For one brief moment, I stopped to focus on the present.

Wish I could have shared this wisdom recently as we watched Final Review at my alma mater, Texas A&M.

In case you don’t know, Final Review is when the Corps of Cadets passes in review one last time for the year, and the last time ever for the seniors.  It’s full of pageantry and pride and symbolism.

There are two reviews, really.  During the event, Corps leadership shifts to the seniors-in-waiting.  After the first review, the freshmen, sophomores and juniors return to the field in their new uniforms and leadership positions for the upcoming year to be reviewed by the outgoing seniors.

This year was special because our nephew, a junior, got to march in review wearing his senior boots for the first time.  A huge deal for these young men and women who have worked so hard for the honor. 

In the corps, every day is spent looking forward to getting those senior boots.  The boots are the outward symbol of a job well done; worn with pride at achieving something that literally took years of work and dedication.

I’ve seen Final Review before.  I was there, as a student.  Yet watching it now, with years of real-world experience under my belt makes me wish I could stop the review for just a few minutes to talk to the cadets.

Plead with them, actually.

What would I say if the commandant let me have the podium?

Slow down! Everyone – slow down.  I know you are anxious to take the next step in your young lives, but it will be here before you know it.  Whether you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, enjoy this – these moments – while you can.  When they are gone, they’re gone. 

Yes, you’ll have the memories.  Just make sure you are living in the moment right now, savoring this time.  I know you have to consider schoolwork, grades and a host of other things.  Seniors have to consider job options too.  All very important.

Just don’t forget to focus on the present. Enjoy every minute of what’s happening.  When you stand at Final Review, you want to have zero regrets.   The four years of college don’t last forever, although it may seem like it some days. 

Seniors, on Final Review day, when you are standing in formation on the quad, before you hear the drum major announce for the last time, “Step off on Hullabaloo”, before you hear the first notes of the Aggie War Hymn, before your outfit falls in behind the band, STOP. Take a good look all around you. Make a mental picture of this exact moment.

It’s one that you will treasure forever.  

I’m pretty sure the cadets would think I’m nuts. They’d wonder “Who’s that Old Aggie” and probably laugh at me, texting to their buddies that I am out of touch.

Yet I’m sure the outgoing seniors would agree with me.  We witnessed more than one such cadet wiping away tears as he realized that this was it; the end of the ride.

I’m sure every cadet enjoyed the experience.  I’m just guessing that they might wish for one more week or even just a day to revel in the experience.

Wherever you are in life, take time to stop and really experience it.  Take a mental picture that you’ll cherish forever. These things only happen once.