On Sunday my son embarked on a grand adventure with the DeKalb High School Marching Barbs. They will tour Ireland, culminating in marching in Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The band has been preparing for a year and are safely on their way. We all know they will be great ambassadors from DeKalb and that they will create life-long memories.
As he departed on this voyage, I had many things to tell Nick, so many cautions, bits of advice and directions. Any parent knows I must choose my words wisely with my son.
Are caution and fear the message I want my son to have as he jumps into the wider world? Does he really need more concern as he tours castles and cobbled streets?
What matters is that Nick pays attention to those cobbles and castles. As he takes in a different land, I challenge Nick to be curious. I hope he wonders and questions. I want him to trip over uneven roads and see the Irish landscape up close so that what he once thought is no longer. Then he will find that next moment that can only come from experiencing the unknown. A breath, a question, a thought he cannot quite put voice to. That moment of exploration and wonder that erases everything and imagines a fresh vision of the world.
Here’s a shout-out to the Marching Barbs! May the road rise to meet you!
I’m Elsa Glover and that’s my perspective.
