I Did It! I Finally Did It!!!

When you were much younger, I am sure that you have heard many bedtime stories. Back then, they were designed to not just entertain you, but to help you to fall asleep. Nothing wrong with that. Believe it or not, these stories were not just stories. They were lessons designed to help you. Some of these tales—like the fables—had a moral for you to think about and learn.

Earlier this school year, I made a reference to you about a fairy tale called “The Tortoise and the Hare.” I am sure that you have heard this one before. They even made a Dunkin' Donuts commercial about it a while back. Forget the doughnuts for now. You’re making me hungry and the one thing I don’t need right now is a doughnut. Instead, let’s look at the story.

You have two creatures challenging each other to a race. Actually, it is the hare, which is a rabbit, challenging the tortoise, which is a turtle, to a race. To the casual listener who hasn’t heard the story before, you would say that it is obvious that the hare, a much faster creature, would win. Well, my friends, that is not always the case in life. You see, the hare was too confident. Somewhere along the way, he decided to slack off on his task. Somewhere along the way, he decided to rest. He played around. He did all sorts of things when he should have been concentrating on his task. In the end, when he decided to get serious, he got back to his task only to find that the tortoise was waiting on him at the finish line.

How does this story become a lesson? Well, think about it. Are you a hare? The hare was the animal that was blessed with speed, a speed that I am sure he used to dodge predators and so forth. It was given the ability to go farther, faster than any of the nearby creatures. It could think fast and react quickly. It was well aware of his talent in this area. He knew it and was—what you young folks say—conceited. Everyone knew of the hare’s talent. Are you going to be a hare in high school? What are your talents? Are you aware of them? Have you put them to good use or are you wasting them? Are you forgetful of your ability? If you are aware of that ability, did you thank for trying to get your name on the honor roll? Are you really working at your best? Only you can tell for sure. You have your talents and, if you don’t use them, you could lose all of them. In high school, you will have to constantly work at your best because you won’t be there for long. If you know that you can do well and do better, in the words of a famous commercial, just do it. After that will come some mysterious place called college. I am sure that you will want to go to college.

I remember reading the following words somewhere. They are not mine. I wish I came up with these words on my own. I must admit that I did not. They come from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance.” They say:

“A bell is no bell till you ring it.A song is no song till you sing itAnd love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay.Love isn’t love till you give it away.”

Unfortunately, the hare was thinking like a fool. What should have been the obvious result wasn’t at all. He was the focus of the story, but he was not the hero. No, my students, the real hero of the story was the tortoise. The tortoise was the wise one. He realized that he was limited in his speed, but he was given the best gift of all. He was blessed with perseverance. He knew not to give up. While the hare was slacking off, the little tortoise was still working at the time. In fact, the tortoise didn’t give up until it was over. In high school, you may not be as academically gifted as the person next to you, but you need to keep after yourself until you succeed. Yes, it will be tough, but it will make your success that much more enjoyable.

This story is ALMOST a parable that teaches us about us. It makes you think: Am I the tortoise or am I the hare? You need to try to work at your best ability. Will you get 100’s every day? Most likely not. Will you be a much better person and student? Yes, you will. You will be able to identify hard work and be an example to others. You will be able to really inspire others to do well. Think of all of the most successful people you know. Success wasn’t handed to them. Look at your very classmates who always achieved high scores in the class. They had to work hard to achieve real success. Look up to the real heroes in life. Look up to your parents, the people who always continue to look out for you and love you. They are your first heroes. Give them a hand. (PAUSE) Look at your teachers who could have made far more money elsewhere, but chose to stay here to help you because we care for you. I love it here. I could use a new car one day. Just don’t be surprised if you come back next year to visit and find me coming to work on a skateboard. At least it will be a 2007 skateboard. Look at your community and its leaders who are trying to make the world a much better place for all of us. Look at our leaders in government who work to protect us and keep us safe from harm. You can even look at the sports stars who recognize that millions of young people are watching them as they strive to set good examples. Believe it or not, there are some stars who make an effort to avoid the evil of drugs and all of the temptations of what the love of money can do to them. Need I say more?

You have been in school an X amount of years. Tomorrow, you are going to wake up thinking that tonight was just a dream. You are going to wake up Monday and realize that it is a school day, but not for you. You will have a few days to look at the rest of THIS school year and think about the good times you had here. That is all well and good. Look back on your time here with great fondness. Think about the time you started here. Think about all of the funny things that happened while you were here. Even think about the sad times and how you dealt with them. You are now going to be a part of these school memories forever. Perhaps, you will come back and look at the very rooms where you made those memories. Perhaps, there will be students at that time walking you around the building and telling YOU what they do in each room. Perhaps, every student will have their own laptop in each room. You might even pass by a classroom and say, “Hi. Remember me?” Who knows?

Now, you are to set forth in the world and do many wonderful things. You need to look at the blueprint for the world and reconfigure the world so that it again matches that blueprint. You can do it. You need to be a shining example. Like the hare, you need to recognize your talent, but like the tortoise, you must use it wisely. You must be persistent. Do not give up. Set a goal and go after it. Do you want to make money so that you can take care of your family? Go after it, but do it legally and morally. Be the best at what you do, but never do it at someone else’s expense. No matter what you do, never forget that you could not be a success if it wasn’t for those who love you. You never fail until you stop trying. Victory is 99% sweat and 1% sweet. The baton has now been passed on to you. Go forward and do well. We are with you.

I congratulate you and wish you luck for the future.