Answering the call
“How many people my age get to ride to the rescue?” This is not a question I had ever heard before, but I have learned during my time at Poly that I should always be ready for perspectives that shift my thinking and inspire me. A little background: A few weeks ago, one of our Outdoor Ed vans lurched and rattled into a campground in Northern California, and the chaperon made the wise decision that she needed a different van to drive the students back to campus at the end of the trip. Back on campus, as we were trying to figure out how to swap vans, one of our colleagues just happened to walk into Haaga House looking to chat up whoever was around. Imagine that. Without missing a beat, he offered to drive the six hours north, exchange the van, and drive home. Now that’s stepping up!
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When I saw him later in the week, after graciously accepting my thanks, he asked me to take a seat — in my office, I might add. With his telltale grin that always communicates a fine blend of wisdom and mischief, he said, “Now, let me give you a different perspective. How many people my age get to ride to the rescue?” He’s right. He’s not young, he prefers to work behind the scenes, and he is one of those people who always offers before you have a chance to ask.
Driving home on the 101 — the scenic route — he told me that he rode like a tourist without the pernicious rush to hurry. The slow pace — 50 miles an hour — made the trip all the more enjoyable. After recounting his tale as if we were perched by a campfire (he tells a good story), he stood up, adjusted his white cowboy hat — truly — and sauntered off to his next class.
Driving home on the 101 — the scenic route — he told me that he rode like a tourist without the pernicious rush to hurry. The slow pace — 50 miles an hour — made the trip all the more enjoyable. After recounting his tale as if we were perched by a campfire (he tells a good story), he stood up, adjusted his white cowboy hat — truly — and sauntered off to his next class.
Storytellers and stagehands notice life’s choreography in ways that many of us do not. They understand the power of unremarkable moments in time, and they see the syncopation and interconnectedness of simple acts with a vividness that can be used to define a person’s place on stage or in a community. We are lucky to be surrounded by people who seize opportunities to truly experience life by embracing each moment with a sense of adventure and gratitude and sharing it with others.
This is why I love to work here.
JWB
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