On to his Next Chapter

Not sure how he feels about having his name listed in media such as this, so I'll leave it out but if you know him, you'll know who I'm talking about.

Recently, the head of our Outdoors Program resigned to move on to discovering the next part of his life. He was the organizing energy for the eventual development of a smooth, solid, effective outdoors program which excells both in quality and quantity of outdoors experience and training. But, he won't take that much credit for it, so we've been calling him the catalyst. And yes, to be fair, there are a large number of other people both students and staff involved and contributing to furthering the program. And, continuing to be fair, many probably wouldn't be there without him and the opportunities that he helped bring about.

We had a goodbye/send-off party of sorts for him. In all honesty, I think he is one of the more thorough human beings I have ever met. It's hard to describe. He's one of those people.. One of those people that you hope to become if you have enough experience, wisdom, insight, and genuine involvement in the world around you. One of those people that you forget exists these days because you don't expect people to be that real and to actually believe things about what is good in people and what is valuable in nature and what is worth it in life. It seems so natural in him. That's what I mean by 'thorough'.


But of course, I can never say these things out loud.
so I write them down into goodbye letters
with the recipient's name in calligraphy -
colored caligraphy, in attempt to let them know that their name is worth special attention.
And I attach little folded cranes because I wish I could be more direct in expressing - but I need a messenger to speak for me. Cranes are weighty with connotations, so they seem like appropriate messengers. Cranes are songs that can't find words.

I used to be able to imitate just about any bird call - except for cranes. It only strikes me now that this seems more interesting given the associations that I just made concrete in the previous paragraph.

I almost wish I'd taken a picture of the crane and letter I made for him, but I intentionally didn't. It's all for him.

But the words are also mine, and I cling to my words like a staff.

This is roughly what I gave him.
And I'm putting it here because I don't want this to be forgotten.





This is not the greatest letter ever written, nor the neatest folded crane. Honestly, I made both right before I came, because I'd forgotten the time. But here is what I could do with what I had. And, that's what you said time was for, right? (I paraphrase:) To limit us into choosing those things which are important.

I haven't taken many of your classes, but I've been around enough to know that you're a great teacher and incredible person - would that there were more of you - and it would be selfish of us to demand you spend all of your precious interval of time here. Thank you for all you've given us, and I hope we can continue in sharing the gift.

Best of everything for the future.